Dual Camera

What You’ll Learn#

• How Dual Camera Mode differs from Standard and Reaction modes.
• How to launch the CE.SDK camera in Dual Camera mode with a layout.
• How to record with both cameras at once.
• How to retrieve the dual-camera recordings and access their video URLs.

When to Use It#

Choose Dual Camera when you want to capture two perspectives at once:

• Interviews, conversations, or podcasts where both participants should be visible.
• Reactions during events (e.g., filming a concert while capturing the audience’s response).
• Vlogging and storytelling that show both the subject and the narrator.
• Any scenario where capturing both front and back cameras adds context.

Not appropriate when:

• You only need a single selfie or back-camera video → use Standard mode
• You want to play back a base video while recording → use Reaction mode
• You expect an auto-composited video (e.g., side-by-side output) — Dual Camera returns two video assets; you assemble them in the editor.

Understanding Dual Camera Mode#

Initialize the IMGLYCamera in Dual Camera mode with:

Camera(engineSettings, mode: .dualCamera(.vertical)) { result in
  // Handle results here
}

• .vertical (or .horizontal) — defines how the preview windows are arranged during capture.
• The recording result returns synchronized clips for both cameras.
• When the recording finishes, you receive a .recording([Recording]) result containing both the front and back camera recordings.

Here is a minimal code example that extracts the URL for each recording:

Camera(engineSettings, mode: .dualCamera(.vertical)) { result in
  switch result {
    case let .success(.recording(recordings)):
      let urls = recordings.flatMap { $0.videos.map(\.url) }
      print("Recorded videos:", urls)

    case let .failure(error):
      print("Error:", error.localizedDescription)

    default:
      break
  }
}

You can learn more about the Recording struct in the Access Recordings guide . Each returned Recording corresponds to a camera feed. The videos property contains the captured media tracks and their URLs.

The video previews are cropped to fit the screen, but the Recording struct contains full-screen data. All returned videos are time-synced so that they align correctly in the editor.

Troubleshooting#

❌ Only one video returned

Be sure you’re using a device that supports simultaneous front-and-back capture. Some older iPhones only support one active camera.

❌ Videos out of sync

All returned recordings are time-aligned. If playback appears unsynced, check how you’re handling the array of recordings — don’t manually offset them.

❌ Performance issues

Capturing from two cameras at once can be demanding. Test on a range of devices and consider limiting resolution for smoother performance.

Next Steps#

Dual Camera Mode is a powerful way to capture two perspectives at once. By recording both front and back cameras together, your users can create richer, more engaging stories. Continue exploring with these guides:

• Learn how to integrate the IMGLY Camera into your project.
• Configure the UI and other properties of the camera.
• Learn how to retrieve and manage recordings.