How To Make Laptop Camera Quality Better

How to brand any webcam look better

Cheap or Pro, every webcam needs help looking its best

(Image: © Shutter Stock)

It'south hard to find the all-time webcams right now, with the huge surge in need causing shortages of equipment needed to work effectively from home. With the more expensive options depleted, you may have opted to purchase a cheap webcam from Amazon or eBay to get the job done – merely to find the quality is terrible when you plug it in.

Born laptop webcams are also hardly known for beingness impressive bits of hardware either, but if y'all've constitute yourself stuck using a lackluster camera that'due south non on par with the best Logitech webcams, then don't despair. There are steps yous can have to massively improve the quality of your circulate, and many of these options are completely free.

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1. Adjust your settings

Webcam Software — Logitech Capture permits some video quality alterations. (Image credit: Future)

Changing your webcam settings may feel like an obvious solution, but both Windows and Mac devices really make this a lot harder than it should exist. Windows-based PCs and laptops come up with a preinstalled app that can be found by simply searching for 'camera' in the lower-left search bar of your desktop, merely the changes that y'all can brand on this are restricted to adjusting your camera resolution and enabling anti-flicker features.

Information technology's still of import to empathize that these changes can also take an bear upon of course. When plugging in your webcam for the kickoff time, it should default to the highest available resolution, with the standard options existence 720p or 1080p. The resolution of your webcam should be conspicuously displayed on the product box, alongside the maximum achievable frames-per-2nd (or FPS) that the photographic camera can capture.

Generally speaking, your FPS is more important than your resolution when yous become over 720p as information technology affects how smooth your video quality looks. Fifty-fifty a HD broadcast will look terrible if the footage stutters on the screen, so make certain your webcam is set to the highest FPS if the option is available.

Sadly at that place is no preinstalled photographic camera app for Mac users, only that doesn't mean y'all can't alter your settings. In fact, both Windows and Mac users would do good from using downloadable programs to improve the default camera footage.

Some webcams will come with their own software, such every bit Logitech Capture for Logitech webcams, CamEngine for AverMedia or even Synapse for Razer webcam devices. All of these programs volition permit you to change things like the hue, brightness, and dissimilarity of your webcam footage to better compliment your environment, and optimizing your video in this manner volition amend your overall result.

Of course, non all webcams have gratuitous software – but there are other gratuitous options bachelor.

Programs such every bit OBS Studio are gratis to download and volition feed into well-nigh video conferencing systems such as Zoom or Google Meets, allowing yous to brand changes in the OBS dissemination software that will feed externally into your other programs. You need to brand your adjustments on the 'Webcam' tab located on the lower screen of OBS by double-clicking and selecting into 'configure video'.

You volition then demand to go into the arrangement settings of your called conferencing software and modify from your webcam over to a new selection that will read 'OBS Virtual Photographic camera'.

If OBS doesn't arrange y'all then we can likewise recommend using either Webcam Settings Tool (free) or the official Windows Webcam Settings app ($4.99, around £iii.50 / AU$6.l) from the official Windows app shop if you lot're using a PC. For Mac users, you tin can download the macOS Webcam Settings app from Mactaris through the app store for $7.99 (effectually £5.l / AU$ten.50).

There isn't a right or wrong way to brand the adjustments on things similar hue, saturation or contrast and then take a play around until you're happy with the results. You won't be able to strength the photographic camera into a college resolution than it can organically kick out, just color correction and crisper lines can make a globe of difference,

For those who use work-mandated devices and can't install external programs, you may find you're unable to effort the above suggestions without requested installation permission from your administrator or IT squad. If making adjustments to the hardware isn't feasible then don't despair, as at that place are other changes you lot can make that should Improve your video quality.

2. Lighting, lighting and more lighting

Ring Light — Using a large rig calorie-free will evenly disperse lite effectually your face up and create a lovely halo outcome in the optics. (Image credit: ShutterStock / Andrey Arkusha)

If you've ever hunted for webcams on sites like Amazon, you lot'll have noticed that many cheap options are advertised with the same 1080p / 30FPS resolution and framerate as more than expensive cameras from the likes of Logitech or Microsoft. So this surely means you're getting the same quality for less, right?

This sadly isn't usually the case, as there are many other factors that make a webcam objectively 'practiced'. Ane of the things that prominently affects how your video quality looks is the sensors used by the camera to find light and movement.

If you've e'er noticed a static-similar background in your footage that makes y'all and your surroundings expect grainy, chances are the sensor in your webcam is struggling to find a bailiwick to focus on due to low light levels. Introducing more lighting into your setup will normally greatly improve the overall quality, but it isn't as simple every bit turning the lights in your room on.

Overhead lighting isn't the best pick as it doesn't effectively light the front end of your face. The all-time, and thankfully free solution is to position yourself in front of a well-lit window if possible. Natural daylight offers optimal lighting that illuminates the entire model (that'due south you).

Webcam calling — Sitting in front of a window is gratis, and often gives the all-time results. (Image credit: ShutterStock)

If yous work exterior of daylight hours, or placing a desk in front end of a window simply isn't an option then at that place are still steps you can have before you demand to resort to installing professional lighting to become the most out of your webcam.

Placing 2 table lamps on either side of your desk-bound will illuminate your face from either side rather than direct. Avoid using just i source of artificial light if possible as beingness lit from just 1 angle will usually exist too harsh and create a 'white-out' outcome where your features are besides brilliant to see in the footage.

Plain white paper or kitchen towels can exist placed in front of lights that are too brilliant to diffuse them, or alternatively, you can shine them against a wall to 'bounce' the lighting back less harshly.

If you happen to have the cash, and so investing in some studio lighting will profoundly improve even the most expensive webcams like the Razer Kiyo Pro or the Logitech StreamCam. Yous can find enough of ring lights from brands like Neewer on Amazon, or if you lot're looking for a seamless lighting kit that will work with streaming setups, Elgato sells its own ring calorie-free also as key light panel options that communicate with existing Elgato software to be controlled remotely.

Elgato Keylight — While expensive, Elgato provide some of the all-time lighting equipment for at dwelling house broadcasting. (Image credit: Elgato)

three. Your background needs some TLC

Simply because you're the focal subject of your footage, doesn't mean you should neglect what'south going on behind you lot. What'due south going on backside y'all can also bear upon the quality of your webcam, every bit well equally the full general feel of your presentation.

Where we brash sitting in front of a window for some natural light, delight make sure you don't have another window or active light source located behind yous when yous film equally this will throw the webcam sensor off. The more than attending you bring to just yourself as the subject field, the amend the webcam tin can concentrate on making yous look clear and in-focus.

Equally, effort and motion picture with a tidy or professional background environment. Having your device on a desk-bound or table at center level will wait better than calling with a laptop on your lap while y'all sit on the couch. Nosotros understand this can't always exist helped if you don't have the luxury of a permanent desk setup, only keeping a nevertheless, eye-level placement will forestall your webcam from having to conform to rapid motility.

Speaking of motility, make sure nobody else is in your environment behind yous walking effectually, or any other form of motion that could distract from yous equally a field of study. Not merely is this more piece of work for your webcam sensor, but it volition also distract other people watching your broadcast. Sit as still every bit possible to make sure yous're non creating unnecessary piece of work for your device.

4. Use ameliorate sound

Calling with Apple Earpods — Earphones with a built-in microphone will assistance make your broadcast await and audio professional. (Image credit: ShutterStock / Dean Drobot)

Now we know what y'all're thinking – you desire to ameliorate your video quality, what does this take to do with audio? Well, sound also plays an important part in how professional your circulate will exist regardless of the state of affairs, exist it in a briefing call, hosting a digital seminar, or alive streaming on Twitch.

When on a call, make sure you're not playing your audio on a speaker as any microphone trying to pick upwardly your voice volition also start broadcasting sounds in a loop. The result is very unpleasant to heed to and can affect how people view the quality of your broadcast. As, many webcams (particularly inexpensive ones) don't have dandy congenital-in microphones, so the audio beingness recorded to your audience may not sound clear. If people are unable to empathize you when speaking, information technology won't matter how high your video quality is.

You can solve both of these issues past using a headset with a built-in microphone, or for anyone wanting a truly professional person-looking video, wearing discreet wireless earbuds in combination with a dedicated microphone. Nigh gaming headsets also serve this role if you're looking to apply your microphone for streaming games, and the aesthetic can complement your environment.

Using even a cheap USB mic volition consequence in much ameliorate audio quality than whatever webcam, merely a pair of old wired apple earphones will work in a compression. Make sure when you beginning your coming together or broadcast, you go into the settings of your chosen software and change your audio and microphone devices, equally programs like Zoom or Google Meets won't automatically switch to using a new microphone unless told to do so.

How to apply your camera every bit a webcam

Jess is TechRadar's Computing author (@Zombie_Wretch on Twitter), where she covers all aspects of Mac and PC hardware, including PC gaming and peripherals. She has been interviewed as an manufacture adept for the BBC, and while her educational groundwork was in prosthetics and model-making, her true beloved is in tech and she has built numerous desktop computers over the last ten years for gaming and content creation. She also likes to fiddle in digital art and 3D printing, and tin can often be found playing games of both the Video and Tabletop diversity, occasionally streaming to the thwarting of everyone.