---
title: Media reading and writing
framework: avfoundation
role: collectionGroup
role_heading: API Collection
path: avfoundation/media-reading-and-writing
---

# Media reading and writing

Read images from video, export to alternative formats, and perform sample-level reading and writing of media data.

## Topics

### Media export

- [Exporting video to alternative formats](avfoundation/exporting-video-to-alternative-formats.md)
- [AVAssetExportSession](avfoundation/avassetexportsession.md)

### Planned export

- [AVAssetTrackPlan](avfoundation/avassettrackplan.md)
- [AVAssetVideoTrackPlan](avfoundation/avassetvideotrackplan.md)
- [AVPlannedSegmentConfiguration](avfoundation/avplannedsegmentconfiguration.md)
- [AVPlannedVideoSegmentConfiguration](avfoundation/avplannedvideosegmentconfiguration.md)
- [AVPlannedSegmentWritingRequest](avfoundation/avplannedsegmentwritingrequest.md)
- [AVPlannedVideoSegmentWritingRequest](avfoundation/avplannedvideosegmentwritingrequest.md)

### Image generation

- [Creating images from a video asset](avfoundation/creating-images-from-a-video-asset.md)
- [AVAssetImageGenerator](avfoundation/avassetimagegenerator.md)

### Media reading

- [Reading multiview 3D video files](avfoundation/reading-multiview-3d-video-files.md)
- [AVAssetReader](avfoundation/avassetreader.md)
- [AVAssetReaderOutput](avfoundation/avassetreaderoutput.md)
- [AVAssetReaderTrackOutput](avfoundation/avassetreadertrackoutput.md)
- [AVAssetReaderAudioMixOutput](avfoundation/avassetreaderaudiomixoutput.md)
- [AVAssetReaderVideoCompositionOutput](avfoundation/avassetreadervideocompositionoutput.md)
- [AVAssetReaderSampleReferenceOutput](avfoundation/avassetreadersamplereferenceoutput.md)
- [AVAssetReaderOutputMetadataAdaptor](avfoundation/avassetreaderoutputmetadataadaptor.md)

### Media writing

- [Converting projected video to Apple Projected Media Profile](avfoundation/converting-projected-video-to-apple-projected-media-profile.md)
- [Converting side-by-side 3D video to multiview HEVC and spatial video](avfoundation/converting-side-by-side-3d-video-to-multiview-hevc-and-spatial-video.md)
- [Adding a display mask rectangle metadata track to a movie file](avfoundation/adding-a-display-mask-rectangle-metadata-track-to-a-movie-file.md)
- [Writing fragmented MPEG-4 files for HTTP Live Streaming](avfoundation/writing-fragmented-mpeg-4-files-for-http-live-streaming.md)
- [Creating spatial photos and videos with spatial metadata](imageio/creating-spatial-photos-and-videos-with-spatial-metadata.md)
- [Tagging media with video color information](avfoundation/tagging-media-with-video-color-information.md)
- [Evaluating an app’s video color](avfoundation/evaluating-an-app-s-video-color.md)
- [AVOutputSettingsAssistant](avfoundation/avoutputsettingsassistant.md)
- [AVAssetWriter](avfoundation/avassetwriter.md)
- [AVAssetWriterInput](avfoundation/avassetwriterinput.md)
- [AVAssetWriterInputPixelBufferAdaptor](avfoundation/avassetwriterinputpixelbufferadaptor.md)
- [AVAssetWriterInputTaggedPixelBufferGroupAdaptor](avfoundation/avassetwriterinputtaggedpixelbuffergroupadaptor.md)
- [AVAssetWriterInputMetadataAdaptor](avfoundation/avassetwriterinputmetadataadaptor.md)
- [AVAssetWriterInputGroup](avfoundation/avassetwriterinputgroup.md)

### Captions

- [Caption authoring](avfoundation/caption-authoring.md)

## See Also

### Common

- [Media assets](avfoundation/media-assets.md)
- [Media types and utilities](avfoundation/media-types-and-utilities.md)
- [Video settings](avfoundation/video-settings.md)
- [Audio settings](avfoundation/audio-settings.md)