17/06/2021 21 Projects Ideas for the Raspberry Pi Camera Module – RaspberryTips

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21 Projects Ideas for the Raspberry Pi Camera Module

You probably just bought a Raspberry Pi camera and you want to know what you can do with it
You’re at the good place, I’ll show you a giant list of projects ideas you can make with a Raspberry Pi and a camera x
No worry, you can also follow this inspiration post if you are looking to buy a camera module or if you have one for years in its box

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What kind of projects ideas can I follow with a Raspberry Pi and a camera?
Your imagination is the only limit!
As you’ll see in this list, there are many projects you can build, more or less complex and DIY oriented
You’ll probably start with an IP camera (Linux only) and improve your skills for much more complex projects (parking
camera, drone movie, …)

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That’s all I wish you x

But for today, my role is only to give you a large panel of projects ideas, so you can choose one depending on your current skills and
desires

Info: if you just bought your camera or don’t remember how to install it, I recommend following this camera installation guide first, and
come back here later

IP camera
The first thing you’ll probably try with a camera is a dumb IP camera
I say dumb because you can do a lot more, as you’ll discover later

An IP camera is the technical term for a camera stream you can watch from your web browser (computer or smartphone)
You can even share it over the Internet, depending on your goal

x
You probably know famous webcam spots over the world, where you can watch a city place or a beautiful landscape (if not, check
the times square live cam)

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You can absolutely build this with your Raspberry Pi and a camera module x

To do this, there is a free package called “motion” available in apt

More information in the Motion project documentation on how to configure it

Timelapse
Don’t know what a timelapse is?
The idea is to take a picture at a regular interval (for example once a minute during a day)
And then to create a short video of the day by gathering all images
The result is very interesting

Here is an example of what it looks like:

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x
You’ll probably not get this result with a basic camera module
But you’ll learn the concept, and you can then improve the hardware if you like this

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On Raspberry Pi, it’s simple to create one x

You already know how to take a picture, you just need to automate this at a regular interval (crontab, python or bash script can do
this)
Then ffmpeg or a most intuitive video editing software can help you to create a video with your pictures folder

You may also like:

Everything you Need to Know to install a camera

15 best operating systems for Raspberry Pi (with pictures)

Resources: find an inventory of my favorite resources here

Movement detector

The next idea is to use a movement detector sensor, or even a software, to record the live stream only when something happens

x
This is a simple improvement to the first idea : IP Camera
The motion software I mentioned can do this directly, with a few configuration lines

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I already tried it with my Raspberry Pi, but it was tough to find the perfect configuration x
Either it was too often (and was detecting the slightest light change), or didn’t detect me anymore

You can try Motion to get a first version of your motion detector camera
But for better results, you’ll probably need a physical motion sensor (this one from Amazon is perfect and cheap, compatible with any
Raspberry Pi)

Minecraft photo booth

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A Raspberry Pi and a camera also allow you to build fun projects

For example, the Raspberry Pi official website shows you how to assemble, build and code a photo booth in Minecraft

As you may know, on Raspberry Pi you can interact with the Minecraft game in Python
And Python allows you to control the camera, so it’s possible to have a link between a Minecraft game action (walking on a pressure
plate for example) and a camera action (taking a picture)

You can check the step-by-step guide from the Raspberry Pi website here

Security camera and network

Yes, here is a new step in your IP camera solution
Basic IP camera ⇒ motion sensor ⇒ security cameras

Home security is an increasingly important market

x
Manufacturers build sophisticated cameras to monitor your home
But did you know that the Raspberry Pi can achieve this task?

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Once you have the motion software configured with motion detector, you can configure something else: enable notifications x
Yes, Motion is a powerful software that allows many things
The idea is to save the picture or video each time the detector triggers, and send it to you on your phone

And the last thing you can do to protect your home, is to install multiple Raspberry Pi with cameras, and monitor all of them from your
computer or smartphone
This will cost you a lot less than professional equipment with almost the same features
x
If you manage your home security yourself, don’t forget to double check everything and monitor systems regularly (a powered off
Raspberry Pi or a full SD card can make it all useless :/ )

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Nagios could help you for this x

Doorbell camera

This one is a mix between fun and useful

x
The Raspberry Pi camera module is so small that you can use it to replace your old peephole

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Personally, I never receive unexpected visits x

So when my doorbell rings, it’s most of the time commercial visits …
It makes me nervous. I need to check who is here but I don’t open for unknown guys that just want me to buy their crap
If you are like me (I hope not ^^), you’ll really like this project idea

(source: Hackster.io)

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The goal here is to replace the door peephole by your Raspberry Pi camera x
You can follow this step-by-step project to see all the steps needed
The project is probably more complex than you need
For a simple check, you can absolutely keep your existing doorbell, and use your smartphone to see the live stream

Some projects even go further, by using Alexa to do start a facial recognition of the person at your door
Check this project here

Outdoor camera (solar powered)

As you know, the Raspberry Pi consumes very little, and it is possible to power it via batteries
For example, a power bank (even solar-powered like this one) or even the dedicated UPS for Raspberry Pi (check it on Amazon)

It’s also possible to directly connect it to a solar panel, they are not so expensive anymore (check this one on Amazon, 100%
compatible with Raspberry Pi) x
It allows you to power or recharge the batteries in the day

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Our camera can become autonomous outdoor x

If you set up one of the movement detectors mentioned earlier, you will be able to take photos or videos closer to the animals in
your area.

It is a project that can be interesting if you live in the countryside and want to observe the animals that run near your house

Underwater camera
Nothing technical here, but you’ll need to be smart enough to find a way to build an underwater camera
With this, you’ll be able to take pictures of everything under the sea level, or at the pool without risk
As you can have everything in a compact size, it’s not so hard to do

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Scientists have well understood the Raspberry Pi advantage for that kind of project x
For example, the LoBSTATS project aim to learn more about seafloor thanks to a Raspberry Pi and a motion sensor hidden in a
small case

Cheap polaroid
Do you remember the Polaroid of your childhood?
A long time ago, before smartphone and selfies, it was the only way to take a picture and instantly share it

It’s possible to build a similar device with a Raspberry Pi (any model) and a thermal printer (this one on Amazon for example)

You don’t need so many things to build your own, and you’ll find a step-by-step guide in this Adafruit tutorial
x
Yes, it’s white and black and low quality, but it’s fun enough to try it
And if you prefer the original one, it’s always possible to buy a recent Polaroid on Amazon, but it’s not the same price

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x
Drone movies
Drones and especially drone movies are very popular now, but the hardware is expensive (over $600 for good products)
As a DIY expert, an idea can be to build your own with a Raspberry Pi and a few components

Instructables offer a good tutorial with a low cost solution (about $100 if you already have a Raspberry Pi and a camera)
Yes, it’s not an out-of-the-box solution, but are you really looking for this?

I didn’t test it yet, but it doesn’t look so complicated for a decent result
Let me know if you build yours

Real photo booth

After the Minecraft photo booth and the portable version with the Polaroid idea, let’s finish this inspiration list with a true photo booth
stand

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The Raspberry Pi photo booth (source;

RaspberryPi.org)

The Raspberry Pi official website has a 20 pages detailed project to show you exactly how to build this and program it with Python
The stuff needed is basic : Raspberry Pi, camera, breadboard and buttons

You will be the king with this device in a birthday or a wedding party

Conclusion
That’s it, the end of my inspiration list of projects ideas to try if you have a Raspberry Pi camera
x
I hope you find what you were looking for

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If you need extra projects ideas, you can have more in these posts: x

16 Raspberry Pi Zero projects ideas

25 Raspberry Pi projects ideas at home

Use your Pi Camera as a webcam for Skype or other software

Feel free to complete this list in the comments below to share your best projects ideas with us
I’m sure there are many more projects ideas available

This tutorial doesn't work anymore? Report the issue here, so that I can update it!

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Patrick Fromaget
I'm the lead author and owner of RaspberryTips.com. My goal is to help you with your Raspberry Pi problems using detailed guides
and tutorials. In real life, I'm a Linux system administrator with a web developer experience.

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2 thoughts on “21 Projects Ideas for the Raspberry Pi Camera

Module”
John says:
January 31, 2020 at 4:54 am

Hello Mr. Fromaget,

I have an idea that involves cameras for a basketball game. I am super new at any of this but I am a fairly quick study. My first
challenge is to find a camera that I can use for a basketball game. The court is 100 feet wide and 50 feet deep. So the camera
would be set up in the bleachers about 25 feet from the closest sideline and about 100 feet from the farthest corner of the court. x
The camera would only look at half the court and another camera would look at the other half of the court. I would like to be able
to have a clear picture all the way to the farthest corner of the court. I am pretty sure I am not going to want to use one of those
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tiny cameras. I was hoping that you might know some camera specs for such a job. Also, is there a term for these types of “raw” x
cameras, without any plastic cases around them.
Another question. I know that there is face recognition software. How difficult would it be to program something for basketball
recognition?
Again, I don’t know a thing about this, so if you can keep the terminology to a minimum. You are interested in raspberry pi
products – of which I only have a vague idea what it involves. Are there any other companies that make video cameras? Tutorials
about the basics would also be neat to look into. If you know of any designed for people who know absolutely nothing about this, I
would appreciate the link.
Thanks,
John

Reply

Patrick Fromaget says:

February 1, 2020 at 9:29 am

Hi John,

Sadly, I’m not an expert about camera in general or face recognition software
But I approve your comment, so maybe someone else can help you here

Good luck!

Reply

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