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Re: how turn off camera after using CurrentImage?

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg123996] Re: how turn off camera after using CurrentImage?
• From: Szabolcs <szhorvat at gmail.com>
• Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 05:04:52 -0500 (EST)
• Delivered-to: l-mathgroup@mail-archive0.wolfram.com
• References: <jdul5s$jnf$1@smc.vnet.net>
• Reply-to: comp.soft-sys.math.mathematica at googlegroups.com

On Tuesday, 3 January 2012 11:27:08 UTC+1, Murray Eisenberg  wrote:
> On an iMac under OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard), in Mathematica 8.0.4, I
> evaluated CurrentImage[]. That automatically turned on the built-in
> "FaceTime HD" camera.
>
> Is there some programmatic way from within Mathematica to turn the
> camera off?
>
> And if not -- OT: is there some simple way to do this in OS X? (Other
> than open and then quit the FaceTime app.)
>

Try ImageCapture[].  It has a control panel with an off button.

I think CurrentImage[] keeps the camera on because the camera needs time to adjust after it has been turned on.  The very first image captured is sometimes very dark or black, but in a couple of seconds anfter that I'm getting good images.  Also, initialization takes time, so if you capture in a loop, all the turning off/on would be too slow.

I'm also wondering through if there are CameraOn[] and CameraOff[] functions.