Streamlit Camera Input Live

0.2.0 · active · verified Thu Apr 16

Streamlit Camera Input Live is an alternative version of Streamlit's built-in `st.camera_input` component. Unlike the standard version, it returns webcam images live without requiring a button press, making it suitable for real-time preview applications. The current version is 0.2.0, with an infrequent release cadence, having last been updated in September 2022.

Common errors

```
Camera works extremely slow. Sometimes it doesn't work at all (it freezes).
```
cause The component's default update rate (`debounce=1000ms`) is set for simplicity. High network latency or browser issues can also contribute to freezing.

fix Increase the update frequency by setting the `debounce` parameter to a lower value, e.g., `camera_input_live(debounce=100)`. For very demanding real-time scenarios, `streamlit-webrtc` might be a better fit.
```
How to switch to the back camera on mobile devices?
```
cause The `streamlit-camera-input-live` component currently does not offer a direct parameter to specify which camera (front or back) to use.

fix This feature is not available out-of-the-box. Developers needing this functionality may need to explore browser-specific camera selection APIs via custom Streamlit components or use more comprehensive real-time video libraries like `streamlit-webrtc` which might provide more control.

Warnings

breaking Version 0.2.0 standardized argument casing, which may break older code relying on different case conventions for parameters. For example, `show_controls` might have been `showControls` in prior versions.
Fix: Review the function signature and update argument names to use standard Python snake_case (e.g., `show_controls`).
gotcha This component prioritizes simplicity over raw performance and may be noticeably slower for high-frame-rate, real-time video processing compared to alternatives like `streamlit-webrtc`.
Fix: For basic live previews, adjust the `debounce` parameter (e.g., `debounce=100` for 100ms updates). For advanced, high-performance real-time applications, consider using `streamlit-webrtc`.
gotcha The component does not natively support selecting the back camera on mobile devices, defaulting to the front camera.
Fix: There is no direct fix within the component itself. If back camera access is critical, more advanced Streamlit components or custom JavaScript might be required, or using `streamlit-webrtc` which often offers more granular camera controls.

Install

pip install streamlit-camera-input-live Install latest version

Imports

camera_input_live

from streamlit_camera_input_live import camera_input_live

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to embed a live camera feed into a Streamlit application. It uses `camera_input_live` to continuously capture frames and displays them using `st.image`. A checkbox is included to toggle the visibility of camera controls.

import streamlit as st
from streamlit_camera_input_live import camera_input_live

st.set_page_config(layout="centered")
st.title("Streamlit Live Camera Input Demo")

st.write("### See a new image every second")
controls = st.checkbox("Show camera controls", value=True)
image = camera_input_live(show_controls=controls, key="my_camera_input")

if image is not None:
    st.image(image, caption="Live Camera Feed", use_column_width=True)
    st.success("Image received live!")
else:
    st.info("Waiting for camera input...")

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