Square cropping and fixing the video orientation in iOS

Question

I am capturing the video using UIImagePickerController, i can crop the video using the following code,

AVAsset *asset = [AVAsset assetWithURL:url];

//create an avassetrack with our asset
AVAssetTrack *clipVideoTrack = [[asset tracksWithMediaType:AVMediaTypeVideo] objectAtIndex:0];

//create a video composition and preset some settings
AVMutableVideoComposition* videoComposition = [AVMutableVideoComposition videoComposition];
videoComposition.frameDuration = CMTimeMake(1, 30);
//here we are setting its render size to its height x height (Square)

videoComposition.renderSize = CGSizeMake(clipVideoTrack.naturalSize.height, clipVideoTrack.naturalSize.height);

//create a video instruction
AVMutableVideoCompositionInstruction *instruction = [AVMutableVideoCompositionInstruction videoCompositionInstruction];
instruction.timeRange = CMTimeRangeMake(kCMTimeZero, CMTimeMakeWithSeconds(60, 30));

AVMutableVideoCompositionLayerInstruction* transformer = [AVMutableVideoCompositionLayerInstruction videoCompositionLayerInstructionWithAssetTrack:clipVideoTrack];

//Here we shift the viewing square up to the TOP of the video so we only see the top
CGAffineTransform t1 = CGAffineTransformMakeTranslation(clipVideoTrack.naturalSize.height, -20);

//Use this code if you want the viewing square to be in the middle of the video
//CGAffineTransform t1 = CGAffineTransformMakeTranslation(clipVideoTrack.naturalSize.height, -(clipVideoTrack.naturalSize.width - clipVideoTrack.naturalSize.height) /2 );

//Make sure the square is portrait
CGAffineTransform t2 = CGAffineTransformRotate(t1, M_PI_2);

CGAffineTransform finalTransform = t2;
[transformer setTransform:finalTransform atTime:kCMTimeZero];

//add the transformer layer instructions, then add to video composition
instruction.layerInstructions = [NSArray arrayWithObject:transformer];
videoComposition.instructions = [NSArray arrayWithObject: instruction];

//Create an Export Path to store the cropped video
NSString *outputPath = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@%@", NSTemporaryDirectory(), @"video.mp4"];
NSURL *exportUrl = [NSURL fileURLWithPath:outputPath];

//Remove any prevouis videos at that path
[[NSFileManager defaultManager]  removeItemAtURL:exportUrl error:nil];

//Export    
AVAssetExportSession *exporter = [[AVAssetExportSession alloc] initWithAsset:asset presetName:AVAssetExportPresetLowQuality] ;
exporter.videoComposition = videoComposition;
exporter.outputURL = exportUrl;
exporter.outputFileType = AVFileTypeMPEG4;

[exporter exportAsynchronouslyWithCompletionHandler:^
 {
     dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
         //Call when finished
         [self exportDidFinish:exporter];
     });
 }];

But i dont know how to fix the orientation issue. Like instagram and vine app , (i.e) if i capture the video even in landscape mode, it should be in portrait mode and need to crop the video as square. Pls give me the solution... i am struggling with this issue...

Answer 1

I suppose the source code come from this link ( project code included )

http://www.one-dreamer.com/cropping-video-square-like-vine-instagram-xcode/

You need first to know the REAL video orientation:

- (UIImageOrientation)getVideoOrientationFromAsset:(AVAsset *)asset
{
    AVAssetTrack *videoTrack = [[asset tracksWithMediaType:AVMediaTypeVideo] objectAtIndex:0];
    CGSize size = [videoTrack naturalSize];
    CGAffineTransform txf = [videoTrack preferredTransform];

    if (size.width == txf.tx && size.height == txf.ty)
        return UIImageOrientationLeft; //return UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeLeft;
    else if (txf.tx == 0 && txf.ty == 0)
        return UIImageOrientationRight; //return UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeRight;
    else if (txf.tx == 0 && txf.ty == size.width)
        return UIImageOrientationDown; //return UIInterfaceOrientationPortraitUpsideDown;
    else
        return UIImageOrientationUp;  //return UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait;
}

I made that function in a way that it return the right orientation as if it was an image

Then, i modified the function to fix the right orientation, supporting any crop region not just a square, like this:

// apply the crop to passed video asset (set outputUrl to avoid the saving on disk ). Return the exporter session object
- (AVAssetExportSession*)applyCropToVideoWithAsset:(AVAsset*)asset AtRect:(CGRect)cropRect OnTimeRange:(CMTimeRange)cropTimeRange ExportToUrl:(NSURL*)outputUrl ExistingExportSession:(AVAssetExportSession*)exporter WithCompletion:(void(^)(BOOL success, NSError* error, NSURL* videoUrl))completion
{

    //create an avassetrack with our asset
    AVAssetTrack *clipVideoTrack = [[asset tracksWithMediaType:AVMediaTypeVideo] objectAtIndex:0];

    //create a video composition and preset some settings
    AVMutableVideoComposition* videoComposition = [AVMutableVideoComposition videoComposition];
    videoComposition.frameDuration = CMTimeMake(1, 30);

    CGFloat cropOffX = cropRect.origin.x;
    CGFloat cropOffY = cropRect.origin.y;
    CGFloat cropWidth = cropRect.size.width;
    CGFloat cropHeight = cropRect.size.height;

    videoComposition.renderSize = CGSizeMake(cropWidth, cropHeight);

    //create a video instruction
    AVMutableVideoCompositionInstruction *instruction = [AVMutableVideoCompositionInstruction videoCompositionInstruction];
    instruction.timeRange = cropTimeRange;

    AVMutableVideoCompositionLayerInstruction* transformer = [AVMutableVideoCompositionLayerInstruction videoCompositionLayerInstructionWithAssetTrack:clipVideoTrack];

    UIImageOrientation videoOrientation = [self getVideoOrientationFromAsset:asset];

    CGAffineTransform t1 = CGAffineTransformIdentity;
    CGAffineTransform t2 = CGAffineTransformIdentity;

    switch (videoOrientation) {
        case UIImageOrientationUp:
            t1 = CGAffineTransformMakeTranslation(clipVideoTrack.naturalSize.height - cropOffX, 0 - cropOffY );
            t2 = CGAffineTransformRotate(t1, M_PI_2 );
            break;
        case UIImageOrientationDown:
            t1 = CGAffineTransformMakeTranslation(0 - cropOffX, clipVideoTrack.naturalSize.width - cropOffY ); // not fixed width is the real height in upside down
            t2 = CGAffineTransformRotate(t1, - M_PI_2 );
            break;
        case UIImageOrientationRight:
            t1 = CGAffineTransformMakeTranslation(0 - cropOffX, 0 - cropOffY );
            t2 = CGAffineTransformRotate(t1, 0 );
            break;
        case UIImageOrientationLeft:
            t1 = CGAffineTransformMakeTranslation(clipVideoTrack.naturalSize.width - cropOffX, clipVideoTrack.naturalSize.height - cropOffY );
            t2 = CGAffineTransformRotate(t1, M_PI  );
            break;
        default:
            NSLog(@"no supported orientation has been found in this video");
            break;
    }

    CGAffineTransform finalTransform = t2;
    [transformer setTransform:finalTransform atTime:kCMTimeZero];

    //add the transformer layer instructions, then add to video composition
    instruction.layerInstructions = [NSArray arrayWithObject:transformer];
    videoComposition.instructions = [NSArray arrayWithObject: instruction];

    //Remove any prevouis videos at that path
    [[NSFileManager defaultManager]  removeItemAtURL:outputUrl error:nil];

    if (!exporter){
        exporter = [[AVAssetExportSession alloc] initWithAsset:asset presetName:AVAssetExportPresetHighestQuality] ;
    }

    // assign all instruction for the video processing (in this case the transformation for cropping the video
    exporter.videoComposition = videoComposition;
    //exporter.outputFileType = AVFileTypeQuickTimeMovie;

    if (outputUrl){

        exporter.outputURL = outputUrl;
        [exporter exportAsynchronouslyWithCompletionHandler:^{

             switch ([exporter status]) {
                 case AVAssetExportSessionStatusFailed:
                     NSLog(@"crop Export failed: %@", [[exporter error] localizedDescription]);
                     if (completion){
                         dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
                             completion(NO,[exporter error],nil);
                         });
                         return;
                     }
                     break;
                 case AVAssetExportSessionStatusCancelled:
                     NSLog(@"crop Export canceled");
                     if (completion){
                         dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
                             completion(NO,nil,nil);
                         });
                         return;
                     }
                     break;
                 default:
                     break;
            }

            if (completion){
                dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
                    completion(YES,nil,outputUrl);
                });
            }

        }];
    }

    return exporter;
}

Tested in all recorded video orientation (Up,Down,Lanscape R, Landscape L) in both normal and front camera cases. I tested it on iPhone 5S (iOS 8.1), iPhone 6 Plus (iOS 8.1)

Hope it helps