Camera Api | Media | Android Development Tutorial

Introduction

The Camera API in Android allows you to capture pictures and videos in your application. This tutorial will guide you through the process of integrating Camera API in your Android application, from setting up the environment to capturing images.

Setting Up Your Project

To use the Camera API, you need to set up a new Android project. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a New Project

Open Android Studio and create a new project. Choose an appropriate name and package for your project.

Step 2: Add Camera Permissions

Open the AndroidManifest.xml file and add the following permissions:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />

Using Camera Intent

One of the simplest ways to integrate camera functionality is by using an Intent to open the camera application. Here's how you can do it:

Step 1: Create a Button to Open Camera

In your layout file (e.g., activity_main.xml), add a Button:

<Button
    android:id="@+id/btn_open_camera"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="Open Camera" />

Step 2: Handle Button Click

In your Activity file (e.g., MainActivity.java), handle the button click to open the camera using an Intent:

Button btnOpenCamera = findViewById(R.id.btn_open_camera);
btnOpenCamera.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
    @Override
    public void onClick(View v) {
        Intent intent = new Intent(MediaStore.ACTION_IMAGE_CAPTURE);
        startActivityForResult(intent, REQUEST_IMAGE_CAPTURE);
    }
});

Step 3: Handle the Result

Override the onActivityResult method to handle the captured image:

@Override
protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
    if (requestCode == REQUEST_IMAGE_CAPTURE && resultCode == RESULT_OK) {
        Bundle extras = data.getExtras();
        Bitmap imageBitmap = (Bitmap) extras.get("data");
        // Do something with the imageBitmap
    }
}

Using Camera2 API

The Camera2 API provides more advanced camera functionalities. Here's a basic example of how to use Camera2 API:

Step 1: Add Dependencies

Add the Camera2 API dependency to your build.gradle file:

implementation "androidx.camera:camera-camera2:1.0.0"
implementation "androidx.camera:camera-lifecycle:1.0.0"
implementation "androidx.camera:camera-view:1.0.0-alpha19"

Step 2: Initialize Camera

Initialize the Camera2 API in your Activity:

private void startCamera() {
    ListenableFuture<ProcessCameraProvider> cameraProviderFuture = ProcessCameraProvider.getInstance(this);
    cameraProviderFuture.addListener(() -> {
        try {
            ProcessCameraProvider cameraProvider = cameraProviderFuture.get();
            bindPreview(cameraProvider);
        } catch (ExecutionException | InterruptedException e) {
            // Handle any errors
        }
    }, ContextCompat.getMainExecutor(this));
}

private void bindPreview(@NonNull ProcessCameraProvider cameraProvider) {
    Preview preview = new Preview.Builder().build();
    CameraSelector cameraSelector = new CameraSelector.Builder()
            .requireLensFacing(CameraSelector.LENS_FACING_BACK)
            .build();
    preview.setSurfaceProvider(viewFinder.getSurfaceProvider());
    Camera camera = cameraProvider.bindToLifecycle((LifecycleOwner)this, cameraSelector, preview);
}

Conclusion

This tutorial has provided an overview of how to integrate Camera functionality in Android applications using both the Camera Intent and the Camera2 API. For more advanced features and customizations, refer to the official Android documentation.

Camera API Tutorial