Enable HDR Option for UIImagePickerController

Question

Is it even possible to enable the HDR option from within my application? I assumed it would be there automatically. I looked for additional mediaTypes, thinking maybe kUTTypeHDRImage might be an option, but no such luck. It's not an additional source type, nor is it available through cameraCaptureMode.

ipc.sourceType = UIImagePickerControllerSourceTypeCamera;
ipc.mediaTypes = [NSArray arrayWithObject:(NSString *)kUTTypeImage];

No mention of it in the documentation: http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/uikit/reference/UIImagePickerController_Class/UIImagePickerController/UIImagePickerController.html

Cw

Answer 1

The HDR option is specific to the Camera app and is not available through the API.

You should file an enhancement request at http://bugreport.apple.com.

Orellana

Thank you. That is the confirmation I was looking for, and I appreciate the link. I'll use it. – Cw

And now?? I know about isVideoHDRSupported and it is not supported when preset is set to AVCaptureSessionPresetPhoto – Liggins

Answer 2

It's not a separate media type; it's still an image, and (to my knowledge) still a JPEG. I think what Camera is doing is taking multiple images at different exposure levels and combining them together; that's why it takes so long.

Guinevere

OK, so how do I enable the HDR option when I use the UIImagePickerController from within my application? – Cw

There's a reasonably good chance that Camera.app isn't using UIImagePickerController, and that HDR hasn't been added to UIImagePickerController yet (try profiling it with CPU Sampler/Shark in Instruments). There might be some private APIs... – Guinevere