React Native image crop picker

React Native image crop picker simplifies the process of selecting and cropping images in React Native applications. It simplifies the process of working with images by offering us a convenient and efficient way to integrate image-related functionalities in React Native projects.

Install react-native-image-crop-picker

Open the terminal and navigate to your project directory. Then, run the following command to install the react-native-image-crop-picker:

npm install react-native-image-crop-picker // using npm
// OR
yarn add react-native-image-crop-picker    // using yarn

For iOS, you also need to install pods in the iOS directory and then return to the root project directory. You can do this using the following commands:

cd ios
pod install
cd ..

Configure permissions

To access the device’s photo library and camera, we need to configure the required permissions. Add permissions for each platform:

Android

Open the AndroidManifest.xml file from the android/app/src/main directory of your project. Add the following lines inside the <manifest> tag:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />

iOS

Open the Info.plist file from the ios directory and add the following lines:

<key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key>
<string>Allow access to the photo library for selecting images</string>
<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Allow access to the camera for capturing images</string>

Import react-native-image-crop-picker

In the JavaScript file where you want to implement the image crop picker, import the ImagePicker library from the react-native-image-crop-picker:

import ImagePicker from 'react-native-image-crop-picker';

Implement image selection and cropping

Create a function that will handle image selection and cropping. We will use the openPicker, openCamera, and openCropper functions provided by the react-native-image-crop-picker. These functions open the photo library or camera and allow users to select or capture images.

Gallery image

We will use the openPicker method provided by the library. It requires an options object and a callback function as parameters:

  • options: An object that specifies the options for the image picker. Some commonly used options include:

    • cropping (boolean): Determines whether to enable image cropping. Set it to true to enable cropping.

    • cropperToolbarTitle (string): The title of the cropping screen's toolbar.

    • includeBase64 (boolean): Determines whether to include the base64 representation of the selected image in the response. Set it to true if you need the base64 data.

    • cropperCircleOverlay (boolean): Determines whether to display a circular cropping overlay. Set it to true to enable circular cropping.

    • cropperToolbarWidgetColor (string): The color of the cropping screen's toolbar widgets.

  • callback: A callback function that will be invoked with the response from the image picker. It takes a single parameter, response, which contains information about the image. The response object may have the following properties:

    • path (string): The local path of the selected and cropped image.

    • data (string): The base64 representation of the selected and cropped image.

    • width (number): The width of the selected and cropped image.

    • height (number): The height of the selected and cropped image.

Here’s an example:

const handleImagePicker = () => {
  ImagePicker.openPicker({
    width,
    height,
    cropping: true,
  })
  .then((image) => {
    setSelectedImage(image.path);
    setHeight(height);
    setWidth(width);
    console.log(image);
  })
  .catch((error) => {
    console.log(error);
  });
};

Code explanation

Here is a line by line explanation of the code above:

  • Line 1: The handleImagePicker function is defined to handle the image picking process.

  • Line 2: The ImagePicker.openPicker method is called, which opens the gallery for image selection.

  • Line 3–5: The openPicker method takes is provided options object with parameters such as width, height, and cropping to specify the desired image dimensions. The cropping is set to true.

  • Line 7–11: Once an image is selected, the promise returned by the openPicker is resolved, and the then block is executed. In the then block, the selected image's path is stored using the setSelectedImage function, and the specified width and height are set using the respective setHeight and setWidth functions.

  • Line 13–15: If any errors occur during the image picking process, the catch block is executed, and the error is logged to the console.

Image from camera

We will use the openPicker method provided by the library. It also requires an options object and a callback function as parameters.

const handleCameraPicker = () => {
  ImagePicker.openCamera({
    width,
    height,
    cropping: true,
  })
  .then((image) => {
    setSelectedImage(image.path);
    setHeight(height);
    setWidth(width);
  })
  .catch((error) => {
  console.log(error);
  });
};

Code explanation

Here is the line by line explanation of the code above:

  • Line 1: The handleCameraPicker function is defined to handle the image picking process from the camera.

  • Line 2: The ImagePicker.openCamera method is called, which opens the camera for image capture.

  • Line 3–5: The openCamera method takes an object with parameters such as width, height, and cropping to specify the desired image dimensions and whether cropping should be enabled.

  • Lines 7–11: Once an image is captured, the promise returned by openCamera is resolved, and the then block is executed. In the then block, the captured image's path is stored using the setSelectedImage function, and the specified width and height are set using the respective setHeight and setWidth functions.

  • Lines 12–14: If any errors occur during the image picking process, the catch block is executed, and the error is logged to the console.

Image cropper

We will use the openPicker method provided by the library. It also requires an options object and a callback function as parameters.

const handleCropImage = () => {
  if (selectedImage) {
    ImagePicker.openCropper({
      path: selectedImage,
      width,
      height,
      cropping: true,
      cropperCircleOverlay: false, // Set to true if you want a circular crop
      freeStyleCropEnabled: true,
    })
    .then((image) => {
      setSelectedImage(image.path);
      setHeight(250);
      setWidth(170);
      console.log(image);
    })
    .catch((error) => {
      console.log(error);
    });
  }
};

Code explanation

Here is the line by line explanation of the code above:

  • Line 1: The handleCropImage function is defined to handle the image cropping process. It first checks if an image is selected to crop.

  • Lines 2–3: If a selectedImage is available, the ImagePicker.openCropper method is called, which opens the image crop picker with the specified parameters.

  • Line 4: The path parameter is set to the selectedImage path, indicating the image to be cropped.

  • Lines 5–6: The width and height parameters define the desired dimensions of the cropped image.

  • Line 7: The cropping parameter is set to true, enabling the cropping functionality.

  • Line 8: The cropperCircleOverlay parameter is set to false, indicating that the crop overlay should be rectangular (set to true for a circular crop).

  • Line 9: The freeStyleCropEnabled parameter is set to true, allowing the user to freely adjust the crop area.

  • Lines 11–16: Once the image is cropped, the promise returned by openCropper is resolved, and the then block is executed. In the then block, the path of the cropped image is stored using the setSelectedImage function, and the height and width values are updated accordingly.

  • Lines 17–19: If any errors occur during the cropping process, the catch block is executed, and the error is logged to the console.

Step 5: Trigger the image crop picker

To trigger the image crop picker, call the handler functions created in the previous step. You can attach them to a button onPress event or any other user interaction in your app’s UIUser interface. Here’s an example using buttons:

<Button title="Choose from Library" onPress={handleImagePicker} />
<Button title="Take a Photo" onPress={handleCameraPicker} />
{selectedImage && <Button title="Crop Image" onPress={handleCropImage} />}

When the user taps the buttons, the respective image crop picker will open, allowing them to choose an image from the photo library or take a new photo with the camera. The selected image will be cropped based on the specified dimensions, and you can further process the cropped image path as needed in your application.

Example app

Here is a React Native app that allows users to pick cropped images from a gallery or crop after directly capturing using a camera:

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { View, Button, Image, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';
import ImagePicker from 'react-native-image-crop-picker';

const App = () => {
  const [selectedImage, setSelectedImage] = useState(null);
  const [width, setWidth] = useState(350);
  const [height, setHeight] = useState(500);

  const handleImagePicker = () => {
    ImagePicker.openPicker({
      width,
      height,
      cropping: true,
    })
      .then((image) => {
        setSelectedImage(image.path);
        setHeight(height);
        setWidth(width);
        console.log(image);
      })
      .catch((error) => {
        console.log(error);
      });
  };

  const handleCameraPicker = () => {
    ImagePicker.openCamera({
      width,
      height,
      cropping: true,
    })
      .then((image) => {
        setSelectedImage(image.path);
        setHeight(height);
        setWidth(width);
      })
      .catch((error) => {
        console.log(error);
      });
  };

  const handleCropImage = () => {
    if (selectedImage) {
      ImagePicker.openCropper({
        path: selectedImage,
        width,
        height,
        cropping: true,
        cropperCircleOverlay: false, // Set to true if you want a circular crop
        freeStyleCropEnabled: true,
      })
        .then((image) => {
          setSelectedImage(image.path);
          setHeight(250);
          setWidth(170);
          console.log(image);
        })
        .catch((error) => {
          console.log(error);
        });
    }
  };

  return (
    <View style={{ flex: 1, justifyContent: 'center', alignItems:'center' }}>
        {selectedImage && (<Image source={{ uri: selectedImage }} style={{width: width, height: height, marginVertical: 20}} />
      )}
      <View style={{ marginTop: 20 }}>
      <Button title="Choose from Gallery" onPress={handleImagePicker} />
      </View>
      <View style={{ marginTop: 20 }}>
      <Button title="Take a Photo" onPress={handleCameraPicker} />
      </View>
      <View style={{ marginTop: 20,marginBottom: 50 }}>    
      {selectedImage && <Button title="Crop Image" onPress={handleCropImage} />}
      </View>
    </View>
  );
};


export default App;

Here is what the app looks like:

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