Photos & Camera

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Explore technical aspects of capturing high-quality photos and videos, including exposure control, focus modes, and RAW capture options.

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Best `AVMediaType` for depth data.
Dear Apple Developer Forum, I have a question regarding the AVCaptureDevice on iOS. We're trying to capture photos in the best quality possible along with depth data with the highest accuracy possible. We were delighted when we saw AVCaptureDevice could be initialized with the AVMediaType=.depthData which works as expected (depthData is a part of the AVCapturePhoto). When setting to AVMediaType=.video, we still receive depth data (of same quality according to our own internal tests). That confused us. Mind you, we set the device format and depth format as well: private func getDeviceFormat() throws -> AVCaptureDevice.Format { // Ensures high video format and an appropriate color profile. let format = camera?.formats.first(where: { $0.isHighPhotoQualitySupported && $0.supportedDepthDataFormats.count > 0 && $0.formatDescription.mediaSubType.rawValue == kCVPixelFormatType_420YpCbCr8BiPlanarFullRange }) // Check and see if it's available. guard format != nil else { throw CaptureDeviceError.necessaryFormatNotAvailable } return format! } private func getDepthDataFormat(for format: AVCaptureDevice.Format) throws -> AVCaptureDevice.Format { // Access the depth format. let depthDataFormat = format.supportedDepthDataFormats.first(where: { $0.formatDescription.mediaSubType.rawValue == kCVPixelFormatType_DepthFloat32 }) // Check if it exists guard depthDataFormat != nil else { throw CaptureDeviceError.necessaryFormatNotAvailable } // Returns it. return depthDataFormat! } We're wondering, what steps we can take to ensure the best quality photo, along with the most accurate depth data? What properties are the most important, which have an effect, which don't? Are there any ways we can optimize our current configuration? We find it difficult as there's very limited guides and explanations on the media subtypes, for example kCVPixelFormatType_420YpCbCr8BiPlanarFullRange. Is it the best? Is it the best for our use case of high quality photo + most accurate depth data? Important comment: Our App only runs on iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro on the latest iOS versions. We hope someone with greater knowledge at Apple can help us and guide us on how we can have the photos of best quality and depth data with most accuracy. Thank you very much! Kind regards.
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388
Jan ’25
photos-navigation://album scheme
In my app SexyPeri (https://apps.apple.com/fr/app/id6738291985), I create an album with some pics Album is called SexyPeri Now, I wish to redirect the user from my app SexyPeri DIRECTLY to the album SexyPeri There is no doc about your scheme photos-navigation, or I didn't see it. Some guys retro-engineered it, but I couldn't make this work. photos-navigation://album?name=SexyPeri doesn't work. So my question is: how can I redirect to the album directly ?
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386
Jan ’25
Attaching depth map manually
Hi, I have a problem when I want to attach my grayscale depth map image into the real image. The produced depth map doesn't have the cameraCalibration value which should responsible to align the depth data to the image. How do I align the depth map? I saw an article about it but it is not really detailed so I might be missing some process. I tried to: convert my depth map into pixel buffer create image destination ref and add the image there. add the auxData (depth map dict) This is the output: There is some black space there and my RGB image colour changes
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395
Mar ’25
Photo permission dialog not shown when iOS app runs on Mac
According to the docs: The first time your app performs an operation that requires [photo library] authorization, the system automatically and asynchronously prompts the user for it. (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/photokit/delivering-an-enhanced-privacy-experience-in-your-photos-app) I.e. it's not necessary for the app to call PHPhotoLibrary.requestAuthorization. This does seem to be what happens when my app runs on an iPhone or iPad; the prompt is shown. But when it runs on a Mac in "designed for iPad" mode, the permission dialog is not presented. Instead the code continues to see status == .notDetermined. That's today, on macOS 15.3. It may have worked in the past. Is anyone else seeing issues with this? Should I call requestAuthorization explicitly? (Would that actually work?)
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435
Mar ’25
Does PHAsset localIdentifier change after device transfer?
Hi, I’m working on a photo backup app. I track the PHAsset localIdentifier to determine which photos have been backed up and which haven’t. Recently, I’ve noticed that two users seem to have experienced the localIdentifier changes after transferring data to a new iPhone using Quick Start. Additionally, others on StackOverflow have mentioned that the localIdentifier sometimes changes after updating the iOS version. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/40094728/phobject-localidentifier-reliability I’d like to confirm the reliability of the localIdentifier after an iOS version upgrade or device transfer. Can I continue using these locally stored localIdentifiers? Or is there another recommended approach, such as using PHCloudIdentifier?
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383
Feb ’25
3D scanning and 3D model with texture mapping
I am new here and would appreciate help in coding or an explanation what to use in swift for an app which will be able to capture LiDAR scanning and RGB data from taken pictures, generate a 3D mesh, and create .OBJ, .MTL, and .JPEG file set for further manipulation of 3D model. I am able to create from LiDAR scanning 3D mesh and .OBJ file but can not generate .MTL and .JPEG for a texture of 3D model.
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385
Feb ’25
Do we need an MFi authentication chip to send video/commands to iPhone?
Hello, my company is developing a product that will send data to/from the phone over cable and Wi-Fi. I have three questions: Do we need an MFi authentication chip in our product if we plan to send video and commands to the iPhone/iPad over USB or Lightning cable? Likewise, do we need an MFI authentication chip for communication over Wi-Fi? (Informal research suggests that the answer is no to this one.) And, do we even still need MFI certification at all for Wi-Fi comms? (We are not using HomeKit.) Thank you!
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437
Feb ’25
PHPhotoLibrary.shared().performChanges raised error 3303
I want to modify the photo's exif information, which means putting the original image in through CGImageDestinationAddImageFromSource, and then adding the modified exif information to a place called properties. Here is the complete process: static func setImageMetadata(asset: PHAsset, exif: [String: Any]) { let options = PHContentEditingInputRequestOptions() options.canHandleAdjustmentData = { (adjustmentData) -> Bool in return true } asset.requestContentEditingInput(with: options, completionHandler: { input, map in guard let inputNN = input else { return } guard let url = inputNN.fullSizeImageURL else { return } let output = PHContentEditingOutput(contentEditingInput: inputNN) let adjustmentData = PHAdjustmentData(formatIdentifier: AppInfo.appBundleId(), formatVersion: AppInfo.appVersion(), data: Data()) output.adjustmentData = adjustmentData let outputURL = output.renderedContentURL guard let source = CGImageSourceCreateWithURL(url as CFURL, nil) else { return } guard let dest = CGImageDestinationCreateWithURL(outputURL as CFURL, UTType.jpeg.identifier as CFString, 1, nil) else { return } CGImageDestinationAddImageFromSource(dest, source, 0, exif as CFDictionary) let d = CGImageDestinationFinalize(dest) // d is true, and I checked the content of outputURL, image has been write correctly, it could be convert to UIImage and image is ok. PHPhotoLibrary.shared().performChanges { let changeReq = PHAssetChangeRequest(for: asset) changeReq.contentEditingOutput = output } completionHandler: { succ, err in if !succ { print(err) // 3303 here, always! } } }) }
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375
Feb ’25
Set the capture device color space to apple log not works.
I set the device format and colorspace to Apple Log and turn off the HDR, why the movie output is still in HDR format rather than ProRes Log? Full runnable demo here: https://github.com/SpaceGrey/ColorSpaceDemo session.sessionPreset = .inputPriority // get the back camera let deviceDiscoverySession = AVCaptureDevice.DiscoverySession(deviceTypes: [.builtInWideAngleCamera], mediaType: .video, position: .back) backCamera = deviceDiscoverySession.devices.first! try! backCamera.lockForConfiguration() backCamera.automaticallyAdjustsVideoHDREnabled = false backCamera.isVideoHDREnabled = false let formats = backCamera.formats let appleLogFormat = formats.first { format in format.supportedColorSpaces.contains(.appleLog) } print(appleLogFormat!.supportedColorSpaces.contains(.appleLog)) backCamera.activeFormat = appleLogFormat! backCamera.activeColorSpace = .appleLog print("colorspace is Apple Log \(backCamera.activeColorSpace == .appleLog)") backCamera.unlockForConfiguration() do { let input = try AVCaptureDeviceInput(device: backCamera) session.addInput(input) } catch { print(error.localizedDescription) } // add output output = AVCaptureMovieFileOutput() session.addOutput(output) let connection = output.connection(with: .video)! print( output.outputSettings(for: connection) ) /* ["AVVideoWidthKey": 1920, "AVVideoHeightKey": 1080, "AVVideoCodecKey": apch,<----- prores has enabled. "AVVideoCompressionPropertiesKey": { AverageBitRate = 220029696; ExpectedFrameRate = 30; PrepareEncodedSampleBuffersForPaddedWrites = 1; PrioritizeEncodingSpeedOverQuality = 0; RealTime = 1; }] */ previewSource = DefaultPreviewSource(session: session) queue.async { self.session.startRunning() } }
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416
Mar ’25
Distortion corrected images
Hi, Currently I am developing a 3D reconstruction project. Which requires images to be distortion-free (rectilinear) and with known intrinsics. The session I am developing on is a builtInDualWideCamera, with isGeometricDistortionCorrectionEnabled set to false to be able to get the intrinsic matrix of the images, isVirtualDeviceConstituentPhotoDeliveryEnabled set to true and isAutoVirtualDeviceFusionEnabled set to false to get both images and isCameraCalibrationDataDeliveryEnabled set to true to actually get the calibration data. The distortion correction parameters such as lensDistortionLookupTable are used. The 42 coefficients mapping array is used as described in the AVCameraCalibrationData header file. A simple piecewise linear interpolation. There are two questions I would like to get support on: A way to set the calibration parameters in each image. I have an approach that sets the parameters in the kCGImagePropertyExifDictionary -> "UserComment". Is there a better approach to write calibration parameter data into the images? I feel like this is a bit dirty and there might be a better and neat approach. For the ultra-wide angle camera's images, the lensDistortionLookupTable contains several zeros at the end of the array. For example (last 10 elements are zero): "LensDistortionLookupTable":"0.000000000000000,0.000349554029526,0.001385628827848,0.003071037586778,... ,0.000000000000000,0.000000000000000,0.000000000000000,0.000000000000000,0.000000000000000,0.000000000000000,0.000000000000000,0.000000000000000,0.000000000000000,0.000000000000000" The problem comes when the complete array is used to correct the image (including zeros), the end result is a wrapped-like-circle image close to the edges of it which is completely wrong. In contrast, if the LensDistortionLookupTable is used without the last zeros and the new size accommodated the image looks better (although not as rectilinear as if you take the image from the iPhone's camera app), but definitely less distorted. Including zeros (full array): Excluding zeros (array size changed): Am I missing an important point in the usage of the lensDistortionLookupTable where this case is addressed (zeros at the end)? What is the criteria to shrink/exclude elements of the array? Any advice is very much welcome.
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417
Feb ’25
Accessing AV External Storage
Is it possible to use the AVExternalStorageDevice to access external storage from a connected camera or usb drive (via USB C or Lightning connector) on an iPad/iPhone. I have tested the following code on an iPhone 14 (iOS 18.1.1) and an iPad Gen 10 (18.3.1), and both return false for: // returns false on iPhone 14, iPad gen 10 print(AVExternalStorageDeviceDiscoverySession.isSupported) The following code returns null, when I try to access the external storage discovery session. // returns null on iOS devices print(AVExternalStorageDeviceDiscoverySession.shared) The following returns false, without displaying a permission dialog: AVExternalStorageDevice.requestAccess(completionHandler: { (granted: Bool) in // returns false with no permission dialog print(granted); What type of iOS devices are supported by AVExternalStorageDeviceDiscoverySession? What situations has it been used for (e.g. connecting to Camera via the external storage protocol, accessing photos from a SD card with an adapter, accessing photos from usb drive). Is there are sample code for using the AV External Storage api?
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410
Feb ’25
Above Xcode16 operation project, in the project use AVPictureInPictureController opportunities (PIP) function open system blackout
I found that when the development tool above Xcode16 ran my app, I opened the suspended inscription function, and then opened the system camera, the content in the suspended window would not be displayed, and the suspended window would have a black screen. However, this phenomenon does not appear on Xcode15.4 development tools, it is the same code, I do not know why
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655
Apr ’25
Crash in Photos framework
Hi This is one of our top crashes. It does not contain any of our code in the stacktrace and we can't reproduce it. Those points make this crash very hard to understand and fix. We know that most of the crashes are happening on iPhone 13 with iOS 18.x.x. Also we see that a lot of cases happen when app goes into background (stacktrace contains -[UIApplication _applicationDidEnterBackground]). 2025-03-04_16-06-00.3670_-0500-6a273c7d5da97f098b5cc24898bb9761dc45208e.crash 2025-03-04_20-21-08.6609_-0500-2c08f640900f8a62c4f8a4f6f2a61feb052e66dd.crash 2025-03-04_20-46-27.7138_+0000-4d7ea89b1b564eda22ca63e708f7ad3909c7b768.crash
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436
Mar ’25
iPhone 16 Camera Control and AVCaptureSlider – Is there a way to detect which slider is active?
I am following the Apple sample code and trying to add a manual focus lens position slider: @available(iOS 18.0, *) private func addCameraControls() { if !self.session.controls.isEmpty { for control in self.session.controls { self.session.removeControl(control) } } self.cameraControlFocusSlider = nil //Focus Slider if self.videoDevice!.isLockingFocusWithCustomLensPositionSupported { self.cameraControlFocusSlider = AVCaptureSlider("Focus", symbolName: "dot.square", in: 0.0...1.0) self.cameraControlFocusSlider!.setActionQueue(self.sessionQueue) { focusValue in //Do manual focus } if self.session.canAddControl(self.cameraControlFocusSlider!) { self.session.addControl(self.cameraControlFocusSlider!) } } } So there are these AVCaptureSessionControlsDelegate methods: final func sessionControlsDidBecomeActive(_ session: AVCaptureSession) { print ("sessionControlsDidBecomeActive") } final func sessionControlsWillEnterFullscreenAppearance(_ session: AVCaptureSession) { print ("sessionControlsWillEnterFullscreenAppearance") } final func sessionControlsWillExitFullscreenAppearance(_ session: AVCaptureSession) { print ("sessionControlsWillExitFullscreenAppearance") } final func sessionControlsDidBecomeInactive(_ session: AVCaptureSession) { print ("sessionControlsDidBecomeInactive") } So when self.cameraControlFocusSlider is presented, I have to show the current value of the lense position. Lens position can change from auto focus and also from manual focus by the user using the app UI. Is there a way to see if self.cameraControlFocusSlider is active or being used? Please note that I will have more than one AVCaptureSlider in the final code.
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428
Mar ’25
Prevent iOS from Switching Between Back Camera Lenses in getUserMedia (Safari/WebView, iOS 18)
I’m developing a hybrid app (WebView / Turbo Native) that uses getUserMedia to access the back camera for a PPG/heart rate measurement feature (the user places their finger on the camera). Problem: Even when I specify constraints like: { video: { deviceId: '...', facingMode: { exact: 'environment' }, advanced: [{ zoom: 1.0 }] }, audio: false } On iPhone 15 (iOS 18), iOS unexpectedly switches between the wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses during the measurement. This breaks the heart rate detection, and it forces the user to move their finger in the middle of the measurement. Question: Is there any way, via getUserMedia/WebRTC, to force iOS to use only the wide-angle lens and prevent automatic lens switching? I know that with AVFoundation (Swift) you can pick .builtInWideAngleCamera, but I’m hoping to avoid building a custom native layer and would prefer to stick with WebView/JavaScript if possible to save time and complexity. Any suggestions, workarounds, or updates from Apple would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot!
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397
Mar ’25
Create live photo error
I want to create a Live Photo. The project includes a .jpg image and a .mov video (2 seconds). Two permissions in xcode have been added: Privacy - Photo Library Usage Description Privacy - Photo Library Additions Usage Description Simulate: iphone 16, ios 18.3 The codes in ContentView.swift : private func saveLivePhoto(imageURL: URL, videoURL: URL, completion: @escaping (Bool, Error?) -> Void) { PHPhotoLibrary.shared().performChanges { let creationRequest = PHAssetCreationRequest.forAsset() let options = PHAssetResourceCreationOptions() options.shouldMoveFile = false creationRequest.addResource(with: .photo, fileURL: imageURL, options: options) creationRequest.addResource(with: .pairedVideo, fileURL: videoURL, options: options) } completionHandler: { success, error in DispatchQueue.main.async { print(error) completion(success, error) } } } guard let imageURL = Bundle.main.url(forResource: "livephoto", withExtension: "jpeg"), let videoURL = Bundle.main.url(forResource: "livephoto", withExtension: "mov") else { showAlertMessage(title: "error", message: "cant find Live Photo ") return } print("imageURL: \(imageURL)") print("videoURL: \(videoURL)") saveLivePhoto(imageURL: imageURL, videoURL: videoURL) { success, error in if success { xxxxx } else { xxxxx } } Really need help, thanks
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193
Mar ’25
PHPickerResult take loong time to load large video
On some devices, loadFileRepresentation(forTypeIdentifier: completionHandler) take a loong time(about two minute) to callback result for some large video(about 200 MB, take by device camera). environment: Model: iPhone 12 Model Number: MGGM3CH/A iOS Version: 18.3.2 PHPickerResult.NSItemProvider.loadFileRepresentation() // import PhotosUI func picker(_ picker: PHPickerViewController, didFinishPicking results: [PHPickerResult]) { picker.dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil) guard let provider = results.last?.itemProvider else { return } guard provider.hasItemConformingToTypeIdentifier(UTType.movie.identifier) else { return } Task { provider.loadFileRepresentation(forTypeIdentifier: UTType.movie.identifier) { url, error in guard let url = url else { return } // Do some stuff... } } } ps: I also try some other function, eg: provide.loadItem(forTypeIdentifier:), but not work too.
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77
Mar ’25