Use iPhone as webcam for Mac with highly effective Camo app

Camo is a strong app that permits you to use your iPhone, and any linked USB digital camera, as a webcam in your Mac. I take advantage of it each week to document movies and livestream podcasts. The digital camera constructed into the MacBook — and even the high-end Studio Show — simply doesn’t evaluate to the readability and high quality of an iPhone digital camera.

Apple constructed a fundamental model of this function into macOS and known as it Continuity Digital camera. However like most apps which have been sherlocked, Camo goes above and past with highly effective instruments and professional options.

Camo additionally works with Home windows PCs, Android telephones and most trendy cameras, not simply Macs and iPhones.

How you can use your iPhone as a webcam in your Mac with Camo

First, you must obtain the Camo Digital camera app from the App Retailer in your iPhone (or Android cellphone) and from the Camo web site in your Mac (or Home windows PC). There’s a free tier with watermark-free video recording, nevertheless it’s restricted to 720p video, the iPhone’s essential digital camera lens, 30 FPS and customary picture mode. Unlocking all of the options prices $40 yearly or $5 month-to-month.

After you have the apps arrange, simply launch them on every system.

If you wish to use your smartphone as a webcam with Camo, I like to recommend utilizing a wired connection. Nonetheless, should you don’t have a cable useful, you’ll be able to go wi-fi. Simply click on Join a tool in your pc, faucet the Wi-Fi icon in your cellphone, after which scan the QR code.

Be aware: Whereas the Camo Digital camera app runs in your cellphone, its display will flip black after a number of moments. This ensures your cellphone received’t overheat or run out of juice.

Get your digital camera arrange

Within the Camo app in your Mac, underneath Digital camera settings, you’ll be able to decide which digital camera lens in your cellphone to make use of, and set the main focus and body fee. Audio settings, instantly beneath, allow you to decide which microphone to make use of.

Camo additionally provides you choices for the way your video will look while you use your iPhone as a webcam. Underneath Presets within the Mac app, you’ll be able to change between a number of completely different colour modes. You’ll be able to select from numerous customizable overlay templates if you wish to present your identify and make contact with data. (When you later resolve you don’t prefer it, simply click on the layer button on the bottom-right to show it off.) To customise a template, right-click and choose Duplicate and Edit.

Underneath Framing, you’ll be able to select to have the digital camera robotically zoom out and in and pan round to maintain your face centered. For some cause, you set how shut you need the digital camera to trace your face on a scale of strawberry to pumpkin (pumpkin being a tighter crop) — nevertheless it does observe my face fairly carefully.

File movies from Camo

To document movies from Camo, click on the File button within the toolbar. Click on the arrow to the suitable to choose the place to save lots of the video. It repeatedly writes to the file as you document, so if the app crashes or one thing breaks partway by, not all might be misplaced.

One other nicety is that you could be on a FaceTime or Skype name whereas Camo remains to be recording.

Superior picture controls to be used with iPhone as webcam on Mac

Camo additionally provides you further digital camera controls, which one can find on the suitable facet of the Mac app. Picture enhancements use depth information out of your cellphone to present your background a blur impact. You’ll be able to go for a refined creative blur, a extreme privateness blur or a full greenscreen background.

This doesn’t work nice should you (a) have a microphone on an arm in entrance of you and (b) haven’t had a haircut in six months. It appears satisfactory in a screenshot, however dwell, it glints noticeably.

The Picture changes settings offer you detailed management over colour correction by hand. Underneath Superior, you’ll be able to compensate for flickering fluorescent lights. In the UK, for instance, 50 Hz workplace lighting usually conflicts with 30 FPS cameras — set it to 50 Hz to curtail the impact.

General, Camo is a well-made and thoughtfully designed Mac app that permits you to use your iPhone or different smartphone as a webcam. If you wish to go the additional mile and step up your video conferencing sport, it’ll allow you to take full benefit of the highly effective digital camera you carry in your pocket.

We initially revealed this publish on find out how to use your iPhone as a webcam with a Mac on April 17, 2023. We up to date the data.