drawing application for iOS performance issue

Question

I'm creating drawing application for iOS. To draw something with a touch I used a code from this tutorial: http://www.raywenderlich.com/18840/how-to-make-a-simple-drawing-app-with-uikit

My code that I use for drawing is the following:

- (void)touchesBegan:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event {

    mouseSwiped = NO;
    UITouch *touch = [touches anyObject];
    lastPoint = [touch locationInView:self.view];
}

- (void)touchesMoved:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event {

    mouseSwiped = YES;
    UITouch *touch = [touches anyObject];
    CGPoint currentPoint = [touch locationInView:self.view];

    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(self.view.frame.size);
    [self.tempDrawImage.image drawInRect:CGRectMake(0, 0, self.view.frame.size.width, self.view.frame.size.height)];
    CGContextMoveToPoint(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), lastPoint.x, lastPoint.y);
    CGContextAddLineToPoint(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), currentPoint.x, currentPoint.y);
    CGContextSetLineCap(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), kCGLineCapRound);
    CGContextSetLineWidth(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), brush );
    CGContextSetRGBStrokeColor(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), red, green, blue, 1.0);
    CGContextSetBlendMode(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(),kCGBlendModeNormal);

    CGContextStrokePath(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext());
    self.tempDrawImage.image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
    [self.tempDrawImage setAlpha:opacity];
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

    lastPoint = currentPoint;

    NSLog(@"Moved");
}

- (void)touchesEnded:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event {

    if(!mouseSwiped) {
        UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(self.view.frame.size);
        [self.tempDrawImage.image drawInRect:CGRectMake(0, 0, self.view.frame.size.width, self.view.frame.size.height)];
        CGContextSetLineCap(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), kCGLineCapRound);
        CGContextSetLineWidth(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), brush);
        CGContextSetRGBStrokeColor(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), red, green, blue, opacity);
        CGContextMoveToPoint(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), lastPoint.x, lastPoint.y);
        CGContextAddLineToPoint(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), lastPoint.x, lastPoint.y);
        CGContextStrokePath(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext());
        CGContextFlush(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext());
        self.tempDrawImage.image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
        UIGraphicsEndImageContext();
    }

    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(self.mainImage.frame.size);
    [self.mainImage.image drawInRect:CGRectMake(0, 0, self.view.frame.size.width, self.view.frame.size.height) blendMode:kCGBlendModeNormal alpha:1.0];
    [self.tempDrawImage.image drawInRect:CGRectMake(0, 0, self.view.frame.size.width, self.view.frame.size.height) blendMode:kCGBlendModeNormal alpha:opacity];
    self.mainImage.image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
    self.tempDrawImage.image = nil;
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();
}

My problem is the following: this code works good on simulator and on my iPhone 5, but when I run it on my iPad 2, it's not working good. I mean when the touch is moved it gets drawn on the screen only each 3 seconds or something like this (it's not continous). Moreover when I keep moving my finger without lifting my finger app crashes after sometime.

I guess it's a performance issue. But why? Do you have any idea how can I fix it?

Answer 1

The problem is that you keep calling [self.tempDrawImage.image drawInRect:]. This call renders an image on the CPU and is extremely slow. You're unnecessarily beginning and ending the image context. Use this code instead, I tested it on an iPad 2 and it works smoothly.

- (void)touchesBegan:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event {

    mouseSwiped = NO;
    UITouch *touch = [touches anyObject];
    lastPoint = [touch locationInView:self.view];

    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(self.view.frame.size);
}

- (void)touchesMoved:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event {

    mouseSwiped = YES;
    UITouch *touch = [touches anyObject];
    CGPoint currentPoint = [touch locationInView:self.view];

    CGContextRef ctxt = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();
    CGContextMoveToPoint(ctxt, lastPoint.x, lastPoint.y);
    CGContextAddLineToPoint(ctxt, currentPoint.x, currentPoint.y);
    CGContextSetLineCap(ctxt, kCGLineCapRound);
    CGContextSetLineWidth(ctxt, brush );
    CGContextSetRGBStrokeColor(ctxt, red, green, blue, 1.0);
    CGContextSetBlendMode(ctxt,kCGBlendModeNormal);

    CGContextStrokePath(ctxt);
    self.tempDrawImage.image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
    [self.tempDrawImage setAlpha:opacity];

    lastPoint = currentPoint;
}

- (void)touchesCancelled:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event
{
    [super touchesCancelled:touches withEvent:event];

    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

    if(!mouseSwiped)
    {
        self.tempDrawImage.image = nil;
    }
}

- (void)touchesEnded:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event {

    if(!mouseSwiped) {
        UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

        UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(self.view.frame.size);
        [self.tempDrawImage.image drawInRect:CGRectMake(0, 0, self.view.frame.size.width, self.view.frame.size.height)];
        CGContextSetLineCap(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), kCGLineCapRound);
        CGContextSetLineWidth(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), brush);
        CGContextSetRGBStrokeColor(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), red, green, blue, opacity);
        CGContextMoveToPoint(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), lastPoint.x, lastPoint.y);
        CGContextAddLineToPoint(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext(), lastPoint.x, lastPoint.y);
        CGContextStrokePath(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext());
        CGContextFlush(UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext());
        self.tempDrawImage.image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
        UIGraphicsEndImageContext();
    }

    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(self.mainImage.frame.size);
    [self.mainImage.image drawInRect:CGRectMake(0, 0, self.view.frame.size.width, self.view.frame.size.height) blendMode:kCGBlendModeNormal alpha:1.0];
    [self.tempDrawImage.image drawInRect:CGRectMake(0, 0, self.view.frame.size.width, self.view.frame.size.height) blendMode:kCGBlendModeNormal alpha:opacity];
    self.mainImage.image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
    self.tempDrawImage.image = nil;
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();
}

Answer 2

yes, but with this you will have a memory problem ... memory warning and crash.

if you want to try, draw between 50 and 150 lines, you can see how it causes memory problems.

if you want to fix this, in the method touchesEnded change it to this :

- (void)touchesEnded:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event {




UIGraphicsEndImageContext();        //<----this is correct 
if(!mouseSwiped) {

    //UIGraphicsEndImageContext();  <--- this is the issue 

and then works perfect !!