MSDN Documentation

UWP Camera App Sample

This sample demonstrates how to build a robust and feature-rich Universal Windows Platform (UWP) application that leverages the device's camera capabilities. It covers common scenarios like capturing photos, recording videos, accessing camera settings, and applying basic image effects.

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Overview

The UWP Camera App sample provides a comprehensive example of integrating camera functionality into your Windows applications. You will learn how to:

• Initialize and configure the device camera.
• Display a live camera preview.
• Handle user interactions for capturing images and recording videos.
• Manage camera-related hardware controls such as flash and focus.
• Process captured media, including applying simple visual enhancements.
• Save the resulting media files to the user's photo or video library.

Key Code Snippets

Initializing the Camera

The core of camera interaction in UWP applications relies on the Windows.Media.Capture namespace, specifically the MediaCapture class.

async Task InitializeCameraAsync()
{
    var cameraDevice = await FindCameraDeviceByPanelAsync(Windows.Devices.Enumeration.Panel.Back);
    if (cameraDevice == null)
    {
        // Handle case where no camera is found
        return;
    }

    mediaCapture = new MediaCapture();
    await mediaCapture.InitializeAsync(new MediaCaptureInitializationSettings
    {
        AudioDeviceId = "", // No audio needed for this photo sample
        VideoDeviceId = cameraDevice.Id,
        StreamingCaptureMode = StreamingCaptureMode.Video
    });

    // Set the preview source to a CaptureElement
    var previewElement = new CaptureElement();
    previewElement.Source = mediaCapture;
    await mediaCapture.StartPreviewAsync();
}
        

Capturing a Photo

Capturing a photo involves using the MediaCapture.CapturePhotoToStorageFileAsync method.

async Task CapturePhotoAsync()
{
    if (mediaCapture.CameraStreamState == Windows.Media.Devices.CameraStreamState.Streaming)
    {
        var photoFile = await KnownFolders.PicturesLibrary.CreateFileAsync("SamplePhoto.jpg", CreationCollisionOption.GenerateUniqueName);
        await mediaCapture.CapturePhotoToStorageFileAsync(Windows.Media.Imaging.ImageFormat.Jpeg, photoFile);
        // Notify user or display photo
    }
}
        

Dependencies and Requirements

This sample requires the following:

• Visual Studio 2022 or later.
• Windows SDK version 1809 or later.
• A device with a camera.

Further Information

For more detailed information on UWP camera APIs, refer to the official Microsoft documentation.