How Do I Take a Screen Shot of a UIView?

I created this **extension for save a screen shot** from UIView

extension UIView {
func saveImageFromView(path path:String) {
UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(bounds.size, false, UIScreen.mainScreen().scale)
drawViewHierarchyInRect(bounds, afterScreenUpdates: true)
let image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()
UIGraphicsEndImageContext()
UIImageJPEGRepresentation(image, 0.4)?.writeToFile(path, atomically: true)

}}


**call**:

let pathDocuments = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSSearchPathDirectory.DocumentDirectory, NSSearchPathDomainMask.UserDomainMask, true).first!
let pathImage = "\(pathDocuments)/\(user!.usuarioID.integerValue).jpg"
reportView.saveImageFromView(path: pathImage)

If you want to create a png must change:

UIImageJPEGRepresentation(image, 0.4)?.writeToFile(path, atomically: true)

by

UIImagePNGRepresentation(image)?.writeToFile(path, atomically: true)

you can use following UIView category -

@implementation UIView (SnapShot)

- (UIImage *)snapshotImage
{
UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(self.bounds.size, NO, [UIScreen mainScreen].scale);
[self drawViewHierarchyInRect:self.bounds afterScreenUpdates:NO];
// old style [self.layer renderInContext:UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()];
UIImage *image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
UIGraphicsEndImageContext();
return image;
}
@end

iOS 7 has a new method that allows you to draw a view hierarchy into the current graphics context. This can be used to get an UIImage very fast.


I implemented a category method on `UIView` to get the view as an `UIImage`:


- (UIImage *)pb_takeSnapshot {
UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(self.bounds.size, NO, [UIScreen mainScreen].scale);

[self drawViewHierarchyInRect:self.bounds afterScreenUpdates:YES];

// old style [self.layer renderInContext:UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()];

UIImage *image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
UIGraphicsEndImageContext();
return image;
}

It is considerably faster then the existing `renderInContext:` method.

Reference:

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**UPDATE FOR SWIFT**: An extension that does the same:

extension UIView {

func pb_takeSnapshot() -> UIImage {
UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(bounds.size, false, UIScreen.mainScreen().scale)

drawViewHierarchyInRect(self.bounds, afterScreenUpdates: true)

// old style: layer.renderInContext(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext())

let image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()
UIGraphicsEndImageContext()
return image
}
}

**UPDATE FOR SWIFT 3**

UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(bounds.size, false, UIScreen.main.scale)

drawHierarchy(in: self.bounds, afterScreenUpdates: true)

let image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()!
UIGraphicsEndImageContext()
return image

There is new API from iOS 10

extension UIView {
func makeScreenshot() -> UIImage {
let renderer = UIGraphicsImageRenderer(bounds: self.bounds)
return renderer.image { (context) in
self.layer.render(in: context.cgContext)
}
}
}

Swift 4 updated :

extension UIView {
var screenShot: UIImage? {
if #available(iOS 10, *) {
let renderer = UIGraphicsImageRenderer(bounds: self.bounds)
return renderer.image { (context) in
self.layer.render(in: context.cgContext)
}
} else {
UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(bounds.size, false, 5);
if let _ = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext() {
drawHierarchy(in: bounds, afterScreenUpdates: true)
let screenshot = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()
UIGraphicsEndImageContext()
return screenshot
}
return nil
}
}
}

## Details ##

- Xcode Version 10.3 (10G8), Swift 5

## Solution ##

import UIKit

extension CALayer {
func makeSnapshot() -> UIImage? {
let scale = UIScreen.main.scale
UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(frame.size, false, scale)
defer { UIGraphicsEndImageContext() }
guard let context = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext() else { return nil }
render(in: context)
let screenshot = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()
return screenshot
}
}

extension UIView {
func makeSnapshot() -> UIImage? {
if #available(iOS 10.0, *) {
let renderer = UIGraphicsImageRenderer(size: frame.size)
return renderer.image { _ in drawHierarchy(in: bounds, afterScreenUpdates: true) }
} else {
return layer.makeSnapshot()
}
}
}

## Usage ##

let image = view.makeSnapshot()

## Full sample ##

> Do not forget to **add the solution code here**

import UIKit

class ViewController: UIViewController {

@IBOutlet var viewForScreenShot: UIView!
@IBOutlet var screenShotRenderer: UIImageView!

@IBAction func makeViewScreenShotButtonTapped2(_ sender: UIButton) {
screenShotRenderer.image = viewForScreenShot.makeSnapshot()
}
}

> Main.storyboard

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<document type="com.apple.InterfaceBuilder3.CocoaTouch.Storyboard.XIB" version="3.0" toolsVersion="11762" systemVersion="16C67" targetRuntime="iOS.CocoaTouch" propertyAccessControl="none" useAutolayout="YES" useTraitCollections="YES" colorMatched="YES" initialViewController="BYZ-38-t0r">
<device id="retina4_7" orientation="portrait">
<adaptation id="fullscreen"/>
</device>
<dependencies>
<deployment identifier="iOS"/>
<plugIn identifier="com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.IBCocoaTouchPlugin" version="11757"/>
<capability name="documents saved in the Xcode 8 format" minToolsVersion="8.0"/>
</dependencies>
<scenes>
<!--View Controller-->
<scene sceneID="tne-QT-ifu">
<objects>
<viewController id="BYZ-38-t0r" customClass="ViewController" customModule="stackoverflow_2214957" customModuleProvider="target" sceneMemberID="viewController">
<layoutGuides>
<viewControllerLayoutGuide type="top" id="y3c-jy-aDJ"/>
<viewControllerLayoutGuide type="bottom" id="wfy-db-euE"/>
</layoutGuides>
<view key="view" contentMode="scaleToFill" id="8bC-Xf-vdC">
<rect key="frame" x="0.0" y="0.0" width="375" height="667"/>
<autoresizingMask key="autoresizingMask" widthSizable="YES" heightSizable="YES"/>
<subviews>
<view contentMode="scaleToFill" translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints="NO" id="Acg-GO-mMN">
<rect key="frame" x="67" y="28" width="240" height="128"/>
<subviews>
<textField opaque="NO" clipsSubviews="YES" contentMode="scaleToFill" contentHorizontalAlignment="left" contentVerticalAlignment="center" borderStyle="roundedRect" textAlignment="natural" minimumFontSize="17" translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints="NO" id="4Fr-O3-56t">
<rect key="frame" x="72" y="49" width="96" height="30"/>
<constraints>
<constraint firstAttribute="height" constant="30" id="cLv-es-h7Q"/>
<constraint firstAttribute="width" constant="96" id="ytF-FH-gdm"/>
</constraints>
<nil key="textColor"/>
<fontDescription key="fontDescription" type="system" pointSize="14"/>
<textInputTraits key="textInputTraits"/>
</textField>
</subviews>
<color key="backgroundColor" red="0.0" green="0.47843137250000001" blue="1" alpha="0.49277611300000002" colorSpace="custom" customColorSpace="sRGB"/>
<color key="tintColor" white="0.66666666666666663" alpha="1" colorSpace="calibratedWhite"/>
<constraints>
<constraint firstItem="4Fr-O3-56t" firstAttribute="centerX" secondItem="Acg-GO-mMN" secondAttribute="centerX" id="egj-rT-Gz5"/>
<constraint firstItem="4Fr-O3-56t" firstAttribute="centerY" secondItem="Acg-GO-mMN" secondAttribute="centerY" id="ymi-Ll-WIV"/>
</constraints>
</view>
<button opaque="NO" contentMode="scaleToFill" contentHorizontalAlignment="center" contentVerticalAlignment="center" buttonType="roundedRect" lineBreakMode="middleTruncation" translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints="NO" id="SQq-IE-pvj">
<rect key="frame" x="109" y="214" width="157" height="30"/>
<state key="normal" title="make view screen shot"/>
<connections>
<action selector="makeViewScreenShotButtonTapped2:" destination="BYZ-38-t0r" eventType="touchUpInside" id="KSY-ec-uvA"/>
</connections>
</button>
<imageView userInteractionEnabled="NO" contentMode="scaleAspectFit" horizontalHuggingPriority="251" verticalHuggingPriority="251" translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints="NO" id="CEZ-Ju-Tpq">
<rect key="frame" x="67" y="269" width="240" height="128"/>
<constraints>
<constraint firstAttribute="width" constant="240" id="STo-iJ-rM4"/>
<constraint firstAttribute="height" constant="128" id="tfi-zF-zdn"/>
</constraints>
</imageView>
</subviews>
<color key="backgroundColor" red="0.95941069162436543" green="0.95941069162436543" blue="0.95941069162436543" alpha="1" colorSpace="custom" customColorSpace="sRGB"/>
<constraints>
<constraint firstItem="CEZ-Ju-Tpq" firstAttribute="top" secondItem="SQq-IE-pvj" secondAttribute="bottom" constant="25" id="6x1-iB-gKF"/>
<constraint firstItem="Acg-GO-mMN" firstAttribute="leading" secondItem="CEZ-Ju-Tpq" secondAttribute="leading" id="LUp-Be-FiC"/>
<constraint firstItem="SQq-IE-pvj" firstAttribute="top" secondItem="Acg-GO-mMN" secondAttribute="bottom" constant="58" id="Qu0-YT-k9O"/>
<constraint firstItem="Acg-GO-mMN" firstAttribute="centerX" secondItem="8bC-Xf-vdC" secondAttribute="centerX" id="Qze-zd-ajY"/>
<constraint firstItem="Acg-GO-mMN" firstAttribute="trailing" secondItem="CEZ-Ju-Tpq" secondAttribute="trailing" id="b1d-sp-GHD"/>
<constraint firstItem="SQq-IE-pvj" firstAttribute="centerX" secondItem="CEZ-Ju-Tpq" secondAttribute="centerX" id="qCL-AF-Cro"/>
<constraint firstItem="Acg-GO-mMN" firstAttribute="top" secondItem="y3c-jy-aDJ" secondAttribute="bottom" constant="8" symbolic="YES" id="u5Y-eh-oSG"/>
<constraint firstItem="CEZ-Ju-Tpq" firstAttribute="centerY" secondItem="8bC-Xf-vdC" secondAttribute="centerY" id="vkx-JQ-pOF"/>
</constraints>
</view>
<connections>
<outlet property="screenShotRenderer" destination="CEZ-Ju-Tpq" id="8QB-OE-ib6"/>
<outlet property="viewForScreenShot" destination="Acg-GO-mMN" id="jgL-yn-8kk"/>
</connections>
</viewController>
<placeholder placeholderIdentifier="IBFirstResponder" id="dkx-z0-nzr" sceneMemberID="firstResponder"/>
</objects>
<point key="canvasLocation" x="32.799999999999997" y="37.331334332833585"/>
</scene>
</scenes>
</document>

## Result ##

[![enter image description here][1]][1]
[![enter image description here][2]][2]


[1]:

[2]:

// MARK: - Actions
@objc func imageWasSaved(_ image: UIImage, error: Error?, context: UnsafeMutableRawPointer) {
if let error = error {
print(error.localizedDescription)
return
}

print("Image was saved in the photo gallery")
UIApplication.shared.open(URL(string:"photos-redirect://")!)
}

func takeScreenshot(of view: UIView) {

let bounds = UIScreen.main.bounds
UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(bounds.size, false, UIScreen.main.scale)

self.view.drawHierarchy(in: self.view.bounds, afterScreenUpdates: true)

let screenshot = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()!
UIGraphicsEndImageContext()
UIImageWriteToSavedPhotosAlbum(screenshot, self, #selector(imageWasSaved), nil)
}