With everything that’s been happening lately, companies, businesses, schools, and even socializing have moved onto the online sphere.
And we’ve got modern technology to thank for that.
Among the leading brands in this industry is Apple, which has produced everything from iPods to iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
If you’re a new Apple user, you might be wondering how to use the webcam on Mac.
For that, we’ve got your back.
What Is a Mac?
The first quarter of 1984 saw the birth of the Mac or Macintosh.
It is a series of personal computers designed, developed, and sold by the brand we’ve all grown to love, Apple Inc.
It was welcomed by the public for its user-friendly interface that allowed ordinary individuals to open the world of computing.
Today, you’ll find it available in a variety of models, and all of them come with a built-in webcam.
How To Use the Webcam on Mac
Setting up the webcam on Mac is a fairly straightforward process.
In fact, in most instances, the webcam will turn itself on when you open any app that requires it.
If it doesn’t, just follow these steps:
Step 1: Turn on your Mac.
Step 2: Navigate to Applications and then to FaceTime or iChat.
Step 3: When FaceTime or iChat is open, navigate to the video tab, then select the webcam.
Step 4: Once your camera is activated, a green indicator light next to the webcam will turn on.
How To Take a Photo Using the Built-in Camera
You can also use the built-in webcam to take photos. To do that, just follow these steps:
Step 1: Turn on your Mac.
Step 2: Navigate to Applications and then to the Photo Booth app.
Step 3: Once the app is open, the green indicator light for the webcam should be on. This means it is working.
Step 4: From here, you can have fun with the app and try out the various filters available.
Step 5: To take a photo, locate the camera icon in the middle of the Photo Booth window and click it.
Step 6: You can save the photo by clicking on the “Save To” icon.
As mentioned, Apple products are known for being user-friendly, so you should have no problems setting up your mac’s webcam.
In fact, you might not even need to do anything at all.
For the most part, every feature is ready to use right out of the box.
Within the same menu, you’ll also be able to adjust video and sound settings.
Taking Your Webcam to the Next Level
Unfortunately, Macs are not known for having top-of-the-line webcams.
They all come equipped with a basic 720p resolution camera that, quite frankly, is underwhelming.
Some even find this a bit disappointing, considering the price tag of a Mac.
However, the latest MacBook Pro does come with a 1080p camera.
If you’re tired of having low-res photos and videos, here’s what you can do:
Add Ambient Lighting
You probably learned about this the hard way, but Mac webcams are not that reliable in low-light situations.
The video quality will most likely turn out looking fuzzy or pixelated.
You can quickly work around this by making sure you have good ambient lighting.
No, you don’t need to make drastic changes and replace all the bulbs in the room.
Simply adding a lamp near your workstation will do wonders to the quality of your videos.
Tilt It Up
When doing a video call, you will want to have the webcam just above eye level.
If you are using a MacBook in an ergonomic position, the camera will be too low.
Often, it’ll be aimed at your chest, and this isn’t great.
Find a way to lift it using books, desktop risers, or upside-down coffee mugs.
This isn’t typically a problem with the desktop variant, though.
Still, if that is also lower than eye level, you will need to raise it up as well.
Use Filters
Mac computers include various built-in color filters for the webcam.
You may be able to use these to help tweak the look and style of your video, which can help make it look better.
To access these filters, follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Click on the Apple Menu.
Step 2: Navigate to System Preferences.
Step 3: Click on Accessibility.
Step 4: Click on Display.
Step 5: Click on Color Filters.
Step 6: Click on Filter type.
Step 7: Choose a Filter.
You can also choose a color tint, which will apply a tint on the entire screen.
Many of them will allow you to adjust and tweak the intensity.
To help you figure out what intensity works best for you, keep an eye on the pencils, as these will reflect the changes being done.
Get a Mic
Even if the picture quality of your webcam is not the best, you can still do things to improve the sound instead.
It is nice to have good picture quality in a video conference, but it is better to have good audio.
It does not matter that much if people can see you clearly, but they need to hear you properly.
Investing in a headset or an external mic is a great way to enhance your overall experience.
When people can hear how crisp your voice sounds using a good mic, by extension, it’ll make your webcam in general feel higher quality.
They are all plug-and-play for the most part, too.
Though, sometimes, you would need to make sure the mic is selected in the Settings, which you can do by:
Step 1: Navigate to System Preferences.
Step 2: Click on Sound.
Step 3: Then, choose the audio device you would like to use, such as the built-in mic or an optional external mic.
Conclusion
Learning how to use the webcam on Mac computers is easy.
You won’t get the best quality, especially if you compare it to external webcams, but it is still reasonably good and will get the job done.
For the most part, the entire process is automatic; the camera will turn on when you use an app that requires it.
Just keep an eye out for the green indicator light.
If it is on, the webcam is working as it should.
If it isn’t, then you may need to navigate to the video tab of the app you are using, which will only take a few seconds.