Creating AVComposition with a Blurry Background in iOS

I'm not really sure how to go about asking this question, I would appreciate any helpful feedback on improving this question, I would've preferred to not post a question, but I've had this issue for several weeks now and I have not been able to solve it. I will probably post a bounty when I am eligible to do so. I am trying to make a function that accepts a video URL as input (local video), in turn this function tries to create a video with a blurry background, with the original video at its center and scaled down. My issue is that my code is working fine, aside from when I use videos that are directly recorded from the iPhone camera.

An example of what I am trying to achieve is the following (Taken from my code):

The input video here is an mp4. I have been able to make the code work as well with mov files that I've downloaded online. But when I use mov files recorded from the iOS camera, I end up with the following:

(How can i post pictures that take less space in the question?)

Now, the reason I am not sure how to ask this question is because there is a fair amount of code in the process and I haven't been able to fully narrow down the question but I believe it is in the function that I will paste below. I will also post a link to a github repository, where a barebones version of my project has been posted for anyone curious or willing to help. I must confess that the code I am using was originally written by a StackOverflow user named TheTiger on the following question: AVFoundation - Adding blur background to video . I've refactored segments of this, and with their permission, was allowed to post the question here.

My github repo is linked here: GITHUB REPO My demo is set up with 3 different videos, an mp4 downloaded from the web (working), an mov downloaded from the web (Working) and an mov I've recorded on my phone (not working)

The code I imagine is causing the issue is here:

fileprivate func addAllVideosAtCenterOfBlur(asset: AVURLAsset, blurVideo: AVURLAsset, scale: CGFloat, completion: @escaping BlurredBackgroundManagerCompletion) {

    let mixComposition = AVMutableComposition()

    var instructionLayers : Array<AVMutableVideoCompositionLayerInstruction> = []

    let blurVideoTrack = mixComposition.addMutableTrack(withMediaType: AVMediaType.video, preferredTrackID: kCMPersistentTrackID_Invalid)

    if let videoTrack = blurVideo.tracks(withMediaType: AVMediaType.video).first {
        let timeRange = CMTimeRange(start: .zero, duration: blurVideo.duration)
        try? blurVideoTrack?.insertTimeRange(timeRange, of: videoTrack, at: .zero)
    }

    let timeRange = CMTimeRange(start: .zero, duration: asset.duration)

    let track = mixComposition.addMutableTrack(withMediaType: AVMediaType.video, preferredTrackID: kCMPersistentTrackID_Invalid)

    if let videoTrack = asset.tracks(withMediaType: AVMediaType.video).first {

        try? track?.insertTimeRange(timeRange, of: videoTrack, at: .zero)
        let layerInstruction = AVMutableVideoCompositionLayerInstruction(assetTrack: track!)

        let properties = scaleAndPositionInAspectFitMode(forTrack: videoTrack, inArea: size, scale: scale)

        let videoOrientation = videoTrack.getVideoOrientation()
        let assetSize = videoTrack.assetSize()

        let preferredTransform = getPreferredTransform(videoOrientation: videoOrientation, assetSize: assetSize, defaultTransform: asset.preferredTransform, properties: properties)

        layerInstruction.setTransform(preferredTransform, at: .zero)

        instructionLayers.append(layerInstruction)
    }

    /// Adding audio
    if let audioTrack = asset.tracks(withMediaType: AVMediaType.audio).first {
        let aTrack = mixComposition.addMutableTrack(withMediaType: AVMediaType.audio, preferredTrackID: kCMPersistentTrackID_Invalid)
        try? aTrack?.insertTimeRange(timeRange, of: audioTrack, at: .zero)
    }


    /// Blur layer instruction
    let layerInstruction = AVMutableVideoCompositionLayerInstruction(assetTrack: blurVideoTrack!)
    instructionLayers.append(layerInstruction)

    let mainInstruction = AVMutableVideoCompositionInstruction()
    mainInstruction.timeRange = timeRange
    mainInstruction.layerInstructions = instructionLayers

    let mainCompositionInst = AVMutableVideoComposition()
    mainCompositionInst.instructions = [mainInstruction]
    mainCompositionInst.frameDuration = CMTimeMake(value: 1, timescale: 30)
    mainCompositionInst.renderSize = size

    //let url = URL(fileURLWithPath: "/Users/enacteservices/Desktop/final_video.mov")
    let url = self.videoOutputUrl(filename: "finalBlurred")
    try? FileManager.default.removeItem(at: url)

    performExport(composition: mixComposition, instructions: mainCompositionInst, stage: 2, outputUrl: url) { (error) in
        if let error = error {
            completion(nil, error)
        } else {
            completion(url, nil)
        }
    }
}

The getPreferredTransform() function is also quite relevant:

fileprivate func getPreferredTransform(videoOrientation: UIImage.Orientation, assetSize: CGSize, defaultTransform: CGAffineTransform, properties: Properties) -> CGAffineTransform {
    switch videoOrientation {
    case .down:
        return handleDownOrientation(assetSize: assetSize, defaultTransform: defaultTransform, properties: properties)
    case .left:
        return handleLeftOrientation(assetSize: assetSize, defaultTransform: defaultTransform, properties: properties)
    case .right:
        return handleRightOrientation(properties: properties)
    case .up:
        return handleUpOrientation(assetSize: assetSize, defaultTransform: defaultTransform, properties: properties)
    default:
        return handleOtherCases(assetSize: assetSize, defaultTransform: defaultTransform, properties: properties)
    }
}

fileprivate func handleDownOrientation(assetSize: CGSize, defaultTransform: CGAffineTransform, properties: Properties) -> CGAffineTransform {
    let rotateTransform = CGAffineTransform(rotationAngle: -CGFloat(Double.pi/2.0))

    // Scale
    let scaleTransform = CGAffineTransform(scaleX: properties.scale.width, y: properties.scale.height)

    // Translate
    var ytranslation: CGFloat = assetSize.height
    var xtranslation: CGFloat = 0
    if properties.position.y == 0 {
        xtranslation = -(assetSize.width - ((size.width/size.height) * assetSize.height))/2.0
    }
    else {
        ytranslation = assetSize.height - (assetSize.height - ((size.height/size.width) * assetSize.width))/2.0
    }
    let translationTransform = CGAffineTransform(translationX: xtranslation, y: ytranslation)

    // Final transformation - Concatination
    let finalTransform = defaultTransform.concatenating(rotateTransform).concatenating(translationTransform).concatenating(scaleTransform)
    return finalTransform
}

fileprivate func handleLeftOrientation(assetSize: CGSize, defaultTransform: CGAffineTransform, properties: Properties) -> CGAffineTransform {

    let rotateTransform = CGAffineTransform(rotationAngle: -CGFloat(Double.pi))

    // Scale
    let scaleTransform = CGAffineTransform(scaleX: properties.scale.width, y: properties.scale.height)

    // Translate
    var ytranslation: CGFloat = assetSize.height
    var xtranslation: CGFloat = assetSize.width
    if properties.position.y == 0 {
        xtranslation = assetSize.width - (assetSize.width - ((size.width/size.height) * assetSize.height))/2.0
    } else {
        ytranslation = assetSize.height - (assetSize.height - ((size.height/size.width) * assetSize.width))/2.0
    }
    let translationTransform = CGAffineTransform(translationX: xtranslation, y: ytranslation)

    // Final transformation - Concatination
    let finalTransform = defaultTransform.concatenating(rotateTransform).concatenating(translationTransform).concatenating(scaleTransform)

    return finalTransform
}

fileprivate func handleRightOrientation(properties: Properties) -> CGAffineTransform  {
    let scaleTransform = CGAffineTransform(scaleX: properties.scale.width, y: properties.scale.height)

    // Translate
    let translationTransform = CGAffineTransform(translationX: properties.position.x, y: properties.position.y)

    let finalTransform  = scaleTransform.concatenating(translationTransform)
    return finalTransform
}

fileprivate func handleUpOrientation(assetSize: CGSize, defaultTransform: CGAffineTransform, properties: Properties) -> CGAffineTransform {

    return handleOtherCases(assetSize: assetSize, defaultTransform: defaultTransform, properties: properties)
}

fileprivate func handleOtherCases(assetSize: CGSize, defaultTransform: CGAffineTransform, properties: Properties) -> CGAffineTransform {
    let rotateTransform = CGAffineTransform(rotationAngle: CGFloat(Double.pi/2.0))

    let scaleTransform = CGAffineTransform(scaleX: properties.scale.width, y: properties.scale.height)

    var ytranslation: CGFloat = 0
    var xtranslation: CGFloat = assetSize.width
    if properties.position.y == 0 {
        xtranslation = assetSize.width - (assetSize.width - ((size.width/size.height) * assetSize.height))/2.0
    }
    else {
        ytranslation = -(assetSize.height - ((size.height/size.width) * assetSize.width))/2.0
    }
    let translationTransform = CGAffineTransform(translationX: xtranslation, y: ytranslation)

    let finalTransform = defaultTransform.concatenating(rotateTransform).concatenating(translationTransform).concatenating(scaleTransform)
    return finalTransform
}

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