One of the most exciting things you can do with a Raspberry Pi project is to incorporate a compatible camera and the camera software stack. The most recent versions of the Raspberry Pi OS include the rpicam-apps package by default, with five essential apps for capturing images and video. This package is also the stepping stone to doing even more with cameras attached to your Raspberry Pi, so let’s look at some of the projects you can conquer.

7 Get started with time-lapse photography

Forget the fancy, expensive, high-end equipment; all you need is a Raspberry Pi and a camera

Using time-lapse photography, you can combine many pictures taken of the same subject periodically for hours, days, months, or longer into a video. The final product makes time appear to pass much faster, and artists can spend thousands of dollars on high-end equipment to do it.

That’s unnecessary, especially if you’re just starting with time-lapse photography. If you have a Raspberry Pi, a camera connected either to a USB port or one of its camera ports, you can use rpicam-still (lib camera-still in older versions of Raspbian) to capture the images. Once you’re done snapping your pictures, the built-in ffmpeg command can convert them into a gorgeous time-lapse video.

This is a simple but enjoyable first project for those wanting to dip their toes into using the rpicam-apps software stack with their Raspberry Pi.

6 Make your own smart doorbell

A DIY solution to a private intercom or video doorbell

The video doorbells you can buy from major retailers share one common characteristic: their functionality is limited if they aren’t connected to their respective manufacturers’ cloud service. If you’d prefer not to upload your doorbell footage to someone else’s servers, you’re out of luck—unless you build it yourself.

Enter the Raspberry Pi and its rpicam-apps package. You can build your own video doorbell or intercom using the Pi, a camera attached to its CSI/DSI port, and other components like a speaker and microphone. The capabilities of this kind of project are up to you since you can easily add a display or other features to it.

Thanks to the OpenCV (Open Source Computer Vision) library, you can even add facial recognition to your video doorbell. If you’re writing your software to interact with the video doorbell, you could program it to recognize specific faces and alert you to their presence even when the system is otherwise muted for privacy.

5 Surveillance system complete with motion detection

Keep a watchful eye over what’s important to you or your business

You could spend thousands of dollars on a home or office surveillance system that still lacks your desired functionality. If you have the technical skills, you can build that system yourself using Raspberry Pi, compatible cameras, and the rpicam-apps software.

The basic apps included can stream video from your cameras, letting you quickly see what’s happening in your office’s reception area on the patio. However, the possibilities don’t end there, since we’ve already introduced you to the OpenCV library.

Adding hooks to the OpenCV library to your Raspberry Pi surveillance system will let you enjoy facial and object recognition, detecting and tracking objects or people within the camera’s view, and motion detection.

4 Live-streaming to monitor your pets or wildlife

From Bailey the dog to Bambi the deer, monitor them with a Pi

If you love watching wildlife or just the crazy antics your dog or cat gets up to, the Raspberry Pi can be a great help. You could set up a wildlife monitoring station in your backyard using rpicam-apps to automatically start recording video or taking photos when the critters pass by.

Once again, the OpenCV library can enhance your experience. OpenCV can load and use pre-trained deep learning modules from TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Caffe to allow your monitoring station to determine whether a deer or a dog has come into view and alert you accordingly.

You could also use the Raspberry Pi AI Camera, with its Sony IMX500 imaging sensor, to accomplish the same task. This way, you won’t find yourself so limited by the AI processing capabilities of your Raspberry Pi.

3 Use multiple cameras or a rotating platform for 3D scanning

Avoid paying thousands of dollars for something you can build yourself

Another excellent use for the rpicam-apps software is to build your own 3D scanning system. This is highly useful for 3D printing enthusiasts who want to create models of real-life objects, and it’s a capability that can otherwise prove very expensive.

To create your 3D scanner, you could integrate multiple cameras to capture various perspectives of your object. Alternatively, if your subject is small enough, you can use a single camera to capture images of it as it turns around on a rotating platform.

Once you’ve captured your images, you must post-process them into a 3D reconstruction. Few, if any, of these post-processing solutions will run on the Raspberry Pi (even the more powerful Raspberry Pi 5). However, you can quickly transfer the images to a computer capable of running 3D reconstruction software like Meshroom, 3DF Zephyr, or COLMAP.

2 Use movement or other visual inputs to create an interactive art exhibit

Create your own educational exhibit or guided tour

Another intriguing idea is to use the camera software to create an interactive art installation or guided tour. This could be as simple as using a proximity sensor with the rpicam-apps software or as sophisticated as leveraging object detection and identification to trigger actions.

For example, if the Raspberry Pi detects a visitor entering its field of view, the camera could trigger content like videos, narrations, or animations. Museums and educational institutions could put this to good use, but it would also work well for a self-guided tour for guests or potential buyers walking through a home.

1 Combine with proximity sensor for a roving security robot

Or maybe a friendly companion robot

Stationary surveillance and security systems are okay, but they’re also pretty last century. Elevate your home or office security system with a roving security robot if you’re technologically adventurous. Using Raspberry Pi’s rpicam-apps software stack, you can create your very own security bot.

Drawing together all of the software stack’s capabilities, you can design a robot that follows a course throughout your space and avoids obstacles (thanks to OpenCV’s object tracking). Integrating motion detection will let the robot tell if someone is moving in its field of view, and you can program it to move closer to inspect.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be a security robot. You could program it to be more of a companion, using motion detection and facial recognition to recognize when you arrive home so it can come and greet you.

Many uses for computer vision technology with your Raspberry Pi

These are just a few examples of what’s already possible using the Raspberry Pi and its robust camera software stack. Tying that in with other libraries or technologies, like the OpenCV library or Raspberry Pi AI camera, will open up worlds of other possibilities. One day, thanks to the powerful photogrammetry it’s capable of producing, we might even see the Raspberry Pi as the basis for a top-notch virtual or augmented reality application.