Apple's VTFrameProcessor API for Real-Time Video Effects with Swift

Apple’s new VTFrameProcessor API, introduced in iOS 26 and macOS 15.4, brings a revolutionary way to apply AI-powered video effects in real time. Whether you're developing a mobile video editor, a smart camera app, or a video calling solution — this API gives you tools to deliver cinematic quality, super resolution, motion blur, and frame interpolation directly on Apple Silicon devices.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

  • What is VTFrameProcessor and why it's important
  • How to apply frame rate conversion using Swift
  • How to simulate motion blur for cinematic effects
  • Step-by-step Swift code to use the new API
  • Best practices for performance and low latency

🎯 What is VTFrameProcessor?

VTFrameProcessor is a powerful Apple framework that allows developers to process video frames with ML-based enhancements. You can now build real-time or offline tools that intelligently:

  • Smooth frame rates (ideal for slow motion or video restoration)
  • Enhance low-quality video resolution
  • Add realistic motion blur
  • Denoise video intelligently
  • Improve real-time video call quality

Best of all, it’s hardware-accelerated on Apple Silicon, ensuring high performance without draining battery or CPU cycles.

🎥 Frame Rate Conversion with VTFrameProcessor (Smooth or Slow Motion)

Let’s walk through a real-world example: converting a video into smoother playback or generating slow-motion using frame interpolation.

Step 1: Create the Processing Session

let processor = VTFrameProcessor()

guard let configuration = VTFrameRateConversionConfiguration(
    frameWidth: width,
    frameHeight: height,
    usePrecomputedFlow: false,
    qualityPrioritization: .normal,
    revision: .revision1
) else {
    throw Fault.failedToCreateFRCConfiguration
}
try processor.startSession(configuration: configuration)

Step 2: Prepare Frames and Interpolation Plan

let sourceFrame = VTFrameProcessorFrame(buffer: curPixelBuffer, presentationTimeStamp: sourcePTS)
let nextFrame = VTFrameProcessorFrame(buffer: nextPixelBuffer, presentationTimeStamp: nextPTS)

// Define interpolation points (e.g., 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 = 4x slow-mo)
let interpolationPhase: [Float] = [0.25, 0.5, 0.75]
let destinationFrames = try framesBetween(
    firstPTS: sourcePTS,
    lastPTS: nextPTS,
    interpolationIntervals: interpolationPhase
)

Step 3: Submit for Processing

guard let parameters = VTFrameRateConversionParameters(
    sourceFrame: sourceFrame,
    nextFrame: nextFrame,
    opticalFlow: nil,
    interpolationPhase: interpolationPhase,
    submissionMode: .sequential,
    destinationFrames: destinationFrames
) else {
    throw Fault.failedToCreateFRCParameters
}

try await processor.process(parameters: parameters)

🔍 Optional: You can use precomputed optical flow for faster performance in real-time apps.

🎞 Add Cinematic Motion Blur to Your Video in Swift

Let’s now simulate realistic motion blur — useful for sports, action footage, or timelapse effects.

Step 1: Define Input and Output

let sourceFrame = VTFrameProcessorFrame(buffer: curPixelBuffer, presentationTimeStamp: sourcePTS)
let nextFrame = VTFrameProcessorFrame(buffer: nextPixelBuffer, presentationTimeStamp: nextPTS)
let previousFrame = VTFrameProcessorFrame(buffer: prevPixelBuffer, presentationTimeStamp: prevPTS)
let destinationFrame = VTFrameProcessorFrame(buffer: destPixelBuffer, presentationTimeStamp: sourcePTS)

Step 2: Configure the Blur Effect

guard let parameters = VTMotionBlurParameters(
    sourceFrame: sourceFrame,
    nextFrame: nextFrame,
    previousFrame: previousFrame,
    nextOpticalFlow: nil,
    previousOpticalFlow: nil,
    motionBlurStrength: 70, // Value between 1 and 100
    submissionMode: .sequential,
    destinationFrame: destinationFrame
) else {
    throw Fault.failedToCreateMotionBlurParameters
}

try await processor.process(parameters: parameters)

💡 If you’re processing the first or last frame in a sequence, you can pass nilfor previousFrame or nextFrame.

⚙️ Best Practices for Real-Time Processing

  • Use CVPixelBufferPool to reduce memory churn.
  • For video calls or live streams, use low-latency configurations.
  • Precompute optical flow where possible to improve frame rate.
  • All effects are Apple Silicon-only, so test on real devices (M1, M2, M3, A17 Pro, etc.)

📱 Devices and OS Requirements

To use VTFrameProcessor, you must run on:

  • ✅ iOS 26 or later
  • ✅ macOS 15.4 or later
  • ✅ Apple Silicon hardware (not supported on Intel Macs)

✅ Final Thoughts

Apple’s VTFrameProcessor API is a game-changer for real-time video processing. With only a few lines of Swift code, you can apply machine-learning effects that used to require offline processing or external tools. Whether you’re building for casual users or prosumers, VTFrameProcessor puts AI video magic at your fingertips.

Swift
IOS
Apple
Swiftui
Mobile App Development

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