--- title: Core Video interoperability framework: accelerate role: collectionGroup role_heading: API Collection path: accelerate/core-video-interoperability --- # Core Video interoperability Pass image data between Core Video and vImage. ## Overview Overview The vImage library provides two approaches for working with Core Video pixel buffers: Use the vImageBuffer_InitWithCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:_:_:) and vImageBuffer_CopyToCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:_:_:) to copy and convert data between vImage buffers and Core Video pixel buffers with a single function call. This approach provides a simple API if you need to convert between image formats. Use the vImageBuffer_InitForCopyFromCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:) and vImageBuffer_InitForCopyToCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:) functions to create vImage buffers that reference the data in Core Video pixel buffers. This approach allows you to work directly with the underlying data if you don’t need to convert between image formats. Copying data between the vImage library and Core Video Use the vImageBuffer_InitWithCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:_:_:) and vImageBuffer_CopyToCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:_:_:) functions to copy and convert data between vImage and Core Video. The vImageBuffer_InitWithCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:_:_:) function allocates new memory and, after you finish with the buffer, call free() to avoid memory leaks. The following code shows an example of a CIImageProcessorKernel that reflects an image vertically. The example calls vImageBuffer_InitWithCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:_:_:) to initialize the source vImage buffer with a copy of the input CVPixelBuffer instance’s data. The code calls vImageBuffer_CopyToCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:_:_:) to copy the destination vImage buffer’s contents to the output CVPixelBuffer instance. The code uses a defer statement to deallocate the source and destination vImage buffers after the image-processing operation completes. class VerticalReflectImageProcessorKernelCopy: CIImageProcessorKernel { static var cgImageFormat = vImage_CGImageFormat( bitsPerComponent: 8, bitsPerPixel: 32, colorSpace: CGColorSpaceCreateDeviceRGB(), bitmapInfo: CGBitmapInfo(rawValue: CGImageAlphaInfo.noneSkipLast.rawValue), renderingIntent: .defaultIntent)! static let cvImageFormat = vImageCVImageFormat.make( format: .format32BGRA, colorSpace: CGColorSpaceCreateDeviceRGB(), alphaIsOpaqueHint: true)! override class var outputFormat: CIFormat { CIFormat.BGRA8 } override class func formatForInput(at input: Int32) -> CIFormat { CIFormat.BGRA8 } override class func process(with inputs: [CIImageProcessorInput]?, arguments: [String: Any]?, output: CIImageProcessorOutput) throws { guard let input = inputs?.first, let inputPixelBuffer = input.pixelBuffer, let outputPixelBuffer = output.pixelBuffer else { return } var sourceBuffer = vImage_Buffer() vImageBuffer_InitWithCVPixelBuffer(&sourceBuffer, &cgImageFormat, inputPixelBuffer, cvImageFormat, nil, vImage_Flags(kvImageNoFlags)) var destinationBuffer = vImage_Buffer() vImageBuffer_Init(&destinationBuffer, sourceBuffer.height, sourceBuffer.width, cgImageFormat.bitsPerPixel, vImage_Flags(kvImageNoFlags)) defer { sourceBuffer.free() destinationBuffer.free() } vImageVerticalReflect_ARGB8888(&sourceBuffer, &destinationBuffer, vImage_Flags(kvImageNoFlags)) vImageBuffer_CopyToCVPixelBuffer(&destinationBuffer, &cgImageFormat, outputPixelBuffer, cvImageFormat, nil, vImage_Flags(kvImageNoFlags)) } } Sharing data between the vImage library and Core Video Use the vImageBuffer_InitForCopyFromCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:) and vImageBuffer_InitForCopyToCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:) functions to share data between vImage and Core Video. Both of these functions require a vImageConverter instance that defines the vImage buffer’s Core Graphics image format and the CVPixelBuffer instance’s Core Video format. Because the vImage functions don’t allocate any additional memory, you don’t need to deallocate the vImage buffer memory. However, you need to lock and unlock the CVPixelBuffer instances during the image-processing operation using CVPixelBufferLockBaseAddress(_:_:) and CVPixelBufferUnlockBaseAddress(_:_:), respectively. The following code shows an example of a CIImageProcessorKernel that reflects an image vertically. In this example, the base address of the CVPixelBuffer instances and the data property of their corresponding vImage buffer point to the same memory. The image data in the CIImageProcessorInput and CIImageProcessorOutput parameters don’t require conversion, and the code works directly on the pixel buffers. The code calls vImageBuffer_InitForCopyFromCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:) with a Core-Video-to-Core-Graphics converter to initialize the source vImage buffer. The code calls vImageBuffer_InitForCopyToCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:) with a Core-Graphics-to-Core-Video converter to initialize the destination vImage buffer. class VerticalReflectImageProcessorKernelNoCopy: CIImageProcessorKernel { static var cgImageFormat = vImage_CGImageFormat( bitsPerComponent: 8, bitsPerPixel: 32, colorSpace: CGColorSpaceCreateDeviceRGB(), bitmapInfo: CGBitmapInfo(rawValue: CGImageAlphaInfo.noneSkipLast.rawValue), renderingIntent: .defaultIntent)! static let cvImageFormat = vImageCVImageFormat.make( format: .format32BGRA, colorSpace: CGColorSpaceCreateDeviceRGB(), alphaIsOpaqueHint: true)! static let converterCVtoCG = try! vImageConverter .make(sourceFormat: cvImageFormat, destinationFormat: cgImageFormat) static let converterCGtoCV = try! vImageConverter .make(sourceFormat: cgImageFormat, destinationFormat: cvImageFormat) override class var outputFormat: CIFormat { CIFormat.BGRA8 } override class func formatForInput(at input: Int32) -> CIFormat { CIFormat.BGRA8 } override class func process(with inputs: [CIImageProcessorInput]?, arguments: [String: Any]?, output: CIImageProcessorOutput) throws { guard let input = inputs?.first, let inputPixelBuffer = input.pixelBuffer, let outputPixelBuffer = output.pixelBuffer else { return } CVPixelBufferLockBaseAddress(inputPixelBuffer, CVPixelBufferLockFlags.readOnly) CVPixelBufferLockBaseAddress(outputPixelBuffer, CVPixelBufferLockFlags(rawValue: 0)) defer { CVPixelBufferUnlockBaseAddress(inputPixelBuffer, CVPixelBufferLockFlags.readOnly) CVPixelBufferUnlockBaseAddress(outputPixelBuffer, CVPixelBufferLockFlags(rawValue: 0)) } var sourceBuffer = vImage_Buffer() vImageBuffer_InitForCopyFromCVPixelBuffer( &sourceBuffer, converterCVtoCG, inputPixelBuffer, vImage_Flags(kvImageNoAllocate)) var destinationBuffer = vImage_Buffer() vImageBuffer_InitForCopyToCVPixelBuffer( &destinationBuffer, converterCGtoCV, outputPixelBuffer, vImage_Flags(kvImageNoAllocate)) // `CVPixelBufferGetBaseAddress(inputPixelBuffer) == sourceBuffer.data`. // `CVPixelBufferGetBaseAddress(outputPixelBuffer) == destinationBuffer.data` vImageVerticalReflect_ARGB8888(&sourceBuffer, &destinationBuffer, vImage_Flags(kvImageNoFlags)) } } ## Topics ### Copying Core Video pixel buffer data to vImage buffers - [vImageBuffer_InitWithCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:_:_:)](accelerate/vimagebuffer_initwithcvpixelbuffer(_:_:_:_:_:_:).md) ### Copying and converting data between vImage buffers and Core Video pixel buffers - [vImageBuffer_CopyToCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:_:_:)](accelerate/vimagebuffer_copytocvpixelbuffer(_:_:_:_:_:_:).md) ### Initializing vImage buffers that reference Core Video pixel buffer data - [vImageBuffer_InitForCopyFromCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:)](accelerate/vimagebuffer_initforcopyfromcvpixelbuffer(_:_:_:_:).md) - [vImageBuffer_InitForCopyToCVPixelBuffer(_:_:_:_:)](accelerate/vimagebuffer_initforcopytocvpixelbuffer(_:_:_:_:).md) ### Managing Core Video image formats - [Core Video image format utilities](accelerate/core-video-image-format-utilities.md) ## See Also ### Core Video Interoperation - [Using vImage pixel buffers to generate video effects](accelerate/using-vimage-pixel-buffers-to-generate-video-effects.md) - [Integrating vImage pixel buffers into a Core Image workflow](accelerate/integrating-vimage-pixel-buffers-into-a-core-image-workflow.md) - [Applying vImage operations to video sample buffers](accelerate/applying-vimage-operations-to-video-sample-buffers.md) - [Improving the quality of quantized images with dithering](accelerate/improving-the-quality-of-quantized-images-with-dithering.md)