In this blog post, we will explore how to use the imageio library in Python to save video files. imageio is a powerful library that allows us to read, write, and manipulate images and videos in various formats.

Installing imageio

Before we begin, make sure you have imageio installed in your Python environment. You can install it using pip:

pip install imageio

Saving Video Files

To save a video file using imageio, we need to follow these steps:

1. Import the necessary libraries:

import imageio
import numpy as np

1. Create a writer object using imageio.get_writer() and specify the output file format, frames per second (fps), and other options:

output_file = 'output.mp4'
writer = imageio.get_writer(output_file, fps=30)

1. Iterate through each frame of the video and add it to the writer object:

frame_count = 100  # Total number of frames
for i in range(frame_count):
    # Generate or load the frame data
    frame_data = np.random.randint(0, 255, (480, 640, 3), dtype=np.uint8)
    
    # Add the frame to the writer
    writer.append_data(frame_data)

1. Close the writer object to finalize the video file:

writer.close()

1. That’s it! You have successfully saved a video file using imageio.

Example Code

Here’s a complete example that demonstrates saving a video file with imageio:

import imageio
import numpy as np

output_file = 'output.mp4'
writer = imageio.get_writer(output_file, fps=30)

frame_count = 100  # Total number of frames
for i in range(frame_count):
    frame_data = np.random.randint(0, 255, (480, 640, 3), dtype=np.uint8)
    writer.append_data(frame_data)

writer.close()

Conclusion

The imageio library provides a convenient way to save video files in Python. Whether you want to generate synthetic videos, process existing ones, or perform computer vision tasks, imageio can be a valuable tool in your toolkit.

Remember to check out the imageio documentation for more advanced features and options. Happy coding!