diff --git a/block.c b/block.c
index b4aaf41..a48b30c 100644
--- a/block.c
+++ b/block.c
@@ -2758,3 +2758,144 @@ int64_t bdrv_get_dirty_count(BlockDriverState *bs)
 {
     return bs->dirty_count;
 }
+
+int bdrv_img_create(const char *filename, const char *fmt,
+                    const char *base_filename, const char *base_fmt,
+                    char *options, uint64_t img_size, int flags)
+{
+    QEMUOptionParameter *param = NULL, *create_options = NULL;
+    QEMUOptionParameter *backing_fmt;
+    BlockDriverState *bs = NULL;
+    BlockDriver *drv, *proto_drv;
+    int ret = 0;
+
+    /* Find driver and parse its options */
+    drv = bdrv_find_format(fmt);
+    if (!drv) {
+        error_report("Unknown file format '%s'", fmt);
+        ret = -1;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    proto_drv = bdrv_find_protocol(filename);
+    if (!proto_drv) {
+        error_report("Unknown protocol '%s'", filename);
+        ret = -1;
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    create_options = append_option_parameters(create_options,
+                                              drv->create_options);
+    create_options = append_option_parameters(create_options,
+                                              proto_drv->create_options);
+
+    /* Create parameter list with default values */
+    param = parse_option_parameters("", create_options, param);
+
+    set_option_parameter_int(param, BLOCK_OPT_SIZE, img_size);
+
+    /* Parse -o options */
+    if (options) {
+        param = parse_option_parameters(options, create_options, param);
+        if (param == NULL) {
+            error_report("Invalid options for file format '%s'.", fmt);
+            ret = -1;
+            goto out;
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (base_filename) {
+        if (set_option_parameter(param, BLOCK_OPT_BACKING_FILE,
+                                 base_filename)) {
+            error_report("Backing file not supported for file format '%s'",
+                         fmt);
+            ret = -1;
+            goto out;
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (base_fmt) {
+        if (set_option_parameter(param, BLOCK_OPT_BACKING_FMT, base_fmt)) {
+            error_report("Backing file format not supported for file "
+                         "format '%s'", fmt);
+            ret = -1;
+            goto out;
+        }
+    }
+
+    backing_fmt = get_option_parameter(param, BLOCK_OPT_BACKING_FMT);
+    if (backing_fmt && backing_fmt->value.s) {
+        if (!bdrv_find_format(backing_fmt->value.s)) {
+            error_report("Unknown backing file format '%s'",
+                         backing_fmt->value.s);
+            ret = -1;
+            goto out;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // The size for the image must always be specified, with one exception:
+    // If we are using a backing file, we can obtain the size from there
+    if (get_option_parameter(param, BLOCK_OPT_SIZE)->value.n == -1) {
+        QEMUOptionParameter *backing_file =
+            get_option_parameter(param, BLOCK_OPT_BACKING_FILE);
+
+        if (backing_file && backing_file->value.s) {
+            uint64_t size;
+            const char *fmt = NULL;
+            char buf[32];
+
+            if (backing_fmt && backing_fmt->value.s) {
+                fmt = backing_fmt->value.s;
+            }
+
+            bs = bdrv_new("");
+
+            ret = bdrv_open(bs, backing_file->value.s, flags, drv);
+            if (ret < 0) {
+                error_report("Could not open '%s'", filename);
+                ret = -1;
+                goto out;
+            }
+            bdrv_get_geometry(bs, &size);
+            size *= 512;
+
+            snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%" PRId64, size);
+            set_option_parameter(param, BLOCK_OPT_SIZE, buf);
+        } else {
+            error_report("Image creation needs a size parameter");
+            ret = -1;
+            goto out;
+        }
+    }
+
+    printf("Formatting '%s', fmt=%s ", filename, fmt);
+    print_option_parameters(param);
+    puts("");
+
+    ret = bdrv_create(drv, filename, param);
+
+    if (ret < 0) {
+        if (ret == -ENOTSUP) {
+            error_report("Formatting or formatting option not supported for "
+                         "file format '%s'", fmt);
+        } else if (ret == -EFBIG) {
+            error_report("The image size is too large for file format '%s'",
+                         fmt);
+        } else {
+            error_report("%s: error while creating %s: %s", filename, fmt,
+                         strerror(-ret));
+        }
+    }
+
+out:
+    free_option_parameters(create_options);
+    free_option_parameters(param);
+
+    if (bs) {
+        bdrv_delete(bs);
+    }
+    if (ret) {
+        return 1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
diff --git a/block.h b/block.h
index 78ecfac..b812172 100644
--- a/block.h
+++ b/block.h
@@ -227,6 +227,10 @@ int bdrv_save_vmstate(BlockDriverState *bs, const uint8_t *buf,
 int bdrv_load_vmstate(BlockDriverState *bs, uint8_t *buf,
                       int64_t pos, int size);
 
+int bdrv_img_create(const char *filename, const char *fmt,
+                    const char *base_filename, const char *base_fmt,
+                    char *options, uint64_t img_size, int flags);
+
 #define BDRV_SECTORS_PER_DIRTY_CHUNK 2048
 
 void bdrv_set_dirty_tracking(BlockDriverState *bs, int enable);
diff --git a/qemu-img.c b/qemu-img.c
index 1d936ed..603bdb3 100644
--- a/qemu-img.c
+++ b/qemu-img.c
@@ -287,9 +287,6 @@ static int img_create(int argc, char **argv)
     const char *base_fmt = NULL;
     const char *filename;
     const char *base_filename = NULL;
-    BlockDriver *drv, *proto_drv;
-    QEMUOptionParameter *param = NULL, *create_options = NULL;
-    QEMUOptionParameter *backing_fmt = NULL;
     char *options = NULL;
 
     for(;;) {
@@ -350,110 +347,9 @@ static int img_create(int argc, char **argv)
         goto out;
     }
 
-    /* Find driver and parse its options */
-    drv = bdrv_find_format(fmt);
-    if (!drv) {
-        error("Unknown file format '%s'", fmt);
-        ret = -1;
-        goto out;
-    }
-
-    proto_drv = bdrv_find_protocol(filename);
-    if (!proto_drv) {
-        error("Unknown protocol '%s'", filename);
-        ret = -1;
-        goto out;
-    }
-
-    create_options = append_option_parameters(create_options,
-                                              drv->create_options);
-    create_options = append_option_parameters(create_options,
-                                              proto_drv->create_options);
-
-    /* Create parameter list with default values */
-    param = parse_option_parameters("", create_options, param);
-
-    set_option_parameter_int(param, BLOCK_OPT_SIZE, img_size);
-
-    /* Parse -o options */
-    if (options) {
-        param = parse_option_parameters(options, create_options, param);
-        if (param == NULL) {
-            error("Invalid options for file format '%s'.", fmt);
-            ret = -1;
-            goto out;
-        }
-    }
-
-    /* Add old-style options to parameters */
-    ret = add_old_style_options(fmt, param, base_filename, base_fmt);
-    if (ret < 0) {
-        goto out;
-    }
-
-    backing_fmt = get_option_parameter(param, BLOCK_OPT_BACKING_FMT);
-    if (backing_fmt && backing_fmt->value.s) {
-        if (!bdrv_find_format(backing_fmt->value.s)) {
-            error("Unknown backing file format '%s'",
-                  backing_fmt->value.s);
-            ret = -1;
-            goto out;
-        }
-    }
-
-    // The size for the image must always be specified, with one exception:
-    // If we are using a backing file, we can obtain the size from there
-    if (get_option_parameter(param, BLOCK_OPT_SIZE)->value.n == -1) {
-
-        QEMUOptionParameter *backing_file =
-            get_option_parameter(param, BLOCK_OPT_BACKING_FILE);
-
-        if (backing_file && backing_file->value.s) {
-            BlockDriverState *bs;
-            uint64_t size;
-            const char *fmt = NULL;
-            char buf[32];
-
-            if (backing_fmt && backing_fmt->value.s) {
-                fmt = backing_fmt->value.s;
-            }
-
-            bs = bdrv_new_open(backing_file->value.s, fmt, BDRV_O_FLAGS);
-            if (!bs) {
-                ret = -1;
-                goto out;
-            }
-            bdrv_get_geometry(bs, &size);
-            size *= 512;
-            bdrv_delete(bs);
-
-            snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%" PRId64, size);
-            set_option_parameter(param, BLOCK_OPT_SIZE, buf);
-        } else {
-            error("Image creation needs a size parameter");
-            ret = -1;
-            goto out;
-        }
-    }
-
-    printf("Formatting '%s', fmt=%s ", filename, fmt);
-    print_option_parameters(param);
-    puts("");
-
-    ret = bdrv_create(drv, filename, param);
-
-    if (ret < 0) {
-        if (ret == -ENOTSUP) {
-            error("Formatting or formatting option not supported for file format '%s'", fmt);
-        } else if (ret == -EFBIG) {
-            error("The image size is too large for file format '%s'", fmt);
-        } else {
-            error("%s: error while creating %s: %s", filename, fmt, strerror(-ret));
-        }
-    }
+    ret = bdrv_img_create(filename, fmt, base_filename, base_fmt,
+                          options, img_size, BDRV_O_FLAGS);
 out:
-    free_option_parameters(create_options);
-    free_option_parameters(param);
     if (ret) {
         return 1;
     }
