Recording with Built-in iSight

The reason I bought I didn't buy a laptop is because there were no laptops with built-in iSight back in the day. And now I want to make use of this by recording into iMovie. BUT now they tell me that I can't do that with my version of iMovie, when they specifically told me I could "record video on my computer" when I was buying it. I'm prettty mad so I was wondering if anyone can help me. I believe I have iLife '05...
Thanks a ton..
iMac G5 (iSight) Mac OS X (10.4.7)

To use the built-in iSight included with some Macintosh models, you need to have iMovie HD 6 or later.
You may find this useful:
Importing from an iSight camera or other webcam
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304158#two

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Maximum FPS recording with built-in iSight on Macbook Pro

Does anyone know if the built-in iSight on the Macbook Pro has a limit on the recording frames per second? I'm trying to make record some clips using iMovie, but it only records at 15 fps. I tried Quicktime Broadcaster with settings at 29.97 fps, but only got slightly better (17 fps). Do I NEED QuickTime Pro in order to record at 30 fps (29.97) or is this a hardware limitation?
Thanks in advance!
J

Welcome to Apple Discussions, itjaslee
Until you hear from some MacBook users, here are two things you can try:(0) Best video quality requires much more light that what I (and most others) consider normal room light. Try using much brighter lighting.
As explained in this Apple kBase article, iSight switches to 15 frames-per-second to improve picture quality in what it considers "low-light conditions."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93235
This Apple kBase article gives you some more particulars about best types of lighting, etc.:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93273
Both were written for the external iSight, but the same tips may help you.
(1) Best video quality requires lots of disk space and processor power. Your MacBook Pro has a very powerful processor, but any processor can be overloaded by the user.
Almost all external drives will be slower than your Mac's internal drive. Record direct to your internal (startup) drive. If your internal drive has less than 10 GB available, free up some space. OS X slows down when your drive gets too full.
If you have more than one applications running when you notice your problem, restart you Mac, launch only the application you are using to record, and check your frame rate again.If you need to post back for other suggestions, you might confirm that:
(a) your 15 fps is the actual recording speed versus the playback speed on your Mac.
(b) you have set the QT Broadcaster settings to 30 fps. To change the QTB frame rate, click the "Video" tab and check the box for "Enable Video Stream." Then set the frame rate and disable the video stream to make your recording.
(c) you have set iMovie HD's default frame rate per this help instruction:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iMovie/HD/en/im172.html
Jim
G4 PB 1.67 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.9) G5 DP 1.8 External iSight

Can u use a USB webcam on an iMac with built-in isight for Yahoo Messenge?

Hi...I hope someone can shed some light on this.
I have an intel core duo iMac 20 with built-in isight.
I use Yahoo Messenger (the new version) and have no problems getting my isight to work with it.
For most circumstances, the built-in isight is fine... but sometimes having a camera with a zoom feature and the ability to pan further up or down would be most beneficial.
I also own a usb Logitech (pro-4000) webcam (the last series for which they have Mac support) and have installed the latest Mac drivers for it. I can get the Logitec to run its built-in applications, but when I try to select a webcam to use for Yahoo (in the yahoo preferences webcam section), the only selection available to me is the built-in isight.
Is there any way to get the option to choose between the Logitech and the isight?
I tried macam drivers, but that just gave me an application that allowed me to record video or snap pics from my Quickcam, Yahoo Messenger still does not recognize it as a source.

http://webcam-osx.sourceforge.net/
macam driver and macam component installation resolves this issue

First iMacs with built-in iSight

I got one of the first iMacs with built in iSight. When I got it, the documentation said that I could not use the built-in iSight to record directly into iMovie.
I CANNOT choose iSight from the import options, but if I have a DV camera plugged up to import and turn it off, it automatically switches to the iSight and the Import button switches to Record from iSight. It actually works as well.
Did I automatically install an update that allowed this? I like it, I just don't know when it happened.

Anyone know how to turn off isight so Imovie will only see the DV camrea /VTR deck? I've got a school setup for Imovie editing and to capture footage from the DV tape deck, but Imovie just keeps wanting to select the Isight Cam and i see no way of telling it what to connect to!!
Imac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6)
Imac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Using a different webcam with Intel iMac with built-in isight cam.

Hi...I hope someone can shed some light on this.
I have an intel core duo iMac 20 with built-in isight.
I use Yahoo Messenger (the new version) and have no problems getting my isight to work with it.
For most circumstances, the built-in isight is fine... but sometimes having a camera with a zoom feature and the ability to pan further up or down would be most beneficial.
I also own a usb Logitech (pro-4000) webcam (the last series for which they have Mac support) and have installed the latest Mac drivers for it. I can get the Logitec to run its built-in applications, but when I try to select a webcam to use for Yahoo (in the yahoo preferences webcam section), the only selection available to me is the built-in isight.
Is there any way to get the option to choose between the Logitech and the isight?
Thanks for any help you can give me...
Intel Core Duo iMac 20" Mac OS X (10.4.7) 2GHz/2GB 256VRAM

http://webcam-osx.sourceforge.net/
macam driver and macam component installation resolves this issue

20" Monitor with (Built-in iSight?)

As soon as Apple updates the 20" monitor with built-in iSight I will be buying one and connecting my Macbook, then retiring my iMac iSight to my wife. Hurry up Apple with the upgrade.
Now for the technical question:
If Apple indeed adds iSight to it's line of monitors and since all the new computers Apple is building these days already have iSight built-in will my dream configuration work.
I know the external iSight works when connected, however there are minor glitches when shutting down, sleeping....

dig a little deeper next time
D/FW, there nothing to dig for. You're asking for functionality and behaviour of a product that does not exist. You're better off speculating in a rumours forum.

USB Webcam on Macbook with built-in Isight?

Has anyone been able to use an external webcam via USB on a Macbook with built-in iSight?
This should be very straight-forward, but it's not working for me. Is it possible? Thanks.

I have an older logitech 3000 and have been able to get it to work with 3rd party software such as macam and btvpro, but can't use it for Yahoo Messenger or similar programs. It won't work with photobooth either.

Can I use an iMac G5 (with built-in iSight) with an external iSight as well

I like the built-in iSight for chat and video conferencing but I need to use an external webcam for capturing objects.
Can I use an external iSight with my iMac with built-in iSight?

Yes

Very dark picture with built-in iSight

Hi,
with my 3 month old intel iMac it seems that the picture I get with the built-in iSight is much darker than with my previous white iMac G5 with built-in iSight.
My new iMac sits in the very same place as my previous iMac G5, yet the picture quality in terms of brightness is only mediocre.
Is there a way for me to adjust the settings for my iSight?
Has anybody else noticed this? Could it be a hardware problem?
Thank you,
Torsten

Have you closed and opened Photo Booth? This is often all that is required.
This also can help:
Open the iChat application>video preview. If it is dark as well select:
iChat>change my picture>take a snap shot. Close iChat and open Photo Booth.
I haven't found the sniper solution yet, it doesn't happen very often.

Record video with built in iSight?

My friend just got a new MacBook and we can't figure out if you can record video with the built in iSight. I know you can take pictures with Photo Booth, and from my research you can record video with the external iSight through iMovie. I figured you woud be able to do the same with the built in iSight, but when I open iMovie, it does not detect a camera. Can you not record video with the built in iSight or am I doing something wrong?
MacBook Mac OS X (10.4)

When you open iMovie look at the switch under the screen. You will see a camera on the left of the switch and scissors on left. Flip the switch to the camera and the built in camera should come on. Then on the screen it will say record with isight. That starts the record.

Recording Video for Email with Built-In ISight

I am using iMovie HD and the built-in iSight camera to record video messages. While I certainly want the video to be sent with everything in its right place, it would be easier to make the video if during recording the image were a mirror image (as if I were looking in a mirror). This is done for iChat. Can this be done while recording in iMovie?

No; iChat has that facility built in. You see yourself as if in a mirror; the other person sees you as you are.
To do it in iMovie you'd need to record your footage, then apply the 'Mirror' video effect to the clip ..it's under 'Editing', beneath the Clips pane, and then the 'Video F/X' tab.
You'd have to slide the 'Horizontal' slider all the way to the right in order to flip the clip and get a proper mirror image. Rendering may take a while, depending on how long your clip is.
The audio will probably be dreadful, so it's best to Extract the audio from the clip first, before 'Mirror'ing.
But why email a mirror image of yourself? It'd look very odd to the recipient! (..even if it looks OK to you..) ..Whoever receives it - if they know you - will think that something's wrong; your smile will be wrong (tilted the wrong way), any distinguishing marks will look wrong ..it just won't look like you at all!

Problem with built-in iSight

Hello,
I am having trouble with my Macbook Pro's built in iSight. I appreciate any help anyone could give me.
As of a couple of days ago, iChat and Photobooth are now unable to access the iSight camera. iChat states, "There is no camera attached to this computer." Photobooth gives the error "There is no connected camera."
The weird thing is, Skype and any flash based software are still able to use the camera perfectly.
System profiler lists the camera correctly as "Built-in iSight" under USB. It doesn't list any problems. Nothing else is attached to the computer.
I have tried resetting the PRAM, resetting the SMC, repairing disk permissions (twice), and reinstalling 10.6.4 with the combo updater.
Can anyone think of anything else to try?
I would think it was a hardware problem, except that several programs are able to use the camera. It just seems to be Apple software (iChat, photobooth, Quicktime X) that are unable to see that there is a camera built in.
Thanks anyone for your time and help.
-Matt

MMariska wrote:
Hello,
I am having trouble with my Macbook Pro's built in iSight. I appreciate any help anyone could give me.
As of a couple of days ago, iChat and Photobooth are now unable to access the iSight camera. iChat states, "There is no camera attached to this computer." Photobooth gives the error "There is no connected camera."
The weird thing is, Skype and any flash based software are still able to use the camera perfectly.
System profiler lists the camera correctly as "Built-in iSight" under USB. It doesn't list any problems. Nothing else is attached to the computer.
I have tried resetting the PRAM, resetting the SMC, repairing disk permissions (twice), and reinstalling 10.6.4 with the combo updater.
Can anyone think of anything else to try?
I would think it was a hardware problem, except that several programs are able to use the camera. It just seems to be Apple software (iChat, photobooth, Quicktime X) that are unable to see that there is a camera built in.
Thanks anyone for your time and help.
-Matt
Welcome to Discussions, -Matt.
You seem to have tried all relevant suggestions from http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090
When only a couple of apps give trouble, their preference files might be corrupted. If you are using the OS X version of Skype successfully, my suggestion is that you reset the preferences for the apps that are giving trouble. If you need help:
Here is how to reset Photo Booth preferences:
• Quit Photo Booth if it is running.
• Delete the com.apple.PhotoBooth.plist file from your ~ (Home) /Library/Preferences folder.
• Restart Photo Booth and test. A new .plist file will be created when you launch.
Resetting iChat is similar except iChat's camera preferences are kept in the com.apple.PhotoBooth.plist file in the same directory.
Be sure to quit iChat before you reset preferences. When you start iChat again after tossing your iChat.plist file, you will need to reset any preferences that you want to be different from the default values.
Message was edited by: EZ Jim
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.4) MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.4)
LED Cinema Display G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

Making small video "e-mail" with built in iSight

I am very new to the discussions and I apologize for the newbie question...
I travel a lot. I have a new MacBook Pro that has the built in iSight camera. I would like to make little five minute "movie postcards" that I can e-mail to my family to stay in touch. My wife is PC (one of those "mixed marriages"), so I don't think I can get video iChat to work well. So my "video postcard" idea might be worthwhile.
Is there a "beginner's guide" to accomplishing this? It would be great if the little "postcard" was in QuickTime and small enough to send as an e-mail attachment.
Thoughts would be appreciated, and again, I'm sure that this is all beginner's stuff!

QuickTime Player Pro can be used to record an AV Message (File/New Movie Recording), then just select File/Share to send it as an email attachment ...

External webcams -- do any work with built-in isight?

I have an intel Macbook with the built-in isight camera. I'd like to be able to use an external web cam -- but I can't get any to work -- the machine simply ignores them.
Can anyone tell me which, if any, external cams have worked with this setup?
And for those who may ask -- the isight works fine, but I'd like the flexibility of having a cam on a cord so I can point it around the room without have to move the entire laptop.
Thanks,
John

jackthelad wrote:
This appears to be the closest thread I could find regarding the use of external webcams with OSX.
I recently acquired an XBox 360 webcam which for all of my pre-purchase research told me was suprisingly compatible with Macs. I am running 10.4.11 on an Intel Macbook, but the webcam does not produce an image. Before I accept the reality that I've possibly purchased a faulty camera, I wanted to check here to see if perhaps I needed a driver, or some additional software to make it operative. I've installed the most recent MacCam app as a precautionary measure although my understanding is that the XBox 360 should run natively on Tiger and above, a simple plug & play. Although the camera is recognized in my System Profiler, again it doesn't produce an image, nor does it appear to to powering up via the 2.0 USB port, not even with the addition of MacWeb.
I'm I missing something, or have I just purchased a lemon? Any feedback?
macam is not required for your XBox 360 Live webcam (or any other UVC webcam) when used with Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later. You can uninstall it from your 10.4.11 Mac.
If you have not recently done so, shut down your Mac and do a cold boot (not merely a "Restart.") If restarting your Mac does not correct the problem, try all suggestions related to built-in iSight from http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090
(You can use the suggestions for your webcam because both it and built-in iSight are USB cams.)
If your ONLY problem is with one particular app that is supposed to use a webcam, you may simply need to reinstall that one app.
However, if the testing suggested there shows that your webcam problem occurs in all apps in more than one user account, the reset suggested there may restore proper webcam function.
However, if your XBox 360 Live webcam still does not work after carefully following all relevant suggestions in the "How to Troubleshoot iSight" article but it does show as a USB device in your Mac's System Profiler, your problem may be with your Mac OS. Try applying the 10.4.11 Combo Update using the following process:
• Use Disk Utility to repair permissions.
• Download and install OS X 10.4.11(Intel) Combo Update: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL172
(PPC Mac users should use http://support.apple.com/kb/DL170)
• Immediately after the restart that completes the update, repair permisssions again.
If necessary, use the suggestions from http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090 again after applying the Combo Update to determine if the symptoms are the same.
EZ Jim
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.2) MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.2)
LED Cinema Display G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

UnHappy With Built in iSight

I have a macbook and im kind of unhappy with the built in iSight. I think it is awsome idea for location but the quality is not that great. Ive seen many pictures on apples website showing confrences but unfortunatly my iChat conferences are always blurry no matter the connection. Am i doing something wrong with my iSight or is there anyway to enhance the picture quality?? Thanks in advance for the help

The perceived poor video quality probably has nothing to do with the built-in camera itself. More likely it has to do with Internet connection speeds or some other issue.
I suggest you try connecting to me at [email protected] or to one of the other testers for additional feedback.

Recording with Built-in iSight

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