How to create simple custom filter for iOS using Core Image Framework?

Question

I want to use in my app an custom filter. Now I know that I need to use Core Image framework, but i not sure that is right way. Core Image fram

Answer 1

You can create custom filters for iOS easier than an Image Unit plug-in for MacOS X, so much so that they would be preferred, even if Image Unit plug-ins were supported by iOS. The problem is you cannot actually "package" them or otherwise bundle them as a resource like Image Unit plug-ins; you have to expose your source code to developers that use them. Moreover, they are only useful to developers; you cannot distribute them to end-users of iOS graphics apps the same way you can for MacOS X graphics apps that import third-party Core Image filters. For that, you must embed them in a Photo Editing Extension.

Still, even processing images with a custom Core Image filter for iOS is easier than with an Image Unit plug-in. There's no importing, followed by the confusing task of configuring .plist and description files and what-not.

A custom Core Image filter for iOS is simply a Cocoa Touch Class that is a subclass of CIFilter; in it, you specify input parameters (always at least the image), custom attributes settings and their defaults, and then any combination of built-in or custom Core Image filters. If you want to add an OpenGL kernel to the image-processing pipeline, you simply add a CIKernel method, which loads the .cikernel you write in a separate file.

The beauty of this particular method for developing a custom Core Image Filter for iOS is that custom filters are instantiated and called the same way as built-in filters:

CIFilter* PrewittKernel = [CIFilter filterWithName:@"PrewittKernel"];

CIImage *result = [CIFilter filterWithName:@"PrewittKernel" keysAndValues:kCIInputImageKey, self.inputImage, nil].outputImage;

Here's a simple example that uses OpenGL to apply the Prewitt Operator to an image; first, the Cocoa Touch Class (subclassing CIFilter), then, the CIKernel file (containing the OpenGL ES 3.0 code):

The header file:

//
//  PrewittKernel.h
//  Photo Filter
//
//  Created by James Alan Bush on 5/23/15.
//
//

#import 

@interface PrewittKernel : CIFilter
{
    CIImage *inputImage;
}

@property (retain, nonatomic) CIImage *inputImage;

@end

The implementation file:

//
//  PrewittKernel.m
//  Photo Filter
//
//  Created by James Alan Bush on 5/23/15.
//
//

#import 

@interface PrewittKernel : CIFilter
{
    CIImage *inputImage;
}

@property (retain, nonatomic) CIImage *inputImage;

@end


@implementation PrewittKernel

@synthesize inputImage;

- (CIKernel *)prewittKernel
{
    static CIKernel *kernelPrewitt = nil;

    NSBundle    *bundle = [NSBundle bundleForClass:NSClassFromString(@"PrewittKernel")];
    NSStringEncoding encoding = NSUTF8StringEncoding;
    NSError     *error = nil;
    NSString    *code = [NSString stringWithContentsOfFile:[bundle pathForResource:@"PrewittKernel" ofType:@"cikernel"] encoding:encoding error:&error];

    static dispatch_once_t onceToken;
    dispatch_once(&onceToken, ^{
        kernelPrewitt = [CIKernel kernelWithString:code];
    });

    return kernelPrewitt;
}

- (CIImage *)outputImage
{
    CIImage *result = self.inputImage;
    return [[self prewittKernel] applyWithExtent:result.extent roiCallback:^CGRect(int index, CGRect rect) {
        return CGRectMake(0, 0, CGRectGetWidth(result.extent), CGRectGetHeight(result.extent));
    } arguments:@[result]];
}

@end

The CIKernel (OpenGL ES 3.0):

/* PrewittKernel.cikernel */

kernel vec4 prewittKernel(sampler image)
{
    vec2 xy = destCoord();
    vec4 bottomLeftIntensity = sample(image, samplerTransform(image, xy + vec2(-1, -1)));
    vec4 topRightIntensity = sample(image, samplerTransform(image, xy + vec2(+1, +1)));
    vec4 topLeftIntensity = sample(image, samplerTransform(image, xy + vec2(+1, -1)));
    vec4 bottomRightIntensity = sample(image, samplerTransform(image, xy + vec2(-1, +1)));
    vec4 leftIntensity = sample(image, samplerTransform(image, xy + vec2(-1, 0)));
    vec4 rightIntensity = sample(image, samplerTransform(image, xy + vec2(+1, 0)));
    vec4 bottomIntensity = sample(image, samplerTransform(image, xy + vec2(0, -1)));
    vec4 topIntensity = sample(image, samplerTransform(image, xy + vec2(0, +1)));
    vec4 h = vec4(-topLeftIntensity - topIntensity - topRightIntensity + bottomLeftIntensity + bottomIntensity + bottomRightIntensity);
    vec4 v = vec4(-bottomLeftIntensity - leftIntensity - topLeftIntensity + bottomRightIntensity + rightIntensity + topRightIntensity);
    float h_max = max(h.r, max(h.g, h.b));
    float v_max = max(v.r, max(v.g, v.b));
    float mag = length(vec2(h_max, v_max)) * 1.0;

    return vec4(vec3(mag), 1.0);
}

Here's another filter that generates an unsharp mask by subtracting (or, rather, differencing) a Gaussian blurred image from the original using built-in Core Image filters—no Core Image kernel code (OpenGL); it shows how to specify and use a custom attribute, namely, the radius of the Gaussian blur:

The header file:

//
//  GaussianKernel.h
//  Chroma
//
//  Created by James Alan Bush on 7/12/15.
//  Copyright © 2015 James Alan Bush. All rights reserved.
//

#import 

@interface GaussianKernel : CIFilter
{
    CIImage *inputImage;
    NSNumber *inputRadius;
}

@property (retain, nonatomic) CIImage *inputImage;
@property (retain, nonatomic) NSNumber *inputRadius;

@end

The implementation file:

//
//  GaussianKernel.m
//  Chroma
//
//  Created by James Alan Bush on 7/12/15.
//  Copyright © 2015 James Alan Bush. All rights reserved.
//

#import "GaussianKernel.h"

@implementation GaussianKernel

@synthesize inputImage;
@synthesize inputRadius;

+ (NSDictionary *)customAttributes
{
    return @{
             @"inputRadius" :
                 @{
                     kCIAttributeMin       : @3.0,
                     kCIAttributeMax       : @15.0,
                     kCIAttributeDefault   : @7.5,
                     kCIAttributeType      : kCIAttributeTypeScalar
                     }
             };
}

- (void)setDefaults
{
    self.inputRadius = @7.5;
}

    - (CIImage *)outputImage
    {
        CIImage *result = self.inputImage;

        CGRect rect = [[GlobalCIImage sharedSingleton].ciImage extent];
        rect.origin = CGPointZero;
        CGRect cropRectLeft = CGRectMake(0, 0, rect.size.width, rect.size.height);
        CIVector *cropRect = [CIVector vectorWithX:rect.origin.x Y:rect.origin.y Z:rect.size.width W:rect.size.height];

    result = [[CIFilter filterWithName:@"CIGaussianBlur" keysAndValues:kCIInputImageKey, result, @"inputRadius", [NSNumber numberWithFloat:inputRadius.floatValue], nil].outputImage imageByCroppingToRect:cropRectLeft];

    result = [CIFilter filterWithName:@"CICrop" keysAndValues:@"inputImage", result, @"inputRectangle", cropRect, nil].outputImage;

    result = [CIFilter filterWithName:@"CIDifferenceBlendMode" keysAndValues:kCIInputImageKey, result, kCIInputBackgroundImageKey, result, nil].outputImage;

        return result;
    }

    @end