How can I get RAW capture with webcam function(without Image Acqusitio Toolbox)?

Hi,

I'm developing a depth camera and the camera using UVC(= webcam).

The output of the camera is not YUV or RGB but RAW16.

I tested that it is working with 'webcam' function in Matlab.

However, webcam function can only deliver the RGB image format with 'snapshot',(480x640x3(uint8)).

Can I get the RAW16(uint16) data using webcam/snapthot function?

I cannot find any options to do this.

BR,

Chanyong.

Answer 1

[Jacob Mathew]

Hey Chanyong, I also faced a similar issue where if I took a snapshot with the webcam, the output is in uint8 RGB. This seems to be the default behavioras mentioned in the “snapshot” command documentation. You can refer to that here:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2024a/simulink/slref/simulink.sdi.customsnapshot.snapshot.html

A possible solution is to try using the “Image Acquisition Explorer App” to check if MATLAB detects the camera’s ability to record in RAW16. To try this, first ensure that the “Image Acquisition Toolbox” is installed. You can refer to the following guide to install it:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_env/get-add-ons.html

Once it is installed, we can launch it using the command:

imageAcquisitionExplorer

If you do not see the desired camera, click on “Don’t see your device?” and install the necessary plugins to recognise your camera:

Once your camera is recognised, click on it to open the Image Acquisition App, and click on the “Configure Format” in the tool strip under the “Explorer” Tab:

If MATLAB recognises the camera, then RAW should show up as an option.