How to set all the backgrounds transparent so that the home screen could be seen?

Question

I was thinking about this problem for several days:

How to set all the backgrounds to transparent in an app so that the iOS desktop and icons could be seen? Is there any method which could help to meet the demand? (I still don't have the authority to sample image.)

I have tried some methods. I regard the whole iOS system as a big app. When we open an app on the desktop, it becomes an upper "view controller" which would cover on the desktop.

With this thought, I set the instance variable-Window, in AppDelegate class, and root view controller's background color to be clear. However, there is still a black background!.

Anyone could help? Maybe you yet haven't met this problem, but please think for seconds and provide me for some ideas.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

This is a solution that you can see in the vidios of the WWDC. You have to do a Gaussian Blur, so the first thing you have to do is to add a new .m and .h file with the code i'm writing here, then you have to make and screen shoot, use the desired effect and add it to your view, then your UITable UIView or what ever has to be transparent, you can play with applyBlurWithRadius, to archive the desired effect, this call works with any UIImage.

At the end the blured image will be the background and the rest of the controls above has to be transparent.

For this to work you have to add the next libraries:

Acelerate.framework,UIKit.framework,CoreGraphics.framework

I hope you like it.

Happy coding.

    //Screen capture.
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(self.view.bounds.size);

    CGContextRef c = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();
    CGContextTranslateCTM(c, 0, 0);
    [self.view.layer renderInContext:c];

    UIImage* viewImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
    viewImage = [viewImage applyLightEffect];

    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

    //.h FILE
    #import <UIKit/UIKit.h>

    @interface UIImage (ImageEffects)

   - (UIImage *)applyLightEffect;
   - (UIImage *)applyExtraLightEffect;
   - (UIImage *)applyDarkEffect;
   - (UIImage *)applyTintEffectWithColor:(UIColor *)tintColor;

   - (UIImage *)applyBlurWithRadius:(CGFloat)blurRadius tintColor:(UIColor *)tintColor saturationDeltaFactor:(CGFloat)saturationDeltaFactor maskImage:(UIImage *)maskImage;

   @end

    //.m FILE
    #import "cGaussianEffect.h"
    #import <Accelerate/Accelerate.h>
    #import <float.h>


     @implementation UIImage (ImageEffects)


    - (UIImage *)applyLightEffect
    {
        UIColor *tintColor = [UIColor colorWithWhite:1.0 alpha:0.3];
        return [self applyBlurWithRadius:1 tintColor:tintColor saturationDeltaFactor:1.8 maskImage:nil];
    }


    - (UIImage *)applyExtraLightEffect
    {
        UIColor *tintColor = [UIColor colorWithWhite:0.97 alpha:0.82];
        return [self applyBlurWithRadius:1 tintColor:tintColor saturationDeltaFactor:1.8 maskImage:nil];
    }


    - (UIImage *)applyDarkEffect
    {
        UIColor *tintColor = [UIColor colorWithWhite:0.11 alpha:0.73];
        return [self applyBlurWithRadius:1 tintColor:tintColor saturationDeltaFactor:1.8 maskImage:nil];
    }


    - (UIImage *)applyTintEffectWithColor:(UIColor *)tintColor
    {
        const CGFloat EffectColorAlpha = 0.6;
        UIColor *effectColor = tintColor;
        int componentCount = CGColorGetNumberOfComponents(tintColor.CGColor);
        if (componentCount == 2) {
            CGFloat b;
            if ([tintColor getWhite:&b alpha:NULL]) {
                effectColor = [UIColor colorWithWhite:b alpha:EffectColorAlpha];
            }
        }
        else {
            CGFloat r, g, b;
            if ([tintColor getRed:&r green:&g blue:&b alpha:NULL]) {
                effectColor = [UIColor colorWithRed:r green:g blue:b alpha:EffectColorAlpha];
            }
        }
        return [self applyBlurWithRadius:10 tintColor:effectColor saturationDeltaFactor:-1.0 maskImage:nil];
    }


    - (UIImage *)applyBlurWithRadius:(CGFloat)blurRadius tintColor:(UIColor *)tintColor saturationDeltaFactor:(CGFloat)saturationDeltaFactor maskImage:(UIImage *)maskImage
    {
        if (self.size.width < 1 || self.size.height < 1) {
            NSLog (@"*** error: invalid size: (%.2f x %.2f). Both dimensions must be >= 1: %@", self.size.width, self.size.height, self);
            return nil;
        }
        if (!self.CGImage) {
            NSLog (@"*** error: image must be backed by a CGImage: %@", self);
            return nil;
        }
        if (maskImage && !maskImage.CGImage) {
            NSLog (@"*** error: maskImage must be backed by a CGImage: %@", maskImage);
            return nil;
        }

        CGRect imageRect = { CGPointZero, self.size };
        UIImage *effectImage = self;

        BOOL hasBlur = blurRadius > __FLT_EPSILON__;
        BOOL hasSaturationChange = fabs(saturationDeltaFactor - 1.) > __FLT_EPSILON__;
        if (hasBlur || hasSaturationChange) {
            UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(self.size, NO, [[UIScreen mainScreen] scale]);
            CGContextRef effectInContext = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();
            CGContextScaleCTM(effectInContext, 1.0, -1.0);
            CGContextTranslateCTM(effectInContext, 0, -self.size.height);
            CGContextDrawImage(effectInContext, imageRect, self.CGImage);

            vImage_Buffer effectInBuffer;
            effectInBuffer.data     = CGBitmapContextGetData(effectInContext);
            effectInBuffer.width    = CGBitmapContextGetWidth(effectInContext);
            effectInBuffer.height   = CGBitmapContextGetHeight(effectInContext);
            effectInBuffer.rowBytes = CGBitmapContextGetBytesPerRow(effectInContext);

            UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(self.size, NO, [[UIScreen mainScreen] scale]);
            CGContextRef effectOutContext = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();
            vImage_Buffer effectOutBuffer;
            effectOutBuffer.data     = CGBitmapContextGetData(effectOutContext);
            effectOutBuffer.width    = CGBitmapContextGetWidth(effectOutContext);
            effectOutBuffer.height   = CGBitmapContextGetHeight(effectOutContext);
            effectOutBuffer.rowBytes = CGBitmapContextGetBytesPerRow(effectOutContext);

            if (hasBlur) {
                CGFloat inputRadius = blurRadius * [[UIScreen mainScreen] scale];
                NSUInteger radius = floor(inputRadius * 3. * sqrt(2 * M_PI) / 4 + 0.5);
                if (radius % 2 != 1) {
                    radius += 1;
                }
                vImageBoxConvolve_ARGB8888(&effectInBuffer, &effectOutBuffer, NULL, 0, 0, radius, radius, 0, kvImageEdgeExtend);
                vImageBoxConvolve_ARGB8888(&effectOutBuffer, &effectInBuffer, NULL, 0, 0, radius, radius, 0, kvImageEdgeExtend);
                vImageBoxConvolve_ARGB8888(&effectInBuffer, &effectOutBuffer, NULL, 0, 0, radius, radius, 0, kvImageEdgeExtend);
            }
            BOOL effectImageBuffersAreSwapped = NO;
            if (hasSaturationChange) {
                CGFloat s = saturationDeltaFactor;
                CGFloat floatingPointSaturationMatrix[] = {
                    0.0722 + 0.9278 * s,  0.0722 - 0.0722 * s,  0.0722 - 0.0722 * s,  0,
                    0.7152 - 0.7152 * s,  0.7152 + 0.2848 * s,  0.7152 - 0.7152 * s,  0,
                    0.2126 - 0.2126 * s,  0.2126 - 0.2126 * s,  0.2126 + 0.7873 * s,  0,
                                  0,                    0,                    0,  1,
                };
                const int32_t divisor = 256;
                NSUInteger matrixSize = sizeof(floatingPointSaturationMatrix)/sizeof(floatingPointSaturationMatrix[0]);
                int16_t saturationMatrix[matrixSize];
                for (NSUInteger i = 0; i < matrixSize; ++i) {
                    saturationMatrix[i] = (int16_t)roundf(floatingPointSaturationMatrix[i] * divisor);
                }
                if (hasBlur) {
                    vImageMatrixMultiply_ARGB8888(&effectOutBuffer, &effectInBuffer, saturationMatrix, divisor, NULL, NULL, kvImageNoFlags);
                    effectImageBuffersAreSwapped = YES;
                }
                else {
                    vImageMatrixMultiply_ARGB8888(&effectInBuffer, &effectOutBuffer, saturationMatrix, divisor, NULL, NULL, kvImageNoFlags);
                }
            }
            if (!effectImageBuffersAreSwapped)
                effectImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
            UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

            if (effectImageBuffersAreSwapped)
                effectImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
            UIGraphicsEndImageContext();
        }

        UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(self.size, NO, [[UIScreen mainScreen] scale]);
        CGContextRef outputContext = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();
        CGContextScaleCTM(outputContext, 1.0, -1.0);
        CGContextTranslateCTM(outputContext, 0, -self.size.height);

        CGContextDrawImage(outputContext, imageRect, self.CGImage);

        if (hasBlur) {
            CGContextSaveGState(outputContext);
            if (maskImage) {
                CGContextClipToMask(outputContext, imageRect, maskImage.CGImage);
            }
            CGContextDrawImage(outputContext, imageRect, effectImage.CGImage);
            CGContextRestoreGState(outputContext);
        }

        if (tintColor) {
            CGContextSaveGState(outputContext);
            CGContextSetFillColorWithColor(outputContext, tintColor.CGColor);
            CGContextFillRect(outputContext, imageRect);
            CGContextRestoreGState(outputContext);
        }

        UIImage *outputImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
        UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

        return outputImage;
    }

Answer 2

no, its not possible to do that. If you try to set the clear color for all the view components including UIWindow you will get black color as you are getting.