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3.1.1 Photograph Module

Introduction

In this kit, equipped with a camera module, let’s try to take a picture with Raspberry Pi.

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-pi5

Step 3: Run.

sudo python3 3.1.1_PhotographModule_zero.py

After the code runs, the camera will take a photo. Now you can see the photo named my_photo.jpg in the ~ directory.

Note

You can also open 3.1.1_PhotographModule.py in the ~/raphael-kit/python-pi5/ path with a Python IDE, click Run button to run, and stop the code with Stop button.

If you want to download the photo to your PC, please refer to FileZilla Software.

Warning

If there is an error prompt RuntimeError: Cannot determine SOC peripheral base address, please refer to If gpiozero doesn’t work.

Code

#!/usr/bin/env python3
from picamera2 import Picamera2, Preview
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:
    # Set 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)
    # Start the camera
    camera.start()
    # Capture and save a photo to the user's home directory
    camera.capture_file(f'{user_home}/my_photo.jpg')

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

Code Explanation

Imports the Picamera2 and Preview classes from the picamera2 library, and the os module for operating system interactions.
```
#!/usr/bin/env python3
from picamera2 import Picamera2, Preview
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:
    # Set preview size and format
    preview_config.size = (800, 600)
    preview_config.format = 'XRGB8888'

    ...

Starts the camera preview in QTGL mode, which is a method for displaying the preview, and then starts the camera itself.

try:
    ...

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

    ...

Capture an image from the camera, storing it in ~/.

try:
    ...

    # Capture and save a photo to the user's home directory
    camera.capture_file(f'{user_home}/my_photo.jpg')

Note

You can use camera.capture() function and for loop together to achieve continuous shooting. And use the delay function to adjust the time interval for taking pictures.

for i in 5:
    camera.capture(f'{user_home}/my_photo%s.jpg' % i)

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
```