Photo Booth & iSight

My Core2Duo iMac is only 5 days old and suddenly I have a green image where my image should be. iChat AV works, but Photo Booth does not switch on the camera. I contacted Apple Australia and they worked me through some steps which involved taking out a file called "com.apple.PhotoBooth.plist". That did not work. I now have to take it to a Authorised Repairer. I bought an Apple for thier robustness, and after 5 days (the camera is not damaged in any way, niether is the computer) I have to get it repaired??? Can anyone help me, so I don't have to get a repair? it happened infrequently before and it suddenly came back, but it seems to me that Photo Booth can't switch on the camera, because iChat AV can..
Help MUCH appreciated.

This happened once before, so I think it is software related;
iChat or Photo Booth doesn't show video
I would download the 10.4.8 Combo Update for Intel and install from the desktop. Stop all other apps and disconnect everything from Firewire or USB except the wired keyboard and mouse. Let the Mac concentrate on the update. Have patience, this update takes awhile to install itself and requires two restarts. After the second restart completely shut down the Mac. After about 15 seconds restart and in your user account go to Apps>Utilities>Disk Utility and Repair Permissions on your startup volume.
Now try Photo Booth.

Similar Messages

Photo Booth / iSight freezes the whole machine

I have purchased a new 20" iMac.
Photo Booth seems to work fine but, so far twice while it's on, the whole computer froze twice, under identical situation. (My daughter loves playing with it.)
It's a complete freeze but not kernel panic, and only power cycling brings the machine back. I tried to "ping" from other Mac but no response from the machine.
Is there anything I can do to avoid the freeze?
Tai

Hello Tai
Is there anything I can do to avoid the freeze?
Depending on the age of your daughter, you might want to be sure that your Mac is protected from her when you are not watching.
If you do not force your iMac to run all the time without letting it sleep overnight, you should perform regular Mac OS X Maintenance.
Even if you keep your Mac running overnight or manually perform OS X Maintenance, whenever you have to force-shutdown or force-restart your computer you should do a Safe Boot and then restart. Do so now if you have not done so already.
If the only problems you notice are with iSight, you can try the relevant suggestion for built-in iSight in Apple's How to Troubleshoot iSight. Be sure to include the checks for whether the problem is "application-specific" and "user-specific". Click here if you need help creating a new user account to check whether your problem is "user-specific" during Troubleshooting.
If your problems continue, if you have trouble with multiple applications, or if you notice that your Mac is behaving in any other unusual way, consider the suggestions in Isolating issues in Mac OS X and let us know the particulars. We will offer other suggestions based on the details in your response.
EZ Jim
PowerBook 1.67 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.10) G5 DP 1.8 External iSight

Photo Booth iSight "in use by another application" - possible fix!!!

Hi everyone.
I'm running Mac OSX 10.4.10 and a few days ago I developed the problem of the inbuilt iSight camera in my new 20" iMac failing to work with Photo Booth, iChat etc. I kept getting the dreaded message "in use by another application".
After trying various fixes and tips from elsewhere I finally came upon a website which had a hint saying you could disable the iSight camera by moving the "QuickTimeUSBVDCDIgitizer.component" file from the System/Library/Quicktime folder.
Even though this wasn't related to my problem I checked to see if I had the file and realised it wasn't there! So I downloaded it from another source, popped it in the folder mentioned above, and hey-presto! My iSight is now working again. I have no idea why the file was missing originally.
If anyone else has had this problem please check this out, it may just work for you too!

You can get it here. http://techslaves.org/index.php?page=17 It is in the first part of the page there are two links.

Annoying Photo booth/ iSight problems

I often record videos using photo booth. and today....
The videos cut out before i pressed stop. They lasted about 37 seconds and then just cut out randomly, when i was recording however, it say it was still recording and ive set it so my screen doesnt dim withing 30 minutes whenever im recording.
And then when it finaly fracking worked, the ONE THAT ACTUALLY WORKED had no sound!!!! the other ones had sound, but stupid mic just decided not to work?
The only programs running was photo booth and the always running finder.
< Edited by Host >

Some ideas you can consider:
(1) Your system info shows Mac OS X (10.5.6)
If this is correct, use your Mac's Disk Utility to repair permissions. Then download and install the latest version of Leopard:
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL866
Immediately after the restart that completes the update, repair permissions again. Then test to see if the problem is resolved.
(2) Verify that you are not clicking anywhere outside the Photo Booth window while recording. When running Photo Booth in Mac OS X 10.5.x on my G5 Mac, Photo Booth immediately stops recording unless its recording is the currently active window.
(For other readers, Snow&Leopard Photo Booth does NOT stop even if its window is not the active one.)
(3) Test recording with iMovie and QuickTime Pro if you have it to see if they also quit early.
If apps other than Photo Booth record properly but you do not want to use one of those that work properly, it is possible that a corrupted Photo Booth Preferences file is causing your problem. Quit Photo Booth (and all other applications) and throw away the Photo Booth Preferences file (com.apple.photobooth.plist) from your Home / Library / Preferences folder. A new preferences folder will be generated when you restart Photo Booth to test whether it works now.
(4) If resetting preferences did not help but you still want to use Photo Booth, reinstalling the Photo Booth app might help.
(5) You might also see if any of the suggestions here help you:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7018319&#7018319
EZ Jim
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.1) MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.1)
G5DP1.8GHz (10.5.8) G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) LED Cinema Display External iSight

Blurry Pictures Photo Booth/iSight

Hello
I suddenly noticed that Photo Booth is taking pictures that look blurred or fuzzy. I have the MacBook on a table (not moving) so it's not from movement. Everything has a soft focus (no, it's not from the special effect "glow", but it sort of looks like a more subtle version of that). I tried gently cleaning the lens. No luck.
Help!
Thanks.

Take the computer to an AASP or your local Apple Store for a check-up. Hopefully, you have Apple Care.

ISight no longer working with Photo Booth

While my Isight works perfectly with iCHat, it no longer turns on when I start Photo Booth. I was wondering if anyone could help me with this.

Hi Kane,
Try this. Go to Home-Library-Preferences. Locate the com.apple.PhotoBooth.plist. Drag it to the trash and delete it. Then open Photobooth again.

Photo Booth does not turn on iSight

iChat and iMovie will both turn it on, so I know it's not a hardware problem, but I can't get Photo Booth to turn it on. If i press the button to snap a picture, it goes through the motions, "Flashes", and I get a black picture since the iSight never turned on.
Things I have tried so far
repair permissions
full restart
deleted PH's .plist file in my home directory
reinstalled from the original DVD
and finally, logged in as a new user, where it still failed, so I know it's not a problem in my Home directory.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what else I can try?
Oh, and yes, it used to work fine, but I haven't had a need for PH in several months.
Thanks in advance for any help, or suggestions on what might be a better forum to pose this in if this wasn't the best choice for a software problem!

Welcome, J Coffle
I think you are in a good place, but I imagine you will only think it is the right place if you get your problem solved. At any rate, if I can think of a better place, I will let you know.
First, what is "PH"? Assuming you mean "Photo Booth", I will offer a couple of suggestions for your consideration. If I am wrong, stop here and post back the correct meaning.
You have tried several good things. Here are a few more you can consider.
(1) Disconnect all peripherals while you do your testing to rule out possible conflicts.
(2) Check for any running applications, Login Items, or widgets that can use your iSight. (It is easy to forget widgets like Mirror in your Dashboard.) As explained in Apple's iSight "Your camera is in use by another application" message, iSight can be used by one application at a time.
(3) Try every relevant Built-in iSight suggestion in How to Troubleshoot iSight.
(4) If resetting or the other troubleshooting suggestions do correct your problem, try the following:
- Backup your Home Folder, or at very least, your important files.
- Repair permissions.
- Then download and apply the Mac OS X 10.4.10 Combo Update (PPC).
- Perform another Permissions Repair.
- Then check Photo Booth again with no other iSight apps running.
Users have reported fixes to a variety of audio, video, connectivity, and software conflicts and unreliability issues after properly applying the latest Combo Updates.
If you can recall anything significant that might have changed since Photo Booth last worked, what changed would be helpful to know if you must post back for more ideas.
EZ Jim
PowerBook 1.67 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.10) G5 DP 1.8 External iSight

Mid 2009 13" MBP iSight camera bad picture quality in photo booth

My daughter's stock mid 2009 13" MBP 2.26 ghz intel core two duo has a problem with the isight camera. The isight camera is built in to the screen. The isight camera works some of the time flawlessly and other times it comes out real grainy and with small colored pixels all over the screen like colored static (about 20% to 30% of the photo booth screen is affected but the rest of the screen outside of the photo booth app is unaffected). She only uses it in photo booth but we've tried the iChat app and the same thing happens there too, once she couldn't get the MBP to connect to the isight camera (it just showed a black photo booth screen), so she closed the lid of her MBP and reopened it and it worked. All of the software and firmware is up to date and we've tried resetting the PRAM and the SMC, it didn't do anything to fix the problem. It seems like there's a wire loose in the computer from the screen to the computer base, only because I can move the screen back and forth and the picture quality changes, the amount of static on the picture will move, go away or get worse. I had the screen changed in early 2010 (January or February) (the MBP was about 5 or 6 months old then) at the apple store under warranty due to dirt under the screen's glass (manufacturing defect). The photo booth picture static problem comes and goes, but here lately it comes more than it goes. The screen in general is in good shape and doesn't have any detectable problems with it, it has a good picture and no dead pixels, the problem seems to be only isolated to the isight camera. Can some one help with this problem? How long of a warranty is given on the warranty repairs (like the screen change they did in early 2010)? If apple does a repair on it and finds a wire that has rubbed the insulation off of it on a hinge causing a short and the isight problem, as a result of a sloppy repair from the first warranty repair, will they cover it under warranty again even if it's been over a year since they changed the screen? Also how honest will apple be if they do find out it is a problem caused from the first screen replacement, will they own up to their mistake? If I don't agree with apple's repair decision, can I get a second opinion from an outside source, third party, and if it's diagnosis different than apple's and can be proven, can I still get apple to do and pay for the repairs and labor if it turns out to be their fault from the first warranty screen replacement?
The reason why I'm asking is, I took my wife's white macbook in about a year ago for the famous cracked top cover replacement (under warranty) and when I got the computer back, the isight camera didn't work, so I gave it back, they took it apart a look at it and said there was nothing wrong with it and gave it back, then the screen wouldn't come on so after 4 hours at the Apple store they decided to send it to Austin, TX. for repairs (I'm in Ft. Worth TX.). Apple in Austin said it needed a new main board. They said the old one had water damage to it. We never had water anywhere near the computer, not even in the same room. It was working fine when we took it in, we took it in just to get the plastic top case, that cracks all of the time, replaced under warranty. And then they wanted us to pay for an $800 main board because some how while they were doing the top cover replacement it got water damaged. I argued with them and they finally gave me a one-time offer of them paying for half of the repair and labor or if I disagreed or left the store I would have to pay the whole amount if I chose to have the repairs done. So I ended up having to pay $467 for a year old macbook main board that was water damaged in their possession during their repairs. I like Apple and their products but I am worried about giving my daughter's MBP over to them for repairs because of this incident, it's an honesty issue with how honest they will be with what they find because they won't give back the old parts for analysis by a third party to verify their diagnosis.
Thanks for any info and advice anyone can give.

Hi,
As a personal note I find long posts like this hard to read if they are not broken up in to paragraphs.
As I say it is a personal thing.
I can give you some information about the camera and laptops over the past few years.
Basically in early Laptops of the MacBook Pro and MacBook range the cable did tend to fray at the point where it passed through the hinge. It did take a well used laptop that had the lid open and closed frequently to cause this. (your 2009 model might just be in that group - I have no firm dates or models I am afraid)
Later models have this rerouted so that this does not happen.
However the cable has then tended to get pulled from the camera end and become loose.
This On Line Self fix site has pages about some models (The one I have linked to may not be yours)
I have linked in to later pictures in the sequence but there are navigation points to work back to the start.
Note:- they use pretty specifc specialest tools as well in these pics.
Doing this would certail Void any Warranty you have left.
From Posts mainly in the iChat and the iSight areas I have gathered that it seems common for Apple to replace the Screen as a whole rather than fiddle with getting solely at the camera.
Apple has this article on Trouble Shooting an iSight
Basically it says try several apps then try logging in on another Mac User account to see if it is App based or User based or in fact System wide.
If System wide then resetting the SMC/PMU is the only suggested fix. (Which I did read you had done)
In addition to that I would add that testing should be done in different lighting conditions.
Lighting in the evening or dark that is good enough to read buy is not always good enough for the camera or is not illuminating the right areas.
Some people have reported that Starting the computer in Safe Mode (then Rebooting afterwards) seems to help. (it clears out some caches and starts up with reduced extensions)
As to actual Repairs and any Warranty that may still be in place I cannot say.
I can say that when people post about problems with repairs a certain stores someone else will tend to post that their experience was different.
You seem to report two different experiences with the two computers yourself.
10:24 PM Thursday; July 14, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.7),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

ISight in not working in Photo Booth, iChat, and VMWare with Snow Leopard

System Info
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac8,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: IM81.00C1.B00
SMC Version (system): 1.30f1
OS Version 10.6.1
Symptoms
iSight is not working, a blank screen is shown in the following Apps / VM
1. Photo Booth
2. iChat
Visible to VM app, but unable to connect in Windows XP running on VMWare
It is however viewable in Skype preference Video tab
Visible in System Profiler under USB
Following actions taken for troubleshooting
SMC reset - by unplugging all cables over couples minutes, as well as CommandOption+PR key at boot time
Repairing Permission on the Macintosh HD drive, rebooted after and didn't work
Not user account specific, tried different account and the same problem persists

Welcome to Discussions, Stanley Chung
Sorry you are still having problems even after trying the good suggestions from Ralph and Boomer.
I did not see specifically from your posts that your iSight worked before upgrading to Snow Leopard, but I am inferring from your topic's title that it did. If your iMac came with Snow Leopard installed, please post and tell us whether you erased the disk and reinstalled all your iMac's software before you started using it. If you upgraded your iMac to Snow Leopard, consider the following.
(1) Until you get iSight working, do all your testing while no peripherals other than keyboard/mouse are attached to your iMac. To eliminate all possibility of any conflict external to your Mac, be sure you also disconnect any wireless devices (iPod, printer, etc) connected to your system.
(2) If you still have problems with all you have tried, it seems to me that you must have a software issue. You might try uninstalling Skype and VMWare and testing again to see if those installations are causing a conflict.
(3) Check the support sites for all of your third party software to be sure there are no known Snow Leopard issues and that you are using the latest compatible versions.
(4) If the problem still exists and you have not already tried this, reinstall Snow Leopard, repairing permissions immediately before and after the reinstall.
(5) If your problem remains and System Profiler still shows your inbuilt iSight as a USB device, I suggest you backup all important files, erase your disk, reinstall all Apple software, and test to see if iSight works properly. Once it does, you can install any necessary peripherals and third-party apps one-at-a-time, testing after each addition to see if one of them is causing problems.
EZ Jim
MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz w/Mac OS X (10.6.1) G5 DP 1.8GHz w/Mac OS X (10.5.8)
G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) LED Cinema Display External iSight

ISight not working in Photo Booth with NEW MacBook Air?

I purchased an 11" MacBook Air and received it on May 29, 2014. When I got it, I had no problems with the webcam. Now, whenever I open Photo Booth, it doesn't load. All it shows is a white loading icon on a black screen. My webcam works in FaceTime, Skype, etc., but not Photo Booth. I've tried it in test user, I've tried SCM and PRAM reset, I've re-installed Mavericks, and I've installed the combo update, and nothing has worked. What could be the problem, and how can I resolve it?

iSight - Troubleshoot
You are also entitled to 90 days telephone support from Apple.
Apple Support Contact
Apple Support contact - Telephone

Isight Problem..Black background in Photo Booth

Hi, resently I have a problem with my Isight.
While trying to use Photo Booth a black background appear at the aplication, I start reading some posts and tried all what readed. The LED is in green while using Photo Booth
3.Find out if the computer recognizes the iSight
I get to the point of the manual of Troubleshooting and looked for my Isight in Aplications and Utilities, but I didnt find it.
What can I do or install for it to appear?
Thank You
Message was edited by: MacMundo

I just tried another thing that worked! make sure your macbook isn't plugged into the power source, then hold your power button in for 10 to 15 seconds until it turns off, and you do that 5 times, and then plug it back in and give your photobooth a go. Mine worked!

Problem with iSight/Photo Booth

Hey all, I've had my MacBook for 2 days now and the isight camera stopped working earlier today. I used the camera to video conference earlier using iChat and everything worked fine. Now, when I go into Photo Booth or iChat the camera wont work. The green light comes on, but in Photo Booth I'm only seeing a solid green screen. In iChat, I only see a solid black screen.
I've tried restarting several times and I can't find any info on this. Suggestions, anyone? Thanks!
MacBook Black Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Well, for some unkown reason it started working again. I took my MB to the apple store to show them what was going on and, wouldn't you know it, it started working again They couldn't offer me an explanation.....they just told me to bring the MB back in if the camera stops working again. I've been using it on and off today and I haven't had a single problem!

External iSight not recognized by Photo Booth, MBP, lid closed

When there is an external iSight and an external screen is attached to my MacBook Pro (where the lid is closed), Photo Booth does not seem to recognize it. I can use the camera with iChat, though.
Any ideas for a trick to make it work?

Hello Rainer Joswig
I do not believe that Photo Booth allow you to do what you want.
See this recent post: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6967961&#6967961
We are still waiting to see whether any MacBook Pro users can offer a solution or workaround.
EZ Jim
PowerBook 1.67 GHz w/Mac OS X (10.4.11) G5 DP 1.8 w/Mac OS X (10.5.2) External iSight

ISight not showing when Photo Booth is open? Help :S?

Hey guys, when I open Photo Booth, my iSight doesn't even respond to it, and doesn't even turn on. There is no green light or anything. It works when I use iChat or any other application that uses the iSight but not photo booth. I have done all the trouble shooting and reseting but still nothing. In the system profiler it shows that my iSight is recognized and that it is there and working, but why not photo booth? It has worked before too.
Help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks a lot in advance
D2LMD

You're welcome, D2LMD
I have tried all of the things you just listed and still no go...
Because your iSight works in every user account you try with every application (except Photo Booth), the problem is definitely in your software. Having reinstalled the application itself, the software problem must lie in some of the system or QuickTime ancillary files that Photo Booth uses.
To remedy this problem, I can offer three choices for your consideration:
(1) Backup your important files and then reinstall all of your Mac software using the "reinstall" or "restore" disk that came with your Mac. After that is done, repair permissions and then use your Mac's Software Update... to be sure you are using the latest version of your Apple software. Finish with another permission repair after the updates are done, and then test to see if Photo Booth is working.
(2) Ignore your non-working Photo Booth. Instead, use some other app to capture images:
• If you do not need Photo Booth's "effects", some alternative apps that can
capture snapshots and movie/video clips are included in this list.
• Apps that have with "effects" similar to those in Photo Booth include
Funny Photographer, Freak Show, and WebcamTweaker.
(3) If nothing else works for you, follow Apple's ultimate suggestion from http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090 and contact Apple or an Apple-Authorized Service Provider for service.
EZ Jim
G5 DP 1.8GHz w/Mac OS X (10.5.7) PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

Isight works with photo booth but not in ichat or google talk or skype?

isight works with photo booth but not in ichat or google talk or skype?

Hi
Is this an Internal or External iSight ?
In iChat, in the Video Menu (This is to the right of Buddies and may read Audio) is Camera Enabled Ticked ?
If it reads Audio open the Connection Doctor from that same menu.
In the connection Doctor open the Capabilities tab
Does it say your Internet Connection is too slow ?
At this point I would need to know which iChat Version.
However also look in the View Menu.
Is Show VIdeo Status ticked ? (this shows green Icons next to your Buddy Pic and those of your Buddies
Next go to the iChat Menu > Preferences > Video Section
Do you see a preview here ?
Re: GoogleTalk
Have you enabled TALK on your Google Account Settings ?
You need to have a Google Mail ID (Not any other sort of Google ID)
Have you downloaded the Intel only Web Browser Plug-in to do Video in a Web Browser.
10:48 PM Tuesday; August 30, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Photo Booth & iSight

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