Howdy!
Today I am going to write about how to implement custom Camera using AVFoundation.
Here I have created this storyboard consisting of two View Controllers. One is Main View Controller and attached to Navigation Controller and the other one is Camera View Controller in which I have a UIView (in gray color), a Button which will help us capture the image/video, an Activity Indicator which will show processing, and a Bar Button for switching camera.
In my assets I have.
Now lets open your Main View Controller and create IBActions for both of your buttons and set the identifier of its segue to Camera View Controller as ‘capture’ (you can give it any identifier you like). Also create a variable of type String called keyForCamera.
Open your Camera View Controller now and create IBActions and IBOutlets, two functions for initiating Camera for Image and Video respectively and a variable named keyFromMenu of type String.
Create @IBOutlet for the UIView , Activity Indicator and @IBAction for the Capture Button and Switch Camera Bar Button.
Now come back to your Main View Controller and in your @IBActions paste the following code and override prepareForSegue.
@IBAction func capturePicture(sender: UIButton) {
self.keyForCamera = "Capture Picture"
self.performSegueWithIdentifier("capture", sender: nil)
}
@IBAction func captureVideo(sender: UIButton) {
self.keyForCamera = "Capture Video"
self.performSegueWithIdentifier("capture", sender: nil)
}
override func prepareForSegue(segue: UIStoryboardSegue, sender: AnyObject?) {
if segue.identifier == "capture"{
let destination = segue.destinationViewController as! CameraViewController
destination.keyFromMenu = self.keyForCamera
}
} Just to check if our logic works build and run it, it should show you different titles on both of the buttons you created.
Now come back to your Camera View Controller class and declare the following variables in it.
//Camera Session
var session: AVCaptureSession?
//Capturing Image
var stillImageOutput: AVCaptureStillImageOutput?
//Capturing Video
var videoOutput : AVCaptureMovieFileOutput?
//Shows preview
var videoPreviewLayer: AVCaptureVideoPreviewLayer?
//Capturing Camera hardware
var captureDevice:AVCaptureDevice! = nil
//Switching to front/back camera
var camera : Bool = true Your initiatePictureCamera function will now look like this.
func initiatePictureCamera(){
print("Picture Camera is Running")
session = AVCaptureSession()
session!.sessionPreset = AVCaptureSessionPresetPhoto
var input : AVCaptureDeviceInput?
var error: NSError?
if (camera == false) {
let videoDevices = AVCaptureDevice.devicesWithMediaType(AVMediaTypeVideo)
for device in videoDevices{
let device = device as! AVCaptureDevice
if device.position == AVCaptureDevicePosition.Front {
captureDevice = device
break
}
}
} else {
captureDevice = AVCaptureDevice.defaultDeviceWithMediaType(AVMediaTypeVideo)
}
do {
input = try AVCaptureDeviceInput(device: captureDevice)
if error == nil && session!.canAddInput(input) {
session!.addInput(input)
stillImageOutput = AVCaptureStillImageOutput()
stillImageOutput!.outputSettings = [AVVideoCodecKey: AVVideoCodecJPEG]
if session!.canAddOutput(stillImageOutput) {
session!.addOutput(stillImageOutput)
videoPreviewLayer = AVCaptureVideoPreviewLayer(session: session)
videoPreviewLayer!.videoGravity = AVLayerVideoGravityResizeAspectFill
videoPreviewLayer!.connection?.videoOrientation = AVCaptureVideoOrientation.Portrait
videoPreviewLayer!.frame = cameraOverlayView.bounds
cameraOverlayView.layer.addSublayer(videoPreviewLayer!)
session!.startRunning()
}
}
}
catch let err as NSError {
error = err
input = nil
print(error!.localizedDescription)
}
} And your initiateVideoCamera will be something like
func initiateVideoCamera(){
print("Video Camera is Running")
session = AVCaptureSession()
session!.sessionPreset = AVCaptureSessionPresetHigh
//var captureDevice:AVCaptureDevice! = nil
var input : AVCaptureDeviceInput?
var error: NSError?
if (camera == false) {
let videoDevices = AVCaptureDevice.devicesWithMediaType(AVMediaTypeVideo)
for device in videoDevices{
let device = device as! AVCaptureDevice
if device.position == AVCaptureDevicePosition.Front {
captureDevice = device
break
}
}
} else {
captureDevice = AVCaptureDevice.defaultDeviceWithMediaType(AVMediaTypeVideo)
}
do {
input = try AVCaptureDeviceInput(device: captureDevice)
if error == nil && session!.canAddInput(input) {
session!.addInput(input)
self.videoOutput = AVCaptureMovieFileOutput()
if session!.canAddOutput(videoOutput) {
session!.addOutput(videoOutput)
videoPreviewLayer = AVCaptureVideoPreviewLayer(session: session)
videoPreviewLayer!.videoGravity = AVLayerVideoGravityResizeAspectFill
videoPreviewLayer!.connection?.videoOrientation = AVCaptureVideoOrientation.Portrait
videoPreviewLayer!.frame = cameraOverlayView.bounds
cameraOverlayView.layer.addSublayer(videoPreviewLayer!)
session!.startRunning()
}
}
}
catch let err as NSError {
error = err
input = nil
print(error!.localizedDescription)
}
}
//MARK: - Change Camera to Front or Back
@IBAction func switchCamera(sender: UIBarButtonItem) {
self.camera = !camera
session!.stopRunning()
videoPreviewLayer!.removeFromSuperlayer()
initiatePictureCamera()
}
//MARK: - Capture Video or Picture
@IBAction func capture(sender: AnyObject) {
if let title = self.keyFromMenu{
if title == "Capture Picture"{
if let videoConnection = stillImageOutput!.connectionWithMediaType(AVMediaTypeVideo) {
stillImageOutput!.captureStillImageAsynchronouslyFromConnection(videoConnection, completionHandler: { (sampleBuffer, error) -> Void in
if sampleBuffer != nil {
let imageData = AVCaptureStillImageOutput.jpegStillImageNSDataRepresentation(sampleBuffer)
let dataProvider = CGDataProviderCreateWithCFData(imageData)
let cgImageRef = CGImageCreateWithJPEGDataProvider(dataProvider, nil, true, CGColorRenderingIntent.RenderingIntentDefault)
let image = UIImage(CGImage: cgImageRef!, scale: 1.0, orientation: UIImageOrientation.Right)
UIImageWriteToSavedPhotosAlbum(image, self,#selector(CameraViewController.image(_:didFinishSavingWithError:contextInfo:)), nil)
}
})
}
}
//If not title is Capture Video
else{
let fileName = "video.mp4";
let documentsURL = NSFileManager.defaultManager().URLsForDirectory(.DocumentDirectory, inDomains: .UserDomainMask)[0]
let filePath = documentsURL.URLByAppendingPathComponent(fileName)
if self.videoOutput!.recording{
//Change camera button for video recording
self.videoOutput!.stopRecording()
self.captureOutlet.setImage(UIImage(named: "capture"), forState: .Normal)
self.activityIndicator.hidden = false
self.activityIndicator.startAnimating()
return
}
else{
//Change camera button for video recording
self.captureOutlet.setImage(UIImage(named: "video_record"), forState: .Normal)
//Start recording
self.videoOutput!.startRecordingToOutputFileURL(filePath, recordingDelegate: self)
}
}
}
} In your Capture button action
if let title = self.keyFromMenu{
if title == "Capture Picture"{
if let videoConnection = stillImageOutput!.connectionWithMediaType(AVMediaTypeVideo) {
stillImageOutput!.captureStillImageAsynchronouslyFromConnection(videoConnection, completionHandler: { (sampleBuffer, error) -> Void in
if sampleBuffer != nil {
let imageData = AVCaptureStillImageOutput.jpegStillImageNSDataRepresentation(sampleBuffer)
let dataProvider = CGDataProviderCreateWithCFData(imageData)
let cgImageRef = CGImageCreateWithJPEGDataProvider(dataProvider, nil, true, CGColorRenderingIntent.RenderingIntentDefault)
let image = UIImage(CGImage: cgImageRef!, scale: 1.0, orientation: UIImageOrientation.Right)
UIImageWriteToSavedPhotosAlbum(image, self,#selector(CameraViewController.image(_:didFinishSavingWithError:contextInfo:)), nil)
}
})
}
}
//If not title is Capture Video
else{
let fileName = "video.mp4";
let documentsURL = NSFileManager.defaultManager().URLsForDirectory(.DocumentDirectory, inDomains: .UserDomainMask)[0]
let filePath = documentsURL.URLByAppendingPathComponent(fileName)
if self.videoOutput!.recording{
//Change camera button for video recording
self.videoOutput!.stopRecording()
self.captureOutlet.setImage(UIImage(named: "capture"), forState: .Normal)
self.activityIndicator.hidden = false
self.activityIndicator.startAnimating()
return
}
else{
//Change camera button for video recording
self.captureOutlet.setImage(UIImage(named: "video_record"), forState: .Normal)
//Start recording
self.videoOutput!.startRecordingToOutputFileURL(filePath, recordingDelegate: self)
}
}
}
This will show you an alert when image is saved in the Photos.
//MARK: - Shows alert when image is saved
func image(image: UIImage, didFinishSavingWithError error: NSError?, contextInfo:UnsafePointer<Void>) {
guard error == nil else {
//Error saving image
print(error)
return
}
//Image saved successfully
showAlert("Saved", message: "Image Saved to Photos")
} Conform your class Camera View Controller to protocol AVCaptureFileOutputRecordingDelegate. It will provide the recorded video url which can be later saved into Photos, and paste the following code in your class.
//MARK: - Get completed video path
func captureOutput(captureOutput: AVCaptureFileOutput!, didFinishRecordingToOutputFileAtURL outputFileURL: NSURL!, fromConnections connections: [AnyObject]!, error: NSError!){
//Saves the video in Photos
doVideoProcessing(outputFileURL)
} Finally for saving Video in Photos.
func doVideoProcessing(outputPath:NSURL){
PHPhotoLibrary.sharedPhotoLibrary().performChanges({
PHAssetChangeRequest.creationRequestForAssetFromVideoAtFileURL(outputPath)
}) { (success, error) in
if error == nil{
print("Success:\(success)")
dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(),{
self.activityIndicator!.stopAnimating()
self.showAlert("Saved", message: "Video saved to Photos")
})
}
else{
dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(),{
self.activityIndicator!.stopAnimating()
self.showAlert("Error", message: error!.localizedDescription)
})
}
} Don’t forget to add the these frameworks in your Camera View Controller.
import AVFoundation import Photos
At last, run at test it.
Check out this demo.
Here is the full Source Code to this project.
Good day!
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View Comments
Good evening, Aaqib Hussain!
I'm looking for documentation that helps me create an app that allows me to record videos and save them in the gallery (like Snapchat or Instagram Histories).
Same as the one you performed.
I've reviewed the documentation available on the development apple, but it got a bit confusing for me.
Could you help, give a look at this poor "lammer" who speaks to you?
The "Swift Language Version" (SWIFT_VERSION) build setting must be set to a supported value for targets which uses Swift. This setting can be set in the build settings editor.
Hi, I think you're using two different versions of Swift in your project. By any case one of your installed library uses a different version of Swift than your current project. Make sure they both are the same.
Hope this helps.
Cheers.
Aaqib Hussain, thank you very much for the answer, it helped a bit, but as a young enthusiast I do not understand much of the language and I am still learning from what I find on the internet.
I would like to create something like the Histories of Instagram or SnapChat.
I could not replicate this code, I believe, for lack of knowledge and practice with language.
Is there somewhere I can learn more about the audio and video capturing part?
Hi Wagenr, Can you explain more about what do you mean by Histories? and I couldn't really find a tutorial that shows you how to use video and audio together. I'm quite busy now adays, if I got some time I will try to code a sample project.