Capturing video is a valuable skill for various applications, from security surveillance to creating time-lapse videos. The Raspberry Pi, a versatile and affordable mini-computer, is well-suited for video capture tasks due to its GPIO pins and compatibility with various camera modules. This article will guide you through the process of capturing video using a Raspberry Pi, highlighting the necessary hardware, software, and commands to get started.

Examples:

1. Hardware Requirements:

   • Raspberry Pi (any model with a camera interface, e.g., Raspberry Pi 4)
   • Raspberry Pi Camera Module or a compatible USB webcam
   • MicroSD card with Raspbian OS installed
   • Power supply for the Raspberry Pi

2. Setting Up the Camera:

   • First, ensure your Raspberry Pi is powered off before connecting the camera module.
   • Connect the camera module to the CSI (Camera Serial Interface) port on the Raspberry Pi.
   • Power on the Raspberry Pi and enable the camera interface by running:

     sudo raspi-config

   • Navigate to Interfacing Options -> Camera and enable it. Reboot your Raspberry Pi to apply the changes.

3. Installing Required Software:

   • Update your package list and install raspivid and ffmpeg:

     sudo apt update
     sudo apt install -y libraspberrypi-bin ffmpeg

4. Capturing Video with raspivid:

   • Use the raspivid command to capture video. For example, to capture a 10-second video at 1080p resolution:

     raspivid -o video.h264 -t 10000

   • The -o flag specifies the output file, and the -t flag sets the recording time in milliseconds.

5. Converting the Video Format:

   • The captured video will be in H.264 format. To convert it to a more common format like MP4, use ffmpeg:

     ffmpeg -i video.h264 -c:v copy video.mp4

6. Using a USB Webcam:

   • If you are using a USB webcam, you can capture video using ffmpeg directly:

     ffmpeg -f v4l2 -i /dev/video0 -t 00:00:10 video.mp4

   • The -f v4l2 flag specifies the video capture format, and /dev/video0 is the device file for the webcam.