AlbumCameraRecorder: An Android Multimedia Library for Photos, Video, Audio, and Nine-Grid Display

What AlbumCameraRecorder Covers and Who Uses It

AlbumCameraRecorder is a Kotlin Android library that bundles five distinct capabilities into one dependency set: album selection with folder navigation, camera photo capture, video recording with segmented recording support, audio recording, and a nine-grid view for displaying the selected media after capture. The project targets Android developers who build social apps, messaging apps, or any app that needs Douyin-style combined media selection, similar to the combined album, recording, and audio mode described in the README.

The current active branch is the kotlin branch, which migrated from the legacy CameraX-free implementation to CameraX. This migration simplifies customizing capture parameters and adding dynamic watermarks according to the README. The androidx branch at the old URL is no longer maintained except for serious bugs.

The library supports Android 4.1 (API 16) through the latest Android 16, which the README's compatibility section describes as 100% passing on a market-wide compatibility test report available in WeTest.md.

Module Structure and Selective Import

AlbumCameraRecorder is split into multiple modules so teams can import only what they need. The README describes the available modules:

combined: a convenience wrapper that includes multilibrary, grid, and albumCameraRecorderCommon together. common: the shared base library required if not using combined. multilibrary: the core library for calling and displaying album, camera recording, and audio recording. grid: the nine-grid display component for showing obtained data and upload progress. imageedit: image editing with color graffiti, text input, mosaic processing, rotation, and cropping. videoedit: video compression using ffmpeg; the README notes this adds approximately 25MB to the APK.

The README recommends using the combined module to simplify the integration when all features are needed, while individual modules suit apps that need only specific capabilities.

Installing AlbumCameraRecorder

The library is distributed through JitPack. The README gives four-step installation instructions. First, add the JitPack repository to the build file:

allprojects {
    repositories {
        maven { url 'https://www.jitpack.io' }
    }
}

Second, add the dependencies for the modules you need:

implementation 'com.github.zhongjhATC.AlbumCameraRecorder:combined:2029'

Third, add Jetifier and AndroidX flags to gradle.properties:

android.enableJetifier=true
android.useAndroidX=true

Fourth, configure Java 8 compatibility and core library desugaring in the app module's compileOptions:

compileOptions {
    sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    coreLibraryDesugaringEnabled true
}

The desugaring configuration is required to use java.time APIs on devices below API 26. The README notes that minifyEnabled true is the key switch for desugaring size optimization.

Configuration: Launching the Multimedia Picker

The library exposes CameraSetting and AlbumSetting builder objects for configuring what the picker launches. The README's usage example shows the structure:

CameraSetting cameraSetting = new CameraSetting();
cameraSetting.mimeTypeSet(MimeType.ofAll());

AlbumSetting albumSetting = new AlbumSetting(false)
        .mimeTypeSet(MimeType.ofAll())
        .countable(true)
        .addFilter(new GifSizeFilter(320, 320, 5 * BaseFilter.K * BaseFilter.K))
        .originalEnable(true)
        .maxOriginalSize(10);

This configures the camera to accept all mime types and the album picker to show selectable counts, apply a GIF size filter, and enable original image selection up to 10MB. The README describes rich configuration options including maximum selectable counts for photos and videos, folder-based navigation matching the device's file system, custom permission handling, custom image loaders (Glide, Fresco), and style customization for colors and sizes.

Features: Watermarks, Compression, and Shared Elements

The library supports watermarks during both shooting and recording, including dynamic watermarks. Flash and front/back camera switching are supported during capture. Two-finger touch zooms in and out; single-finger sliding adjusts brightness. Long-press button recording is fully customizable using SVG images for animation.

Image editing supports color graffiti, text input, mosaic processing, rotation, and cropping. Video editing currently provides compression through ffmpeg. The README notes that more video editing features will be added in the future.

Segmented recording is available for video. The library includes shared element animations and complete animation effects throughout the UI. The README describes cache management, performance optimization with careful memory leak handling, and a motion photo feature that supports viewing motion photos in the system gallery.

Limitations and Alternatives

The videoedit module's 25MB ffmpeg footprint is a significant APK size cost. Teams that need video compression should evaluate whether the app's size budget can accommodate this before including videoedit.

The androidx branch is no longer maintained. Apps that are still on the androidx branch must migrate to the kotlin branch for future updates. The README includes a migration guide in the file listing showing code changes from old to new versions.

The library is MIT-licensed. The last push was on 2026-09-24, indicating active development. Recent releases include version 2029 on 2026-08-20, 2028 on 2026-07-31, and 2027 on 2026-07-23. The version naming uses integers rather than semantic versioning, which is unusual but consistent across the kotlin branch releases.

The README does not document a bundled image loading library: it supports plugging in Glide, Fresco, or any other image loader through a customization interface. Teams already using a specific image loading library can continue using it without adding a second one.

The closest alternative for the album selection use case is PictureSelector by LuckSiege, which covers similar ground with photo and video selection for Android. AlbumCameraRecorder's advantage is the built-in camera capture, audio recording, and nine-grid display in one library, whereas PictureSelector focuses primarily on the selection UI without the full capture integration.

Editorial conclusion

AlbumCameraRecorder is a solid pick for Android developers who need a single library covering album selection, camera capture, video recording, audio recording, and a nine-grid display in one configurable API. The CameraX migration in the kotlin branch makes it easier to customize capture parameters and add watermarks. The androidx branch is no longer maintained, so new projects should use the kotlin branch only. The videoedit module adds 25MB to the APK because of its ffmpeg dependency; evaluate whether video compression is actually needed before including it. Last push was on 2026-09-24.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Official README
2. Project repository
3. Release notes