OpenCV app - Android camera keeps showing black screen

Question

Background

I had started out this project on Android Studio with the intent of creating a OpenCV application that could process frames using the camera on my OnePlus android device. After running the application, I was gratified to see it finally launch on my device. However, the application shows up with a black screen where the camera preview should be. Here is my code for my MainActivity, activity_main, and AndroidManifest files:

EDIT: While the application launched on my device, I did give the application permission to use camera

MainActivity.java

package com.example.cv;

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;

import android.os.Bundle;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.SurfaceView;

import org.opencv.android.BaseLoaderCallback;
import org.opencv.android.CameraBridgeViewBase;
import org.opencv.android.JavaCameraView;
import org.opencv.android.OpenCVLoader;
import org.opencv.core.Core;
import org.opencv.core.CvType;
import org.opencv.core.Mat;
import org.opencv.imgproc.Imgproc;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity implements CameraBridgeViewBase.CvCameraViewListener2
{
    private static String TAG = "MainActivity";
    JavaCameraView javaCameraView;
    Mat mRGBA, mRGBAT;


    BaseLoaderCallback baseLoaderCallback = new BaseLoaderCallback(MainActivity.this) {
        @Override
        public void onManagerConnected(int status)
        {
            if (status == BaseLoaderCallback.SUCCESS) {
                javaCameraView.enableView();
            } else {
                super.onManagerConnected(status);
            }
        }
    };

    static
    {
        if (OpenCVLoader.initDebug())
        {
            Log.d(TAG, "OpenCV is Configured or Connected successfully.");
        }
        else
        {
            Log.d(TAG, "OpenCV not Working or Loaded.");
        }
    }

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
    {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        javaCameraView = (JavaCameraView) findViewById(R.id.my_camera_view);
        javaCameraView.setVisibility(SurfaceView.VISIBLE);
        javaCameraView.setCvCameraViewListener(MainActivity.this);

    }

    @Override
    public void onCameraViewStarted(int width, int height)
    {
        mRGBA = new Mat(height, width, CvType.CV_8UC4);
    }

    @Override
    public void onCameraViewStopped()
    {
        mRGBA.release();
    }

    @Override
    public Mat onCameraFrame(CameraBridgeViewBase.CvCameraViewFrame inputFrame)
    {
        mRGBA = inputFrame.rgba();
        mRGBAT = mRGBA.t();
        Core.flip(mRGBA.t(), mRGBAT, 1);
        Imgproc.resize(mRGBAT, mRGBAT, mRGBA.size());
        return mRGBAT;
    }

    @Override
    public void onPointerCaptureChanged(boolean hasCapture) {

    }


    @Override
    protected void onDestroy() {
        super.onDestroy();

        if (javaCameraView != null)
        {
            javaCameraView.disableView();
        }
    }

    @Override
    protected void onPause() {
        super.onPause();

        if (javaCameraView != null)
        {
            javaCameraView.disableView();
        }
    }


    @Override
    protected void onResume() {
        super.onResume();

        if (OpenCVLoader.initDebug())
        {
            Log.d(TAG, "OpenCV is Configured or Connected successfully.");
            baseLoaderCallback.onManagerConnected(BaseLoaderCallback.SUCCESS);
        }
        else
        {
            Log.d(TAG, "OpenCV not Working or Loaded.");
            OpenCVLoader.initAsync(OpenCVLoader.OPENCV_VERSION, this, baseLoaderCallback);
        }
    }
}

activity_main.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    tools:context=".MainActivity">


    <org.opencv.android.JavaCameraView
        android:id="@+id/my_camera_view"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="fill_parent"
        />

</RelativeLayout>

AndroidManifest.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    package="com.example.cv">


    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA"/>
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera"/>
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.autofocus"/>
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.front"/>
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.front.autofocus"/>

    <application
        android:allowBackup="true"
        android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
        android:label="@string/app_name"
        android:roundIcon="@mipmap/ic_launcher_round"
        android:supportsRtl="true"
        android:theme="@style/AppTheme">
        <activity android:name=".MainActivity">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

                <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
    </application>

</manifest>

Answer 1

The issue you are facing is actually with the camera permission check

Starting from Android Marshmallow, the CAMERA permission is considered a dangerous one and the user must explicitly agree on its usage at runtime, clicking on the system dialog

This wouldn't happen for "normal permissions" [e.g. INTERNET] that are granted by default. If you are interested in which ones are dangerous and which not you can check for the one of interest directly in the Android documentation

What's happening with your initial code is that you are mentioning you will require the camera permission in your manifest file and then you are enabling it from the Android Settings [toggling the Camera slider]. But then, when you start the app there is nothing in the code that goes and checks that toggle. Then you get a black screen because Android assumes that the user has not given explicit consent

This link from the Android documentation should help you understand more. Here the snippet that will make your code work. In a nutshell, with onCreate() you go and check if the user has already granted the permission and if not you will ask it. In onRequestPermissionResult() there is the check we were talking about before. If the user agreed the camera will start, otherwise it won't

private static final int MY_CAMERA_REQUEST_CODE = 100;
int activeCamera = CameraBridgeViewBase.CAMERA_ID_FRONT;

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

    javaCameraView = (JavaCameraView) findViewById(R.id.my_camera_view);

    // checking if the permission has already been granted
    if (ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.CAMERA)
            == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Permissions granted");
        initializeCamera(javaCameraView, activeCamera);
    } else {
        // prompt system dialog
        Log.d(TAG, "Permission prompt");
        ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this, new String[]{Manifest.permission.CAMERA}, MY_CAMERA_REQUEST_CODE);
        }
}

// callback to be executed after the user has givenapproval or rejection via system prompt
@Override
public void onRequestPermissionsResult(int requestCode, @NonNull String[] permissions, @NonNull int[] grantResults) {
    super.onRequestPermissionsResult(requestCode, permissions, grantResults);
    if (requestCode == MY_CAMERA_REQUEST_CODE) {
        if (grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
            // camera can be turned on
            Toast.makeText(this, "camera permission granted", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
            initializeCamera(javaCameraView, activeCamera);
        } else {
            // camera will stay off
            Toast.makeText(this, "camera permission denied", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
        }
    }
}

private void initializeCamera(JavaCameraView javaCameraView, int activeCamera){
    javaCameraView.setCameraPermissionGranted();
    javaCameraView.setCameraIndex(activeCamera);
    javaCameraView.setVisibility(CameraBridgeViewBase.VISIBLE);
    javaCameraView.setCvCameraViewListener(this);
}