Best Android Camera photo Capture and ImagePicker Libraries - 2021

Many a times we need to capture images from the android device or pick already captured images via File Picker. In this article, we will explore the best libraries that facilitate these operations.

(a). Gliger

Gliger is an Easy, lightweight and high performance image picker library for Android!

Gliger load images using Android content resolver with the help of coroutines to lazy load the images and improve the performance!

Gliger handle permission requests, support camera capture, and limit for the max number of images to pick.

Step 1: How to Install Gligar

First, be aware that Gligar requires API 17+.

This library is available in jCenter which is the default Maven repository used in Android Studio. You can also import this library from source as a module.

dependencies {
    // other dependencies here
    implementation 'com.opensooq.supernova:gligar:1.1.0'
}

Step 2: How to Use

To open the image Picker:

Kotlin

GligarPicker().requestCode(PICKER_REQUEST_CODE).withActivity(this).show()

Java

new GligarPicker().requestCode(PICKER_REQUEST_CODE).withActivity(this).show();

To get the result override onActivityResult method:

Kotlin

    override fun onActivityResult(requestCode: Int, resultCode: Int, data: Intent?) {
        super.onActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data)
        if (resultCode != Activity.RESULT_OK) {
            return
        }

        when (requestCode) {
            PICKER_REQUEST_CODE -> {
                val imagesList = data?.extras?.getStringArray(GligarPicker.IMAGES_RESULT)// return list of selected images paths.
                if (!imagesList.isNullOrEmpty()) {
                    imagesCount.text = "Number of selected Images: ${imagesList.size}"
                }
            }
        }
    }

Java

@Override
    protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, @Nullable Intent data) {
        super.onActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data);
        if (resultCode != Activity.RESULT_OK) {
            return;
        }
        switch (requestCode){
            case PICKER_REQUEST_CODE : {
              String pathsList[]= data.getExtras().getStringArray(GligarPicker.IMAGES_RESULT); // return list of selected images paths.
                imagesCount.text = "Number of selected Images: " + pathsList.length;
                break;
            }
        }
    }

Method	usage
withActivity(activity: Activity)	used to set the activity will recive the result
withFragment(fragment: Fragment)	used to set the fragment will recive the result
requestCode(requestCode: Int)	used to set the request code for the result
limit(limit: Int)	used to set the max number of images to select
disableCamera(disableCamera: Boolean)	by default the value of disableCamera is false, it determine to allow camera captures or not
cameraDirect(cameraDirect: Boolean)	by default the value of cameraDirect is false, it determine to open the camera before showing the picker or not

UI customization

Customizable Colors

override any color to change inside your project colors.xml

Property	Description
counter_bg	selection counter background color
counter_color	selection counter text color
selector_color	selection tint color
place_holder_color	empty image holder color
ripple_color	selection ripple color
toolbar_bg	toolbar color
done	Done button color
change_album_color	change album text color
camera_icon_color	camera icon color
camera_text_color	camera text color
permission_alert_bg	permission alert background color
permission_alert_color	permission alert text color

Customizable Texts

override any string to change inside your project strings.xml

Property	Description
over_limit_msg	selection limit reached message
capture_new_image	capture image text
change_album_text	change album text
permission_storage_never_ask	permission denied message
all_images	all images album name

Example

MainActivity.java

Here's an example that launches for a window that allows us select multiple images from filepicker or capture one from the camera:

import android.app.Activity
import android.content.Intent
import android.os.Bundle
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import com.opensooq.supernova.gligar.GligarPicker
import kotlinx.android.synthetic.main.activity_main.*

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    val PICKER_REQUEST_CODE = 30

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
        GligarPicker().limit(10).disableCamera(false).cameraDirect(false).requestCode(PICKER_REQUEST_CODE)
            .withActivity(this).show()
    }

    override fun onActivityResult(requestCode: Int, resultCode: Int, data: Intent?) {
        super.onActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data)
        if (resultCode != Activity.RESULT_OK) {
            return
        }

        when (requestCode) {
            PICKER_REQUEST_CODE -> {
                val imagesList = data?.extras?.getStringArray(GligarPicker.IMAGES_RESULT)
                if (!imagesList.isNullOrEmpty()) {
                    imagesCount.text = "Number of selected Images: ${imagesList.size}"
                }
            }
        }
    }

}

Reference

Find complete source code reference here.

(b). EasyImage

EasyImage allows you to easily capture images and videos from the gallery, camera or documents without creating lots of boilerplate.

Step 1: How to Install EasyImage

Add it in your root build.gradle at the end of repositories:

allprojects {
        repositories {
            ...
            maven { url 'https://jitpack.io' }
        }
    }

Step 2. Add the dependency

Subproject

    dependencies {
            implementation 'com.github.jkwiecien:EasyImage:3.2.0'
    }

Step 2: How to Use EasyImage

Runtime permissions

No additional permisions are required if you DO NOT use setCopyImagesToPublicGalleryFolder() setting. But if you do:

For devices running Android 10 and newer:

Nothing is required

For devices running Android 9 or lower:

Permission need to be specified in Manifest:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />

Also you'll need to ask for this permission in the runtime in the moment of your choice. Sample app does that.

There is also one issue about runtime permissions. According to the docs:

If your app targets M and above and declares as using the CAMERA permission which is not granted, then attempting to use this action will result in a SecurityException.

For this reason, if your app uses CAMERA permission, you should check it along with WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE before calling EasyImage.openCamera()

Essentials

Create your EasyImageInstance like this:

EasyImage easyImage = new EasyImage.Builder(context)

// Chooser only
// Will appear as a system chooser title, DEFAULT empty string
//.setChooserTitle("Pick media")
// Will tell chooser that it should show documents or gallery apps
//.setChooserType(ChooserType.CAMERA_AND_DOCUMENTS)  you can use this or the one below
//.setChooserType(ChooserType.CAMERA_AND_GALLERY)
// saving EasyImage state (as for now: last camera file link)
.setMemento(memento)

// Setting to true will cause taken pictures to show up in the device gallery, DEFAULT false
.setCopyImagesToPublicGalleryFolder(false)
// Sets the name for images stored if setCopyImagesToPublicGalleryFolder = true
.setFolderName("EasyImage sample")

// Allow multiple picking
.allowMultiple(true)
.build();

Taking image straight from camera

• easyImage.openCameraForImage(Activity activity,);
• easyImage.openCameraForImage(Fragment fragment);

Capturing video

• easyImage.openCameraForVideo(Activity activity);
• easyImage.openCameraForVideo(Fragment fragment);

Taking image from gallery or the gallery picker if there is more than 1 gallery app

• easyImage.openGallery(Activity activity);
• easyImage.openGallery(Fragment fragment);

Taking image from documents

• easyImage.openDocuments(Activity activity);
• easyImage.openDocuments(Fragment fragment);

Displaying system picker to chose from camera, documents, or gallery if no documents apps are available

• easyImage.openChooser(Activity activity);
• easyImage.openChooser(Fragment fragment);

Getting the photo file

    protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
        super.onActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data);

        easyImage.handleActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data, this, new DefaultCallback() {
            @Override
            public void onMediaFilesPicked(MediaFile[] imageFiles, MediaSource source) {
                onPhotosReturned(imageFiles);
            }

            @Override
            public void onImagePickerError(@NonNull Throwable error, @NonNull MediaSource source) {
                //Some error handling
                error.printStackTrace();
            }

            @Override
            public void onCanceled(@NonNull MediaSource source) {
                //Not necessary to remove any files manually anymore
            }
        });
    }

Example

Here's an example of how to use EasyImage

MainActivity.java

import android.Manifest;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.View;

import androidx.annotation.NonNull;
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
import androidx.core.app.ActivityCompat;
import androidx.core.content.ContextCompat;
import androidx.recyclerview.widget.LinearLayoutManager;
import androidx.recyclerview.widget.RecyclerView;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;

import pl.aprilapps.easyphotopicker.ChooserType;
import pl.aprilapps.easyphotopicker.DefaultCallback;
import pl.aprilapps.easyphotopicker.EasyImage;
import pl.aprilapps.easyphotopicker.MediaFile;
import pl.aprilapps.easyphotopicker.MediaSource;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    private static final String PHOTOS_KEY = "easy_image_photos_list";
    private static final int CHOOSER_PERMISSIONS_REQUEST_CODE = 7459;
    private static final int CAMERA_REQUEST_CODE = 7500;
    private static final int CAMERA_VIDEO_REQUEST_CODE = 7501;
    private static final int GALLERY_REQUEST_CODE = 7502;
    private static final int DOCUMENTS_REQUEST_CODE = 7503;

    protected RecyclerView recyclerView;

    protected View galleryButton;

    private ImagesAdapter imagesAdapter;

    private ArrayList photos = new ArrayList<>();

    private EasyImage easyImage;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        recyclerView = findViewById(R.id.recycler_view);
        galleryButton = findViewById(R.id.gallery_button);

        if (savedInstanceState != null) {
            photos = savedInstanceState.getParcelableArrayList(PHOTOS_KEY);
        }

        imagesAdapter = new ImagesAdapter(this, photos);
        recyclerView.setLayoutManager(new LinearLayoutManager(this));
        recyclerView.setHasFixedSize(true);
        recyclerView.setAdapter(imagesAdapter);

        easyImage = new EasyImage.Builder(this)
                .setChooserTitle("Pick media")
                .setCopyImagesToPublicGalleryFolder(false)
//                .setChooserType(ChooserType.CAMERA_AND_DOCUMENTS)
                .setChooserType(ChooserType.CAMERA_AND_GALLERY)
                .setFolderName("EasyImage sample")
                .allowMultiple(true)
                .build();

        checkGalleryAppAvailability();

        findViewById(R.id.gallery_button).setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View view) {
                /** Some devices such as Samsungs which have their own gallery app require write permission. Testing is advised! */
                String[] necessaryPermissions = new String[]{Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE};
                if (arePermissionsGranted(necessaryPermissions)) {
                    easyImage.openGallery(MainActivity.this);
                } else {
                    requestPermissionsCompat(necessaryPermissions, GALLERY_REQUEST_CODE);
                }
            }
        });

        findViewById(R.id.camera_button).setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View view) {
                String[] necessaryPermissions = new String[]{Manifest.permission.CAMERA};
                if (arePermissionsGranted(necessaryPermissions)) {
                    easyImage.openCameraForImage(MainActivity.this);
                } else {
                    requestPermissionsCompat(necessaryPermissions, CAMERA_REQUEST_CODE);
                }
            }
        });

        findViewById(R.id.camera_video_button).setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View view) {
                String[] necessaryPermissions = new String[]{Manifest.permission.CAMERA};
                if (arePermissionsGranted(necessaryPermissions)) {
                    easyImage.openCameraForVideo(MainActivity.this);
                } else {
                    requestPermissionsCompat(necessaryPermissions, CAMERA_VIDEO_REQUEST_CODE);
                }
            }
        });

        findViewById(R.id.documents_button).setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View view) {
                /** Some devices such as Samsungs which have their own gallery app require write permission. Testing is advised! */
                String[] necessaryPermissions = new String[]{Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE};
                if (arePermissionsGranted(necessaryPermissions)) {
                    easyImage.openDocuments(MainActivity.this);
                } else {
                    requestPermissionsCompat(necessaryPermissions, DOCUMENTS_REQUEST_CODE);
                }
            }
        });

        findViewById(R.id.chooser_button).setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View view) {
                String[] necessaryPermissions = new String[]{Manifest.permission.CAMERA, Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE};
                if (arePermissionsGranted(necessaryPermissions)) {
                    easyImage.openChooser(MainActivity.this);
                } else {
                    requestPermissionsCompat(necessaryPermissions, CHOOSER_PERMISSIONS_REQUEST_CODE);
                }
            }
        });

    }

    @Override
    public void onSaveInstanceState(Bundle outState) {
        super.onSaveInstanceState(outState);
        outState.putSerializable(PHOTOS_KEY, photos);
    }

    private void checkGalleryAppAvailability() {
        if (!easyImage.canDeviceHandleGallery()) {
            //Device has no app that handles gallery intent
            galleryButton.setVisibility(View.GONE);
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void onRequestPermissionsResult(int requestCode, String[] permissions, int[] grantResults) {
        super.onRequestPermissionsResult(requestCode, permissions, grantResults);

        if (requestCode == CHOOSER_PERMISSIONS_REQUEST_CODE && grantResults.length > 0 && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
            easyImage.openChooser(MainActivity.this);
        } else if (requestCode == CAMERA_REQUEST_CODE && grantResults.length > 0 && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
            easyImage.openCameraForImage(MainActivity.this);
        } else if (requestCode == CAMERA_VIDEO_REQUEST_CODE && grantResults.length > 0 && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
            easyImage.openCameraForVideo(MainActivity.this);
        } else if (requestCode == GALLERY_REQUEST_CODE && grantResults.length > 0 && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
            easyImage.openGallery(MainActivity.this);
        } else if (requestCode == DOCUMENTS_REQUEST_CODE && grantResults.length > 0 && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
            easyImage.openDocuments(MainActivity.this);
        }
    }

    @Override
    protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
        super.onActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data);

        easyImage.handleActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data, this, new DefaultCallback() {
            @Override
            public void onMediaFilesPicked(MediaFile[] imageFiles, MediaSource source) {
                for (MediaFile imageFile : imageFiles) {
                    Log.d("EasyImage", "Image file returned: " + imageFile.getFile().toString());
                }
                onPhotosReturned(imageFiles);
            }

            @Override
            public void onImagePickerError(@NonNull Throwable error, @NonNull MediaSource source) {
                //Some error handling
                error.printStackTrace();
            }

            @Override
            public void onCanceled(@NonNull MediaSource source) {
                //Not necessary to remove any files manually anymore
            }
        });
    }

    private void onPhotosReturned(@NonNull MediaFile[] returnedPhotos) {
        photos.addAll(Arrays.asList(returnedPhotos));
        imagesAdapter.notifyDataSetChanged();
        recyclerView.scrollToPosition(photos.size() - 1);
    }

    private boolean arePermissionsGranted(String[] permissions) {
        for (String permission : permissions) {
            if (ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, permission) != PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED)
                return false;

        }
        return true;
    }

    private void requestPermissionsCompat(String[] permissions, int requestCode) {
        ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(MainActivity.this, permissions, requestCode);
    }
}

Reference

Find complete source code reference here.