AVExportSession exporting video super slow - ios

Question

I am trying to simply increase the speed of my exporting of my merged video.
Here is the code: //from my extensive research online and on SO, I have pretty much come down to the preset PassThrough makes it super fast, however as I wrote in a comment in the code, my merging code does not seem to work with that preset for export :/
static func videoCompositionInstruction(_ track: AVCompositionTrack, asset: AVAsset)
-> AVMutableVideoCompositionLayerInstruction {
let instruction = AVMutableVideoCompositionLayerInstruction(assetTrack: track)
let assetTrack = asset.tracks(withMediaType: .video)[0]
let transform = assetTrack.preferredTransform
let assetInfo = orientationFromTransform(transform)
var scaleToFitRatio = 1080 / assetTrack.naturalSize.width
if assetInfo.isPortrait {
scaleToFitRatio = 1080 / assetTrack.naturalSize.height
let scaleFactor = CGAffineTransform(scaleX: scaleToFitRatio, y: scaleToFitRatio)
var finalTransform = assetTrack.preferredTransform.concatenating(scaleFactor)
//was needed in my case (if video not taking entire screen and leaving some parts black - don't know when actually needed so you'll have to try and see when it's needed)
if assetInfo.orientation == .rightMirrored || assetInfo.orientation == .leftMirrored {
finalTransform = finalTransform.translatedBy(x: -transform.ty, y: 0)
}
instruction.setTransform(finalTransform, at: CMTime.zero)
} else {
let scaleFactor = CGAffineTransform(scaleX: scaleToFitRatio, y: scaleToFitRatio)
var concat = assetTrack.preferredTransform.concatenating(scaleFactor)
.concatenating(CGAffineTransform(translationX: 0, y: UIScreen.main.bounds.width / 2))
if assetInfo.orientation == .down {
let fixUpsideDown = CGAffineTransform(rotationAngle: CGFloat(Double.pi))
let windowBounds = UIScreen.main.bounds
let yFix = assetTrack.naturalSize.height + windowBounds.height
let centerFix = CGAffineTransform(translationX: assetTrack.naturalSize.width, y: yFix)
concat = fixUpsideDown.concatenating(centerFix).concatenating(scaleFactor)
}
instruction.setTransform(concat, at: CMTime.zero)
}
return instruction
}
static func orientationFromTransform(_ transform: CGAffineTransform)
-> (orientation: UIImage.Orientation, isPortrait: Bool) {
var assetOrientation = UIImage.Orientation.up
var isPortrait = false
if transform.a == 0 && transform.b == 1.0 && transform.c == -1.0 && transform.d == 0 {
assetOrientation = .right
isPortrait = true
} else if transform.a == 0 && transform.b == 1.0 && transform.c == 1.0 && transform.d == 0 {
assetOrientation = .rightMirrored
isPortrait = true
} else if transform.a == 0 && transform.b == -1.0 && transform.c == 1.0 && transform.d == 0 {
assetOrientation = .left
isPortrait = true
} else if transform.a == 0 && transform.b == -1.0 && transform.c == -1.0 && transform.d == 0 {
assetOrientation = .leftMirrored
isPortrait = true
} else if transform.a == 1.0 && transform.b == 0 && transform.c == 0 && transform.d == 1.0 {
assetOrientation = .up
} else if transform.a == -1.0 && transform.b == 0 && transform.c == 0 && transform.d == -1.0 {
assetOrientation = .down
}
return (assetOrientation, isPortrait)
}
func mergeVideosTestSQ(arrayVideos:[AVAsset], completion:#escaping (URL?, Error?) -> ()) {
let mixComposition = AVMutableComposition()
var instructions: [AVMutableVideoCompositionLayerInstruction] = []
var insertTime = CMTime(seconds: 0, preferredTimescale: 1)
/// for each URL add the video and audio tracks and their duration to the composition
for sourceAsset in arrayVideos {
let frameRange = CMTimeRange(start: CMTime(seconds: 0, preferredTimescale: 1), duration: sourceAsset.duration)
guard
let nthVideoTrack = mixComposition.addMutableTrack(withMediaType: .video, preferredTrackID: Int32(kCMPersistentTrackID_Invalid)),
let nthAudioTrack = mixComposition.addMutableTrack(withMediaType: .audio, preferredTrackID: Int32(kCMPersistentTrackID_Invalid)), //0 used to be kCMPersistentTrackID_Invalid
let assetVideoTrack = sourceAsset.tracks(withMediaType: .video).first
else {
print("didnt work")
return
}
var assetAudioTrack: AVAssetTrack?
assetAudioTrack = sourceAsset.tracks(withMediaType: .audio).first
print(assetAudioTrack, ",-- assetAudioTrack???", assetAudioTrack?.asset, "<-- hes", sourceAsset)
do {
try nthVideoTrack.insertTimeRange(frameRange, of: assetVideoTrack, at: insertTime)
try nthAudioTrack.insertTimeRange(frameRange, of: assetAudioTrack!, at: insertTime)
//instructions:
let nthInstruction = MainCamVC.videoCompositionInstruction(nthVideoTrack, asset: sourceAsset)
nthInstruction.setOpacity(0.0, at: CMTimeAdd(insertTime, sourceAsset.duration)) //sourceasset.duration
instructions.append(nthInstruction)
insertTime = insertTime + sourceAsset.duration //sourceAsset.duration
} catch {
DispatchQueue.main.async {
print("didnt wor2k")
}
}
}
let mainInstruction = AVMutableVideoCompositionInstruction()
mainInstruction.timeRange = CMTimeRange(start: CMTime(seconds: 0, preferredTimescale: 1), duration: insertTime)
mainInstruction.layerInstructions = instructions
let mainComposition = AVMutableVideoComposition()
mainComposition.instructions = [mainInstruction]
mainComposition.frameDuration = CMTimeMake(value: 1, timescale: 30)
mainComposition.renderSize = CGSize(width: 1080, height: 1920)
let outputFileURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: NSTemporaryDirectory() + "merge.mp4")
//below to clear the video form docuent folder for new vid...
let fileManager = FileManager()
try? fileManager.removeItem(at: outputFileURL)
/// try to start an export session and set the path and file type
if let exportSession = AVAssetExportSession(asset: mixComposition, presetName: AVAssetExportPresetHighestQuality) { //DOES NOT WORK WITH AVAssetExportPresetPassthrough
exportSession.outputFileType = .mov
exportSession.outputURL = outputFileURL
exportSession.videoComposition = mainComposition
exportSession.shouldOptimizeForNetworkUse = true
/// try to export the file and handle the status cases
exportSession.exportAsynchronously {
if let url = exportSession.outputURL{
completion(url, nil)
}
if let error = exportSession.error {
completion(nil, error)
}
}
}
}
Note I have instructions in order to preserve correct orientations.
Thanks for any help! I just need it to be faster, it roughly takes videoDuration/2 seconds to export in time to export...

Answer 1

After implementing your code into my project, it seems what is making your export slow, would be the way you handle the renderSize, as well as the resolution of the video. On top of that perhaps using a lower preset of quality may make it higher.
Specicially I would note this part:
let mainInstruction = AVMutableVideoCompositionInstruction()
mainInstruction.timeRange = CMTimeRange(start: CMTime(seconds: 0, preferredTimescale: 1), duration: insertTime)
mainInstruction.layerInstructions = instructions
let mainComposition = AVMutableVideoComposition()
mainComposition.instructions = [mainInstruction]
mainComposition.frameDuration = CMTimeMake(value: 1, timescale: 30)
mainComposition.renderSize = CGSize(width: 1080, height: 1920)
Changing the renderSize to = the videoCompositions.size (may be different name for your project) does the trick.
Then in the exporting place, I suggest changing this part:
/// try to start an export session and set the path and file type
if let exportSession = AVAssetExportSession(asset: mixComposition, presetName: AVAssetExportPresetHighestQuality) { //DOES NOT WORK WITH AVAssetExportPresetPassthrough
exportSession.outputFileType = .mov
exportSession.outputURL = outputFileURL
exportSession.videoComposition = mainComposition
exportSession.shouldOptimizeForNetworkUse = true
/// try to export the file and handle the status cases
exportSession.exportAsynchronously {
if let url = exportSession.outputURL{
completion(url, nil)
}
if let error = exportSession.error {
completion(nil, error)
}
}
}
As I said before, change it to presetQuality one lower or so. It will vastly improve the speed! Some transformations were also duplicated as well, something to look out for!