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3.1.2 Video Module

Introduction

In addition to taking photos, the Camera Module can also be used to record videos.

Required Components

In this project, we need the following components.

It’s definitely convenient to buy a whole kit, here’s the link:

Name	ITEMS IN THIS KIT	LINK
Raphael Kit	337	Raphael Kit

You can also buy them separately from the links below.

COMPONENT INTRODUCTION	PURCHASE LINK
Camera Module	BUY

Experimental Procedures

Step 1: Go into the Raspberry Pi Desktop. You may need a screen for a better experience, refer to: Connect your Raspberry Pi. Or access the Raspberry Pi desktop remotely, for a detailed tutorial please refer to Remote Desktop.

Step 2: Open a Terminal and get into the folder of the code.

cd ~/raphael-kit/python/

Step 3: Run.

sudo python3 3.1.2_VideoModule.py

Run the code to start recording. Press Ctrl+C to end the recording. Name the video my_video.h264 and store it in the ~ directory.

Note

You can also open 3.1.2_PhotographModule.py in the ~/raphael-kit/python/ path with a Python IDE, click Run button to run, and stop the code with Stop button.

If you want to send photos to your PC, please refer to FileZilla Software.

Code

#!/usr/bin/env python3

import time
from picamera2 import Picamera2, Preview
from picamera2.encoders import H264Encoder
from picamera2.outputs import FfmpegOutput
import os

# Get the current user's login name
user = os.getlogin()
# Get the path to the user's home directory
user_home = os.path.expanduser(f'~{user}')

# Create a Picamera2 instance
camera = Picamera2()
# Retrieve the default preview configuration
preview_config = camera.preview_configuration

try:
    # Configure preview size and format
    preview_config.size = (800, 600)
    preview_config.format = 'XRGB8888'
    # Start the camera preview in QTGL mode
    camera.start_preview(Preview.QTGL)

    # Define video configuration with size, frame rate, and buffer count
    conf = {'size': (800, 600)}
    controls = {'FrameRate': 40}
    config = camera.create_video_configuration(main=conf, controls=controls, buffer_count=12)
    # Create a video encoder with a specified bitrate
    encoder = H264Encoder(bitrate=10000000)
    # Define output file for the video
    output = FfmpegOutput(f'{user_home}/my_video.mp4')
    # Configure and start recording
    camera.configure(config)
    camera.start_recording(encoder, output)
    # Record for 10 seconds
    time.sleep(10)
    # Stop the recording
    camera.stop_recording()

except KeyboardInterrupt:
    # Stop the camera preview if a KeyboardInterrupt (e.g., Ctrl+C) occurs
    camera.stop_preview()
    pass

Code Explanation

Imports necessary libraries and classes. The picamera2 library is used for camera control, H264Encoder for video encoding, and FfmpegOutput for defining the video output file.

#!/usr/bin/env python3

import time
from picamera2 import Picamera2, Preview
from picamera2.encoders import H264Encoder
from picamera2.outputs import FfmpegOutput
import os

Retrieves the current user’s login name and the path to their home directory.

# Get the current user's login name
user = os.getlogin()
# Get the path to the user's home directory
user_home = os.path.expanduser(f'~{user}')

Creates an instance of the Picamera2 class and retrieves the default preview configuration.

# Create a Picamera2 instance
camera = Picamera2()
# Retrieve the default preview configuration
preview_config = camera.preview_configuration

Sets the size and format of the camera preview. The size is set to 800x600 pixels, and the format is set to XRGB8888.

try:
    # Configure preview size and format
    preview_config.size = (800, 600)
    preview_config.format = 'XRGB8888'

Starts the camera preview in QTGL mode, a graphical preview mode.

try:
    ...

    # Start the camera preview in QTGL mode
    camera.start_preview(Preview.QTGL)

    ...

Defines the video configuration with a frame size of 800x600 pixels and a frame rate of 40 frames per second.

try:
    ...

    # Define video configuration with size, frame rate, and buffer count
    conf = {'size': (800, 600)}
    controls = {'FrameRate': 40}
    config = camera.create_video_configuration(main=conf, controls=controls, buffer_count=12)

    ...

Creates a video encoder with a specified bitrate of 10 Mbps, using the H.264 encoding format. Sets up the output file path for the video, saving it as my_video.mp4 in the user’s home directory.

try:
    ...

    # Create a video encoder with a specified bitrate
    encoder = H264Encoder(bitrate=10000000)
    # Define output file for the video
    output = FfmpegOutput(f'{user_home}/my_video.mp4')

    ...

Configures the camera with the defined video settings, starts recording using the specified encoder and output file, records for 10 seconds, and then stops the recording.

try:
    ...

    # Configure and start recording
    camera.configure(config)
    camera.start_recording(encoder, output)
    # Record for 10 seconds
    time.sleep(10)
    # Stop the recording
    camera.stop_recording()

This block of code handles a KeyboardInterrupt (such as Ctrl+C) by stopping the camera preview. The pass statement is used to handle the exception without doing anything else.
```
except KeyboardInterrupt:
    # Stop the camera preview if a KeyboardInterrupt (e.g., Ctrl+C) occurs
    camera.stop_preview()
    pass
```