pygrabber
Module for grabbing live video images using DirectShow
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are on Windows and need straightforward camera access without heavy dependencies. The low install friction and permissive license are advantages. However, the dormant maintenance status (last update 2023-10-20) means no active support; install only if you can tolerate unfixed bugs or are confident the package meets your needs as-is.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Windows-only; requires DirectShow support and comtypes + numpy at runtime.
- Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel.
- Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2023-10-20 and last commit 2024-08-30—so expect no active bug fixes or feature updates.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package with minimal restrictions, provided you retain the license notice.
last release 2023-10-20 (1029 days) · last repo commit 2024-08-30 · 70 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 76,984 downloads/mo, #14,566 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install pygrabber
from pygrabber.dshow_graph import FilterGraph
graph = FilterGraph()
print(graph.get_input_devices())- Whether the package works reliably with modern Windows versions and camera drivers.
- Python version compatibility (requires_python is unspecified in the fact sheet).
- Whether dormant status means critical bugs are unfixed or if the package is simply stable.
What it is and what it does
pygrabber is a Python wrapper around DirectShow that lets you work with video cameras on Windows. It provides a FilterGraph class that abstracts DirectShow's filter-based architecture, allowing you to enumerate connected cameras, capture individual frames or video streams, and apply camera settings—all from Python code.
The package is designed for straightforward camera integration tasks: listing available devices, grabbing frames on demand or in a loop, and saving output to files. It depends on comtypes (for COM interop with DirectShow) and numpy (likely for frame data handling). Because it wraps a Windows-specific multimedia API, it is not cross-platform.
Use it for
- List all USB or built-in cameras connected to a Windows PC and select one for capture.
- Capture still frames from a camera at regular intervals and save them as image files.
- Stream live video from a camera to a window on screen using DirectShow's rendering pipeline.
- Build a simple GUI application that lets users preview, capture, or record from a camera.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are on Windows and need straightforward camera access without heavy dependencies.
The low install friction and permissive license are advantages. However, the dormant maintenance status (last update 2023-10-20) means no active support; install only if you can tolerate unfixed bugs or are confident the package meets your needs as-is.
Install
pygrabber on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2023-10-20 and last commit 2024-08-30—so expect no active bug fixes or feature updates.
Windows-only; requires DirectShow support and comtypes + numpy at runtime.
License in practice
MIT license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package with minimal restrictions, provided you retain the license notice.
Quickstart
pip install pygrabber
from pygrabber.dshow_graph import FilterGraph
graph = FilterGraph()
print(graph.get_input_devices())Verify before relying
- Whether the package works reliably with modern Windows versions and camera drivers.
- Python version compatibility (requires_python is unspecified in the fact sheet).
- Whether dormant status means critical bugs are unfixed or if the package is simply stable.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagescomtypesnumpy |
| Maintenance | Dormant 1,029 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 76,984 / month, #14,566 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
Evidence: pygrabber-0.2-py3-none-any.whl
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