Camera2 extensions API

Note: This page refers to the Camera2 package. Unless your app requires specific, low-level features from Camera2, we recommend using CameraX. Both CameraX and Camera2 support Android 5.0 (API level 21) and higher.

Camera2 provides an API for accessing effects—bokeh, HDR, and others—that have been implemented by device manufacturers for specific mobile devices.

The CameraX library supports these same advanced effects through its own extensions API. For most developers, we recommend you use the CameraX extensions API to access these vendor extensions.

However, apps that have complex Camera2 implementations can take advantage of the Camera2 extensions without having to make significant changes to legacy code. The Camera2 extension APIs expose exactly the same set of effects as in CameraX, and those are already supported on many different devices, so you can use them without any additional configuration.

Test a camera device for Camera2 extensions API compatibility

The following code snippet checks if the device supports the Camera2 extensions API and returns a list of compatible cameras:

private fun getExtensionCameraIds(cameraManager: CameraManager): List {
    return if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.S) {
        cameraManager.cameraIdList.filter { cameraId ->
            val characteristics = cameraManager.getCameraCharacteristics(cameraId)
            val extensionCharacteristics =
                cameraManager.getCameraExtensionCharacteristics(cameraId)
            val capabilities =
                characteristics.get(CameraCharacteristics.REQUEST_AVAILABLE_CAPABILITIES)
            extensionCharacteristics.supportedExtensions.isNotEmpty() &&
                    capabilities?.contains(
                        CameraCharacteristics.REQUEST_AVAILABLE_CAPABILITIES_BACKWARD_COMPATIBLE
                    ) ?: false
        }
    } else emptyList()
}

private List getExtensionCameraIds(CameraManager cameraManager)
        throws CameraAccessException {
    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.S) {
        return Arrays.stream(cameraManager.getCameraIdList()).filter(cameraId -> {
            try {
                CameraCharacteristics characteristics =
                        cameraManager.getCameraCharacteristics(cameraId);
                CameraExtensionCharacteristics extensionCharacteristics =
                        cameraManager.getCameraExtensionCharacteristics(cameraId);
                IntStream capabilities =
                    Arrays.stream(
                                characteristics.get(
                                        CameraCharacteristics.REQUEST_AVAILABLE_CAPABILITIES
                                )
                        );
                return !extensionCharacteristics.getSupportedExtensions().isEmpty() &&
                       capabilities.anyMatch(capability -> capability == CameraCharacteristics
                                        .REQUEST_AVAILABLE_CAPABILITIES_BACKWARD_COMPATIBLE
                        );
            } catch (CameraAccessException e) {
                throw new RuntimeException(e);
            }
        }).collect(Collectors.toList());
    } else {
        return Collections.emptyList();
    }
}

Create a CameraExtensionSession with the Camera2 extensions API

The Camera2 extensions API, when used with compatible devices, lets you access certain camera effects. The following code snippet showcases an example of how to create a CameraExtensionSession for using the night mode effect for an existing Camera2 application.

private val captureCallbacks = object : CameraExtensionSession.ExtensionCaptureCallback() {
    // Implement Capture Callbacks
}
private val extensionSessionStateCallback = object : CameraExtensionSession.StateCallback() {
    override fun onConfigured(session: CameraExtensionSession) {
        cameraExtensionSession = session
        try {
            val captureRequest =
                cameraDevice.createCaptureRequest(CameraDevice.TEMPLATE_PREVIEW).apply {
                    addTarget(previewSurface)
                }.build()
            session.setRepeatingRequest(
                captureRequest,
                Dispatchers.IO.asExecutor(),
                captureCallbacks
            )
        } catch (e: CameraAccessException) {
            Snackbar.make(
                previewView,
                "Failed to preview capture request",
                Snackbar.LENGTH_SHORT
            ).show()
            requireActivity().finish()
        }
    }

    override fun onClosed(session: CameraExtensionSession) {
        super.onClosed(session)
        cameraDevice.close()
    }

    override fun onConfigureFailed(session: CameraExtensionSession) {
        Snackbar.make(
            previewView,
            "Failed to start camera extension preview",
            Snackbar.LENGTH_SHORT
        ).show()
        requireActivity().finish()
    }
}

private fun startExtensionSession() {
    val outputConfig = arrayListOf(
        OutputConfiguration(stillImageReader.surface),
        OutputConfiguration(previewSurface)
    )
    val extensionConfiguration = ExtensionSessionConfiguration(
        CameraExtensionCharacteristics.EXTENSION_NIGHT,
        outputConfig,
        Dispatchers.IO.asExecutor(),
        extensionSessionStateCallback
    )
    cameraDevice.createExtensionSession(extensionConfiguration)
}

private CameraExtensionSession.ExtensionCaptureCallback captureCallbacks =
        new CameraExtensionSession.ExtensionCaptureCallback() {
            // Implement Capture Callbacks
        };

private CameraExtensionSession.StateCallback extensionSessionStateCallback =
        new CameraExtensionSession.StateCallback() {
            @Override
            public void onConfigured(@NonNull CameraExtensionSession session) {
                cameraExtensionSession = session;
                try {
                    CaptureRequest.Builder captureRequestBuilder =
                            cameraDevice.createCaptureRequest(CameraDevice.TEMPLATE_PREVIEW);
                    captureRequestBuilder.addTarget(previewSurface);
                    CaptureRequest captureRequest = captureRequestBuilder.build();
                    session.setRepeatingRequest(captureRequest, backgroundExecutor, captureCallbacks);
                } catch (CameraAccessException e) {
                    Snackbar.make(
                            previewView,
                            "Failed to preview capture request",
                            Snackbar.LENGTH_SHORT
                    ).show();
                    requireActivity().finish();
                }
            }

            @Override
            public void onClosed(@NonNull CameraExtensionSession session) {
                super.onClosed(session);
                cameraDevice.close();
            }

            @Override
            public void onConfigureFailed(@NonNull CameraExtensionSession session) {
                Snackbar.make(
                        previewView,
                        "Failed to start camera extension preview",
                        Snackbar.LENGTH_SHORT
                ).show();
                requireActivity().finish();
            }
        };

private void startExtensionSession() {
    ArrayList outputConfig = new ArrayList<>();
    outputConfig.add(new OutputConfiguration(stillImageReader.getSurface()));
    outputConfig.add(new OutputConfiguration(previewSurface));
    ExtensionSessionConfiguration extensionConfiguration = new ExtensionSessionConfiguration(
            CameraExtensionCharacteristics.EXTENSION_NIGHT,
            outputConfig,
            backgroundExecutor,
            extensionSessionStateCallback
    );
}

Additional resources

For more information, see CameraExtensionCharacteristics and view the public Camera2 Extensions API samples for more.