Flutter Packages Weekly #11: photo_view

3 min readJul 12, 2024

“Enhance Your Image Viewing Experience in Flutter Apps”

Welcome to another exciting installment of Flutter Packages Weekly! In this edition, we’re zooming in on the photo_view package, a versatile tool that revolutionizes the way you display images in your Flutter applications. If you're looking to provide users with an immersive and interactive image viewing experience, photo_view is your go-to solution. Let's dive into why this package is a must-have and how you can leverage its capabilities to elevate your app's visual storytelling.

Why Use photo_view?

Interactive Zoom: Enable users to pinch-to-zoom, double-tap to zoom, and pan around high-resolution images effortlessly.
Smooth Transitions: Seamlessly transition between image previews and full-screen views with smooth animations.
Customizable Gestures: Fine-tune the gesture behavior to match your app’s specific requirements.
Hero Animations: Create visually stunning transitions using Hero animations to seamlessly animate images between screens.
Image Loading: Easily load images from various sources, including assets, network URLs, and files.
Optimized Performance: photo_view is designed for performance, ensuring a smooth and responsive image viewing experience.

Key Features & How to Use Them

photo_view offers a range of features to create engaging image interactions:

PhotoView: The core widget for displaying zoomable and pannable images.
PhotoViewController: A controller for programmatically manipulating the zoom and pan state of the image.
PhotoViewGallery: A widget for displaying a gallery of zoomable images.
Customizable Widgets: Easily customize the appearance and behavior of various UI elements, such as the loading indicator and error widget.
Gesture Detection: Control how users interact with the image through customizable gesture options.

Installation Guide

Get started with photo_view by adding it to your pubspec.yaml file:

dependencies:
  photo_view: ^latest

Example: Zoomable Image

PhotoView(
  imageProvider: AssetImage('assets/image.jpg'),
  minScale: PhotoViewComputedScale.contained * 0.8,
  maxScale: PhotoViewComputedScale.covered * 1.8,
  initialScale: PhotoViewComputedScale.contained,
  heroAttributes: PhotoViewHeroAttributes(tag: 'image_hero_tag'),
);

Example: Image Gallery

PhotoViewGallery.builder(
  scrollPhysics: const BouncingScrollPhysics(),
  builder: (BuildContext context, int index) {
    return PhotoViewGalleryPageOptions(
      imageProvider: NetworkImage(galleryItems[index].image),
      initialScale: PhotoViewComputedScale.contained,
      heroAttributes: PhotoViewHeroAttributes(tag: galleryItems[index].id),
    );
  },
  itemCount: galleryItems.length,
  loadingBuilder: (context, event) => Center(
    child: Container(
      width: 20.0,
      height: 20.0,
      child: CircularProgressIndicator(),
    ),
  ),
);

More Examples:

Conclusion

In the world of Flutter development, captivating visuals are essential for creating memorable user experiences. The photo_view package empowers you to take image display to the next level, offering interactive zoom, smooth transitions, and customizable gestures. Whether you're building a photo gallery, a product showcase, or any app that features images, photo_view is a valuable asset that will enhance your app's visual storytelling.

Stay tuned for more exciting package explorations in our Flutter Packages Weekly series!