diff --git a/Core/Code/IO/mitkItkPictureWrite.cpp b/Core/Code/IO/mitkItkPictureWrite.cpp
index 5a986176a0..0712f9dfb5 100644
--- a/Core/Code/IO/mitkItkPictureWrite.cpp
+++ b/Core/Code/IO/mitkItkPictureWrite.cpp
@@ -1,140 +1,167 @@
 /*===================================================================
 
 The Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK)
 
 Copyright (c) German Cancer Research Center, 
 Division of Medical and Biological Informatics.
 All rights reserved.
 
 This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without 
 even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR 
 A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
 
 See LICENSE.txt or http://www.mitk.org for details.
 
 ===================================================================*/
 
 
 #include "mitkItkPictureWrite.h"
 #include <mitkInstantiateAccessFunctions.h>
 
 #include <itkNumericSeriesFileNames.h>
 #include <itkImageSeriesWriter.h>
 #include <itkRescaleIntensityImageFilter.h>
 
+#include <itkRGBAPixel.h>
+
 template < typename TPixel, unsigned int VImageDimension > 
 void _mitkItkPictureWrite(itk::Image< TPixel, VImageDimension >* itkImage, const std::string& fileName)
 {
   typedef itk::Image< TPixel, VImageDimension > TImageType;
 
   typedef itk::Image<unsigned char,3> OutputImage3DType;
   typedef itk::Image<unsigned char,2> OutputImage2DType;
   typename itk::RescaleIntensityImageFilter<TImageType, OutputImage3DType>::Pointer rescaler = itk::RescaleIntensityImageFilter<TImageType, OutputImage3DType>::New();
   rescaler->SetInput(itkImage);
   rescaler->SetOutputMinimum(0);
   rescaler->SetOutputMaximum(255);
   itk::ImageSeriesWriter<OutputImage3DType, OutputImage2DType>::Pointer writer = itk::ImageSeriesWriter<OutputImage3DType, OutputImage2DType >::New();
 
   // Fix initialize the numberOfSlices to one as default
   // test if image has dimension >2 to set the number of slices according to the value of GetSize()[2]
   int numberOfSlices = 1;
   if( VImageDimension > 2 )
   {
     itk::NumericSeriesFileNames::Pointer numericFileNameWriter = itk::NumericSeriesFileNames::New();
     numberOfSlices = itkImage->GetLargestPossibleRegion().GetSize()[2];
 
     std::string finalFileName = fileName;
     std::string::size_type pos = fileName.find_last_of(".",fileName.length()-1);
     if(pos==std::string::npos)
       finalFileName.append(".%d.png");
     else
       finalFileName.insert(pos,".%d");
 
     numericFileNameWriter->SetEndIndex(numberOfSlices);
     numericFileNameWriter->SetSeriesFormat(finalFileName.c_str());
     numericFileNameWriter->Modified();
     writer->SetFileNames(numericFileNameWriter->GetFileNames());
   }
   // if the given image is an 2D-png image, do not use the numericFileNameWriter
   // to generate the name, since it alters the fileName given as parameter
   else
   {
     writer->SetFileName(fileName);
   }
 
   writer->SetInput( rescaler->GetOutput() );
   writer->Update();
 }
 
+template < typename TPixel, unsigned int VImageDimension >
+void _mitkItkPictureWriteComposite(itk::Image< TPixel, VImageDimension >* itkImage, const std::string& fileName)
+{
+  typedef itk::Image< TPixel, VImageDimension > TImageType;
+
+  typedef itk::ImageFileWriter< TImageType > WriterType;
+  typename WriterType::Pointer simpleWriter = WriterType::New();
+
+  simpleWriter->SetFileName( fileName );
+  simpleWriter->SetInput( itkImage );
+  try
+  {
+    simpleWriter->Update();
+  }
+  catch( itk::ExceptionObject &e)
+  {
+    std::cerr << "Caught exception while writing image with composite type: \n" << e.what();
+  }
+}
+
 #define InstantiateAccessFunction__mitkItkPictureWrite(pixelType, dim) \
   template MITK_CORE_EXPORT void _mitkItkPictureWrite(itk::Image<pixelType,dim>*, const std::string&);
 
+#define InstantiateAccessFunction__mitkItkPictureWriteComposite(pixelType, dim) \
+  template MITK_CORE_EXPORT void _mitkItkPictureWriteComposite(itk::Image<pixelType,dim>*, const std::string&);
+
 InstantiateAccessFunction(_mitkItkPictureWrite)
 
+InstantiateAccessFunctionForFixedPixelType( _mitkItkPictureWriteComposite, MITK_ACCESSBYITK_PIXEL_TYPES_SEQ MITK_ACCESSBYITK_COMPOSITE_PIXEL_TYPES_SEQ)
+
 // typedef itk::Image<itk::RGBPixel<unsigned char>, 2>  itkImageRGBUC2;
 // template <> void _mitkItkImageWrite<itk::RGBPixel<unsigned char>, 2>(itkImageRGBUC2* itkImage, const std::string& fileName)
 // {
 //   typedef itkImageRGBUC2 TImageType;
 // 
 //   itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::Pointer writer = itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::New();
 //   writer->SetInput( itkImage );
 //   writer->SetFileName( fileName.c_str() );
 //   writer->Update();
 // };
 // 
 // typedef itk::Image<itk::RGBPixel<unsigned char>, 3>  itkImageRGBUC3;
 // template <> void _mitkItkImageWrite<itk::RGBPixel<unsigned char>, 3>(itkImageRGBUC3* itkImage, const std::string& fileName)
 // {
 //   typedef itkImageRGBUC3 TImageType;
 // 
 //   itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::Pointer writer = itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::New();
 //   writer->SetInput( itkImage );
 //   writer->SetFileName( fileName.c_str() );
 //   writer->Update();
 // };
 // 
 // typedef itk::Image<itk::DiffusionTensor3D<float>, 3>  itkImageDTIF3;
 // template <> void _mitkItkImageWrite<itk::DiffusionTensor3D<float>, 3>(itkImageDTIF3* itkImage, const std::string& fileName)
 // {
 //   typedef itkImageDTIF3 TImageType;
 // 
 //   itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::Pointer writer = itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::New();
 //   writer->SetInput( itkImage );
 //   writer->SetFileName( fileName.c_str() );
 //   writer->Update();
 // };
 // 
 // typedef itk::Image<itk::DiffusionTensor3D<double>, 3>  itkImageDTID3;
 // template <> void _mitkItkImageWrite<itk::DiffusionTensor3D<double>, 3>(itkImageDTID3* itkImage, const std::string& fileName)
 // {
 //   typedef itkImageDTID3 TImageType;
 // 
 //   itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::Pointer writer = itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::New();
 //   writer->SetInput( itkImage );
 //   writer->SetFileName( fileName.c_str() );
 //   writer->Update();
 // };
 // 
 // typedef itk::Image<itk::DiffusionTensor3D<float>, 2>  itkImageDTIF2;
 // template <> void _mitkItkImageWrite<itk::DiffusionTensor3D<float>, 2>(itkImageDTIF2* itkImage, const std::string& fileName)
 // {
 //   typedef itkImageDTIF2 TImageType;
 // 
 //   itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::Pointer writer = itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::New();
 //   writer->SetInput( itkImage );
 //   writer->SetFileName( fileName.c_str() );
 //   writer->Update();
 // };
 // 
 // typedef itk::Image<itk::DiffusionTensor3D<double>, 2>  itkImageDTID2;
 // template <> void _mitkItkImageWrite<itk::DiffusionTensor3D<double>, 2>(itkImageDTID2* itkImage, const std::string& fileName)
 // {
 //   typedef itkImageDTID2 TImageType;
 // 
 //   itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::Pointer writer = itk::ImageFileWriter<TImageType>::New();
 //   writer->SetInput( itkImage );
 //   writer->SetFileName( fileName.c_str() );
 //   writer->Update();
 // };
 
 
diff --git a/Core/Code/IO/mitkItkPictureWrite.h b/Core/Code/IO/mitkItkPictureWrite.h
index 3d18a3a8ea..15ab43a0f1 100644
--- a/Core/Code/IO/mitkItkPictureWrite.h
+++ b/Core/Code/IO/mitkItkPictureWrite.h
@@ -1,26 +1,40 @@
 /*===================================================================
 
 The Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK)
 
 Copyright (c) German Cancer Research Center, 
 Division of Medical and Biological Informatics.
 All rights reserved.
 
 This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without 
 even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR 
 A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
 
 See LICENSE.txt or http://www.mitk.org for details.
 
 ===================================================================*/
 
+/** @file mitkItkPictureWrite.h */
 
 #ifndef MITKITKPICTUREWRITE_H
 #define MITKITKPICTUREWRITE_H
 
- #include <itkImage.h>
+#include <itkImage.h>
 
+/**
+ * @brief ITK-Like method to be called for writing an single-component image using the AccessByItk Macros
+ *
+ * @param itkImage an image with single-component pixel type
+ */
 template < typename TPixel, unsigned int VImageDimension > 
 void _mitkItkPictureWrite(itk::Image< TPixel, VImageDimension >* itkImage, const std::string& fileName);
 
+/**
+ * @brief ITK-Like method to be called for writing an image
+ *
+ * @param itkImage an Image with single-component or composite pixel type
+ */
+template < typename TPixel, unsigned int VImageDimension >
+void _mitkItkPictureWriteComposite(itk::Image< TPixel, VImageDimension >* itkImage, const std::string& fileName);
+
 #endif /* MITKITKPICTUREWRITE_H */