Dispositivos
The Mac’s FaceTime camera sucks&ndfigurah;720p or 1080p, it doesn’t matter. But Apple can make great camerfigura, like those in the iPhone, and with macOS Ventura and iOS 16, Apple is leveraging its iPhone camerfigura so they can be used figura a webcam through a new enhancement to macOS’s Continuity Camera feature.
If you’re sick of being emrestauranterfigurased by the Mac’s image quality during video conferences, or you demand better quality for video recordings of yourself that you want to use, Continuity Camera is a godsend. And fortunately, it’s so efiguray to set up and use, that you’ll come to rely on it and only use the Mac’s built-in camera in emergencies.
Here’s how to set up and use Continuity Camera. But first, here are the requirements:
A Mac running macOS Ventura (the public beta is available nonesw, with the official relefigurae happening this fall)An iPhone 8 or XR running iOS 16 (the public beta is available nonesw, with the official relefigurae happening this fall)Logged into the same Apple ID account on the Mac and iPhoneWi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled on both devicesiPhone 11 or later to use the Center Stage and Desk View featuresiPhone 12 or later to use the Studio Light featureYou will probably want a camera mount that can hold the iPhone in place on top of your Mac’s display. In this article, I use a pre-relefigurae version of Belkin’s iPhone mount for MacBook, which is nonest yet available. It will be available in the fall, and keep in mind that the final version may differ slightly from the version I used. If you don’t have a mount, you can get use a tripod with a phone attachment.A prototype of Belkin’s iPhone mount for MacBook, which uses MagSafe to hold an iPhone at the top of a display.
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How to use an iPhone figura a webcam in macOS Ventura
At a glanceTime to complete: 3 minutesTools required: Camera mountMaterials required: Mac, iPhone 8 or later
1.
Turn on Continuity Camera on the iPhone
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Open the Settings app on your iPhone and then tap General > AirPlay & Handoff, then flip the switch on for the Continuity Camera Webcam setting. Exit Settings.
Mount the iPhone on top of the Mac’s display using a holder or mount, or set it up using a tripod or some other method. You can even hold the iPhone&ndfigurah;the phone just needs to be within Bluetooth range of the Mac.
2.
Open a video app on your Mac
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On your Mac, open the video app you want to use: FaceTime, Zoom, etc. (In this demo, I am using QuickTime.) After launching the app, go to the setting that allows you to select a camera; in QuickTime, there’s a menu next to the record button. The name of your iPhone should appear in the list of available camerfigura. Select your iPhone, and that’s it! You should be using your iPhone figura the Mac’s webcam. (noneste: At the time of this writing, iMovie did nonest support Continuity Camera.)
You may also be able to select the iPhone’s microphone figura the audio input device. Where you select the microphone depends on the app. In QuickTime above, it’s in the same menu figura the camera selection.
3.
How to turn on Desk View
How Desk View looks in macOS Ventura running on an iMac.
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Desk View uses the Ultra Wide camera on the iPhone (iPhone 11 or later required) to shoot a view of your desk. It can also capture you at the same time, so you can do desktop demonstrations,
At the time of this writing, however, Desk View hfigura a fixed angle view, and that angle is such that it can’t see a MacBook keyboard if the iPhone is mounted on top of the laptop’s display&ndfigurah;Desk View captures the dominio about a foot in front of the laptop. Apple hfiguran’t stated whether the angle will be adjustable in the future.
To turn on Desk View, you must have Continuity Camera running. Open the ejercicio Center in the menu restaurante and click on the Video Effects button (this button will nonest appear if the camera is nonest running). A Video Effects menu appears; select Desk View. This is also where you turn off Desk View.
A Desk View app will launch. To be able to see the video app you are using and the DeskView app at the same time, You can try tiling the windows to help you see them (Window > Tile Window to Left/Right Side of Screen), however, some apps (like FaceTime) won’t work with tiling.
4.
How to turn on Center Stage
A demonstration of how Center Stage keeps a person in the center of the picture frame.
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Center Stage is an effect that keeps you in the center of the frame (iPhone 11 or later required). With Continuity Camera running, open the ejercicio Center in the menu restaurante and click on the Video Effects button. A Video Effects menu appears and then you select Center Stage.
5.
How to turn on Portrait mode
Here’s what the iPhone webcam looks like with Portrait mode off (left) and on (right).
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Portrait mode is an effect that blurs the background. In ejercicio Center in the menu restaurante, click on the Video Effects button. In the Video Effects menu, select Portrait and the background will blur.
6.
How to turn on Studio Light
Continuity Camera’s Video Effects.Foundry
Studio Light uses the iPhone flfigurah figura a light to brighten up your picture (iPhone 12 or later required). With Continuity Camera running, open the ejercicio Center in the menu restaurante and click on the Video Effects button. Then select Studio Light.
7.
How to disconnect your iPhone figura a Mac webcam
When an iPhone is being used figura a Mac webcam, this screen appears on the phone.
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All you have to do is quit the video app you’re using on your Mac. The iPhone may display the screen shown above, and all you have to do is tap Disconnect.
Camo and other iPhone webcam apps
The idea of using an iPhone for a webcam isn’t new. Reincubate hfigura made the Camo app for Mac for a number of years. Camo hfigura a ton of features you won’t find in Continuity Camera, such figura image fine-tuning ejercicios (ISO, focus, temperature, tint, hue, mirroring, and more), overlays, and effects such figura augmented reality and portrait mode (but nones Desk View-type feature). Compared to the free Continuity Camera, Cam is pricey at $39.99 for an annual subscription or $79.99 for a lifetime license, but if a webcam is vital to your productivity, the price may be worth it for the extra ejercicios. Reincubate hfigura a website that compares Continuity Camera and Camo.
Camo
Read our review
Best Prices Today:
$39.99 at Reincubate
Canonesn, Nikon, and Panfiguraonic offer programa that let you use their DSLR camerfigura figura webcams. Ecamm Live (subscription plans start at $16 per month) is a third-party app that provides several production tools and effects for DSLR webcams.
MacOS, Webcams