diff --git a/doc/APIchanges b/doc/APIchanges
index 81a2266acb..0c9a455838 100644
--- a/doc/APIchanges
+++ b/doc/APIchanges
@@ -13,6 +13,11 @@ libavutil:     2011-04-18
 
 API changes, most recent first:
 
+2012-10-12 - xxxxxxx - lavu 51.44.0 - pixdesc.h
+  Add functions for accessing pixel format descriptors.
+  Accessing the av_pix_fmt_descriptors array directly is now
+  deprecated.
+
 2012-10-xx - xxxxxxx - lavu 51.43.0 - aes.h, md5.h, sha.h, tree.h
   Add functions for allocating the opaque contexts for the algorithms,
   deprecate the context size variables.
diff --git a/libavutil/pixdesc.c b/libavutil/pixdesc.c
index f5098a7320..3a1f9fe957 100644
--- a/libavutil/pixdesc.c
+++ b/libavutil/pixdesc.c
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
 
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
+
+#include "common.h"
 #include "pixfmt.h"
 #include "pixdesc.h"
 
@@ -122,6 +124,9 @@ void av_write_image_line(const uint16_t *src,
     }
 }
 
+#if !FF_API_PIX_FMT_DESC
+static
+#endif
 const AVPixFmtDescriptor av_pix_fmt_descriptors[AV_PIX_FMT_NB] = {
     [AV_PIX_FMT_YUV420P] = {
         .name = "yuv420p",
@@ -1164,3 +1169,28 @@ char *av_get_pix_fmt_string (char *buf, int buf_size, enum AVPixelFormat pix_fmt
 
     return buf;
 }
+
+const AVPixFmtDescriptor *av_pix_fmt_desc_get(enum AVPixelFormat pix_fmt)
+{
+    if (pix_fmt < 0 || pix_fmt >= AV_PIX_FMT_NB)
+        return NULL;
+    return &av_pix_fmt_descriptors[pix_fmt];
+}
+
+const AVPixFmtDescriptor *av_pix_fmt_desc_next(const AVPixFmtDescriptor *prev)
+{
+    if (!prev)
+        return &av_pix_fmt_descriptors[0];
+    if (prev - av_pix_fmt_descriptors < FF_ARRAY_ELEMS(av_pix_fmt_descriptors) - 1)
+        return prev + 1;
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+enum AVPixelFormat av_pix_fmt_desc_get_id(const AVPixFmtDescriptor *desc)
+{
+    if (desc < av_pix_fmt_descriptors ||
+        desc >= av_pix_fmt_descriptors + FF_ARRAY_ELEMS(av_pix_fmt_descriptors))
+        return AV_PIX_FMT_NONE;
+
+    return desc - av_pix_fmt_descriptors;
+}
diff --git a/libavutil/pixdesc.h b/libavutil/pixdesc.h
index 31ddd2e378..7da17bcf12 100644
--- a/libavutil/pixdesc.h
+++ b/libavutil/pixdesc.h
@@ -96,10 +96,12 @@ typedef struct AVPixFmtDescriptor{
  */
 #define PIX_FMT_PSEUDOPAL 64
 
+#if FF_API_PIX_FMT_DESC
 /**
  * The array of all the pixel format descriptors.
  */
 extern const AVPixFmtDescriptor av_pix_fmt_descriptors[];
+#endif
 
 /**
  * Read a line from an image, and write the values of the
@@ -180,4 +182,25 @@ char *av_get_pix_fmt_string (char *buf, int buf_size, enum AVPixelFormat pix_fmt
  */
 int av_get_bits_per_pixel(const AVPixFmtDescriptor *pixdesc);
 
+/**
+ * @return a pixel format descriptor for provided pixel format or NULL if
+ * this pixel format is unknown.
+ */
+const AVPixFmtDescriptor *av_pix_fmt_desc_get(enum AVPixelFormat pix_fmt);
+
+/**
+ * Iterate over all pixel format descriptors known to libavutil.
+ *
+ * @param prev previous descriptor. NULL to get the first descriptor.
+ *
+ * @return next descriptor or NULL after the last descriptor
+ */
+const AVPixFmtDescriptor *av_pix_fmt_desc_next(const AVPixFmtDescriptor *prev);
+
+/**
+ * @return an AVPixelFormat id described by desc, or AV_PIX_FMT_NONE if desc
+ * is not a valid pointer to a pixel format descriptor.
+ */
+enum AVPixelFormat av_pix_fmt_desc_get_id(const AVPixFmtDescriptor *desc);
+
 #endif /* AVUTIL_PIXDESC_H */
diff --git a/libavutil/version.h b/libavutil/version.h
index 856283598d..d4b764ae15 100644
--- a/libavutil/version.h
+++ b/libavutil/version.h
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
  */
 
 #define LIBAVUTIL_VERSION_MAJOR 51
-#define LIBAVUTIL_VERSION_MINOR 43
+#define LIBAVUTIL_VERSION_MINOR 44
 #define LIBAVUTIL_VERSION_MICRO  0
 
 #define LIBAVUTIL_VERSION_INT   AV_VERSION_INT(LIBAVUTIL_VERSION_MAJOR, \
@@ -79,6 +79,9 @@
 #ifndef FF_API_CONTEXT_SIZE
 #define FF_API_CONTEXT_SIZE             (LIBAVUTIL_VERSION_MAJOR < 52)
 #endif
+#ifndef FF_API_PIX_FMT_DESC
+#define FF_API_PIX_FMT_DESC             (LIBAVUTIL_VERSION_MAJOR < 52)
+#endif
 
 /**
  * @}