Screen Capture Quick Reference

Switch Capture Provider

Method 1: Properties File ✅ (Recommended)

# application.properties
# Default is already JAVACV_FFMPEG, but you can change it:
brobot.capture.provider=JAVACV_FFMPEG  # Default (or SIKULIX, ROBOT, FFMPEG, AUTO)

# DPI manual scaling (default is 1.0, or use 'auto' for auto-detection):
brobot.dpi.resize-factor=1.0

Method 2: Command Line

java -Dbrobot.capture.provider=FFMPEG -jar myapp.jar

Method 3: Runtime Code

@Autowired
private CaptureConfiguration config;

config.useRobot();    // Switch to Robot
config.useFFmpeg();   // Switch to FFmpeg (JavaCV)
config.useSikuliX();  // Switch to SikuliX

Provider Comparison

Provider	Dependencies	Resolution	Performance	Setup	Default
JAVACV_FFMPEG	JavaCV (included)	Physical	Good	None	✅ Yes
SikuliX	SikuliX (included)	Java 21: Logical / Java 8: Physical	Good	None	No
Robot	None	Configurable (Physical or Logical)	Fast	Configure scaling	No
FFMPEG	External FFmpeg	Physical	Good	Install FFmpeg	No

*Robot captures at logical resolution by default, physical when scale-to-physical=true SikuliX resolution depends on Java version (21: logical, 8: physical) JAVACV_FFMPEG uses bundled JavaCV library for native capture

Essential Properties

# Choose provider (JAVACV_FFMPEG is default, or SIKULIX, ROBOT, FFMPEG, AUTO)
brobot.capture.provider=JAVACV_FFMPEG

# DPI scaling (default is 1.0 - no scaling, or use 'auto' for auto-detection)
brobot.dpi.resize-factor=1.0

# Robot: Enable physical resolution scaling
brobot.capture.robot.scale-to-physical=true
brobot.capture.robot.expected-physical-width=1920
brobot.capture.robot.expected-physical-height=1080

# FFmpeg: Configure capture (uses JavaCV)
brobot.capture.ffmpeg.timeout=5
brobot.capture.ffmpeg.format=png

# General: Enable retry and fallback
brobot.capture.auto-retry=true
brobot.capture.retry-count=3
brobot.capture.fallback-enabled=true

Usage Examples

Prerequisites: All examples assume a Spring Boot application with Brobot dependencies. Add these imports to your class:

import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Component;
import io.github.jspinak.brobot.capture.*;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.IOException;

For complete runnable examples with full class context, see the Modular Capture System Guide.

Basic Capture

@Autowired
private UnifiedCaptureService capture;

// Same code works with ANY provider!
BufferedImage screen = capture.captureScreen();
BufferedImage region = capture.captureRegion(new Rectangle(100, 100, 400, 300));

Check Configuration

@Autowired
private CaptureConfiguration config;

// Current provider
String provider = config.getCurrentProvider();

// Physical resolution?
boolean physical = config.isCapturingPhysicalResolution();

// Print full report
config.printConfigurationReport();

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Development Machine

# Use default JAVACV_FFMPEG for reliable physical resolution capture
# (No configuration needed - these are defaults)
brobot.capture.provider=JAVACV_FFMPEG
brobot.dpi.resize-factor=1.0

Scenario 2: CI/CD Pipeline

# Auto-select best available
brobot.capture.provider=AUTO
brobot.capture.fallback-enabled=true

Scenario 3: Production Server

# Use JAVACV_FFMPEG for reliability (no external dependencies)
brobot.capture.provider=JAVACV_FFMPEG
brobot.capture.retry-count=5

Scenario 4: Windows with DPI Scaling

# Robot with scaling compensation
brobot.capture.provider=ROBOT
brobot.capture.robot.scale-to-physical=true
brobot.capture.robot.expected-physical-width=1920

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Wrong resolution (1536x864)	Enable Robot scaling: brobot.capture.robot.scale-to-physical=true
Provider not available	Switch to ROBOT: brobot.capture.provider=ROBOT
Intermittent failures	Enable retry: brobot.capture.auto-retry=true
Need to debug	Enable logging: brobot.capture.enable-logging=true

Decision Tree

Which provider should I use?

┌─ Need reliable physical resolution capture?
│  └─ Yes → JAVACV_FFMPEG (default, bundled JavaCV)
│  └─ No ↓
│
├─ Need fastest performance?
│  └─ Yes → Robot (with manual DPI configuration)
│  └─ No ↓
│
├─ Using Java 8 and need backward compatibility?
│  └─ Yes → SikuliX (physical on Java 8)
│  └─ No ↓
│
├─ Have external FFmpeg installed?
│  └─ Yes → FFMPEG (external FFmpeg binary)
│  └─ No ↓
│
└─ Unsure? → Stay with JAVACV_FFMPEG (default)

Key Points

✅ No code changes needed when switching providers ✅ JAVACV_FFMPEG bundled (JavaCV included in Brobot) ✅ Physical resolution by default for accurate pattern matching ✅ Properties control everything ✅ Automatic fallback for robustness

Default Setup

No configuration needed! Brobot defaults to:

# These are already set in brobot-defaults.properties:
brobot.capture.provider=JAVACV_FFMPEG
brobot.dpi.resize-factor=1.0

Your application automatically uses JAVACV_FFMPEG with physical resolution capture for optimal pattern matching accuracy.

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Related Documentation

Core Capture Documentation

• DPI and Resolution Guide - Comprehensive guide to handling DPI scaling and resolution issues
• Capture Methods Comparison - Detailed performance study comparing all capture providers
• Modular Capture System Guide - Complete examples with class context and imports

Configuration

• Configuration Properties Reference - Complete reference for all Brobot configuration properties
• Configuration Note - Configuration best practices

Testing & Deployment

• CI/CD Testing Guide - Testing Brobot applications in CI/CD pipelines
• Mock Mode Guide - Testing without GUI using mock mode

Technical Deep Dives

Troubleshooting

• Action Config Troubleshooting - Debugging action chains and configuration issues