Using the built-in camera as a webcam

Hello all. I would like a way to keep an eye on my puppy while I am at work. Ideally, I would be able to open my mac and point the camera towards his cage and be able to see that through a website, like a webcam. Is this possible? Thanks for the help!
Kevin

KeyCamX or EvoCam are both good for this. It's a hoot to see what my girls are doing when I'm not home.

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Is There A Way To Use The Built In Camera As A Webcam ?

I Use My Laptop Alot For MSN. And Was Wondering If There Was Anyway To Use The Built In Camera As A Webcam. Do You Have To Have A Certain Softwear ? Or A Certain Programme ? Or Should I Just By A Seperate Webcam And Use That ? HELP

Welcome to Apple Discussions, flobadob_93
Until you can get Help making Microsoft Messenger 7 work for you, you can use either of the following:
aMSN Mercury
Either can provide text and and use your MacBook's iSight to make webcam video (no audio at this time) connections with your "MSN" contacts. Because either provides the same functions, use whichever you find easier or more reliable.
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

How do I use the built-in camera or webcam?

I know this may sound very elementary but there was no documentation with my Mac when I bought it new (except a thin flimsy pamphlet with very baic stuff in it) and the help menu comes up with nothing at all when I search for web cam, webcam or isight.
Where do I go to learn about how to use the built-in camera/web cam as a camera and also as a web cam?
Thank you

VortexBoy wrote: ... I know this may sound very elementary but there was no documentation with my Mac when I bought it new (except a thin flimsy pamphlet with very baic stuff in it)...
There should have been a seventy page booklet in the box with your new iMac. If yours is the latest version, clicking here will download it if you cannot find the physical copy. If yours is an older iMac model, you can search for the correct manual from the iNtel iMac Support Page > "Manuals" link.
After that, Mac 101 is a great web-based information source. If you don't need general help, take a look here for specifics about each application of interest.
VortexBoy wrote: ... and the help menu comes up with nothing at all when I search for web cam, webcam or isight....
If your posted info is correct that you are running Mac OS X (10.7.3), you should be able to get started by using your Mac's Finder > Help menu command. Searching for "camera" (without quotation marks) on my 10.7.3 Mac returns Mac's Help article entitled "Use your Mac’s built-in camera." This is the web version of the same help.
Other apps, like QuickTime Player (the Lion QT 10.x version), and iMovie (part of iLife that came with your Mac) can also use your iMac's camera.
iMovie Help or this web page version of the same help will explain how to "Record video directly into iMovie".
Use QTX Player's File > New Movie Recording menu command to record video with it. You can configure size and quality of the recorded material by using QTX's preferences as shown in this image:
VortexBoy wrote: ... Where do I go to learn about how to use the built-in camera/web cam as a camera and also as a web cam? ...
Different apps do not all work the same. For function-specific help, search Help in separate camera applications; i.e., after you launch Photo Booth, iChat, QTX, iChat, etc., use the individual app's Help menu command to search for more info on the camera or what you want to do.
This article offers great basic tips about how to position, light, and use built-in cameras. Although its subject shows it was written for iMacs, it is equally applicable to other reader's inbuilt Apple cameras, too.
For more specialized functions than those offered by the camera software already included with your Mac, you can search the Mac App Store for other apps that can use your camera.
For webcam help with iChat, use Apple's iChat Support page if you need more help that that provided in the dialog boxes and iChat > Help on your Mac.
To use your camera with FaceTime, search your Mac's FaceTime > Help or these web versions of the same Help topics that should be available on your Mac.
Skype or other third party webcam apps will offer their own Help menus of varying quality. In additon to these app Help services, some apps offer comprehensive Support services via their web page. If you decide to add Skype to your Mac, you can click here to review the excellent Skype Support pages.
If you need to start a new topic for specific questions after you get started, give as much detail about what you want to do and what you may have already tried unsuccessfully. We will offer specific suggestions based on the details you provide.
Enjoy your new Mac!
EZ Jim
Message was edited by: EZ Jim
Mac OSX 10.7.3

Looking to scan documents using the built in camera on my laptop

Does anyone know of a 3rd party document scanner that supports windows 8.1 and also can scan using the built in camera on a laptop? Everything I found is for tablets and phones. I have a 2 in 1 that I would like to use instead of purchasing another scanner.
This topic first appeared in the Spiceworks Community

Hi,
Your son is right in that Blue Tooth, the Internal Camera the Infra red sensor are all connected as USB devices internally.
It could be that there is an Issue with Numbering devices (most common) and there is a resulting conflict.
If a normal restart or even Shut Down and reboot are not solving this then do the PRAM reset with the wired keyboard
Shut down the computer.
Restart it holding down Apple/CMD ( or ⌘)+ALT( ⌥)+P+R Keys until you have heard three Start Up Bongs.
As the wired keyboard and mouse would be "unpowered" items it does not seem like "juice" issue.
The USB Controller for the Camera and the Blue Tooth connection are linked to the same controller/Bus on my iMac.
Your computer should be able to cope with the Blue Tooth Keyboard and Mouse.
8:24 PM Sunday; January 29, 2012
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Is there a way to use the built in camera with msn

I don't have any friends with a mac so hard to use Ichat. But with my pc i could use webcam and mic but with a mac they don't work at all is there a way to work. I have a Yahoo account and it works there the cam at least not mic. Or do all my friends have to buy a Mac??? I usually use Msn and there isn't even an icon for the mic or cam.

http://www.mebeam.com/
Create a Chatroom.
Adjust your Settings (Allow Flash to control your camera)
Invite Buddies.
7:55 PM Wednesday; February 20, 2008

How to use the built-in camera and mic for commercial video conferencing

I would like to use the camera and microphone to join a commercial video conference - not iChat. How do I do that?

Hi
Dont know, you dont say which commercial video conference software is involved.
Tony

How to use the built in camera in macbook on windows via boot camp?

I can't use the camera on windows but its working on mac os.

Did you download the Windows Software when you ran Bootcamp Assistant? Did you install the downloaded Windows Support Software when you first started Windows?

Using the built in camera

I wish to seen and be seen by the person I'm emailing, or speaking to, but don't know how.
1. How do I set up the camera part.
2. How do I set up the voice part.
Please give step by step instructions as I'm not too tech savy.
Thanks.

X423424XI thanks for the quick reply, i launched iChat and it's asking to set up an account as follows.
Account Type: MobileMe, Mac.com, AIM, Google Talk or Jabber?
Is there a default or a preferred account type?
I will probably be communicating with another Mac.
Can the Screen Name be different then my present screen name.
If yes, I should choose one I'm not presently using, correct?
Do I have to get an iChat Account, if yes is there a charge for it?
Before filling in all these items, will I be asked any additional questions beyond this point that I should prepare for?
I have a 20 iMac 2 GHz Core 2 Duo with OS 10.6 and 3 Gb installed memory.

I can;t get firefox to use my usb web cam. It always uses the built in i sight cam

fire fox uses the built in cam and does not recognize my USB webcam. Independent programs such as Skype, yahoo messenger and I chat have no problem with the USB cam.

hello cl092, unfortunately there are currently authentication issues with the sync server - the admins are investigating this issue. maybe keep an eye on this thread to get updates when sync is restored to working order again: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/966368

Using the built in web cam

I want to make a short little video using the webcam and I thought I could use imovie. I just wanted to send myself talking as a surpirse to my nephew. I can't figure out how to use the built in cam to do this. HELP!

First, at the bottom of the display screen (near the left side) there are some icons, a video camera, a switch, then to the right of both, some scissors, click on the video camera icon (to the left of the scissors), a pop down menu will appear, if you have a webcam installed it should be there (or, built in iSight), do you have iSight on your computer, because if you dont im not sure if this will work.

Can I use my built in camera in other messenger programs?

Is it possible to use the built in camera on my macbook to have video chats in programs other than ichat, such as MSN or Yahoo Messenger? Is the camera only capable of doing video chat within ichat?

The only way on MSN is.
aMSN http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/14200/amsn
Mercury http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/14970/mercury-messenger
Yahoo http://messenger.yahoo.com/mac/
Or both of you use Skype.
Mac version http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/download/skype/macosx/
Pc http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/download/skype/windows/
Or web based http://www.mebeam.com/
Or if you all have a gmail account http://mail.google.com/videochat
And new http://www.tokbox.com/#

How do I use MBP's built-in camera as a webcam?

I want to use my MBP's built-in camera as a webcam so I can use my iPhone to access a website and see what the webcam is pointing at. How do I do this?
Thanks in advance.
/rb

Hello Roger Barre
If you mean a web-based video site, you probably need to configure your "Flash" settings as described here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4761707&#4761707
If you want to stream your own webcam to a page that YOU host, take a look at the apps listed in the Webcam Apps and iSight as a surveillance or Nanny cam sections of Some Applications You Can Use With iSight. If easy is what you are after, EvoCam will probably work for you. However, if you want a powerful, professional-level, streaming webcam solution, check out Apple's QT Broadcaster and Streaming Server.
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

How can I use the built-in Isight camera with an external camera (usb/firewire) at the same time?

How can I use the built-in Isight camera and an external video camera at the same time?
I'm wanting to stream over Oovoo/Skype/etc. using 2 cameras.
Thanks

Simple question with a not so simple answer.
(a) If you mean that you want to run multiple apps simultaneously using a different camera with each app, you may encounter computing power limitations. Digital video is processor intensive. The only way to know if your Mac can do this it to try it. If the video does not work together but each app works when it it the only app running, you are likely overloading your Mac's ability to process and/or move all the required data in your data bus. You can get a better indication of whether this is the case by watching your Activity Monitor utility while running the apps you want to use.
(b) If you mean that you want to have more than one compatible camera connected to your Mac simultaneously for ease of changing between video sources, some, but not necessarily all, apps you are using to operate your camera(s) allow you to select between your cameras.
How you select among connected cameras depends on which application you are using. Here is how camera selection works in a few examples:
(1) For iChat, you can choose which iSight you use in the "Camera:" choices bar in iChat > Preferences... > Audio/Video that appears when more than one compatible camera is connected. Although your camera choices will be different, the choices bar will look something similar to the Preferences settings shown here:
If you cannot see the "Camera" choices bar, your Mac is recognizing only one (or none) of your cameras. In that case, consider the suggestions fromhttp://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090 for iSight problems or refer to your other camera's documentation for help.
This particular choices bar solution applies ONLY to iChat. Most other applications also have settings that allow you to choose which camera to use. However, they do not all work the same way.
(2) For instance, iMovie HD's camera choice is NOT set via Preferences. When you have more than one compatible camera connected, iMovie6 HD uses a drop-down menu choice something like this (depending on which version of iMovie you use):
Note: Because I had no built-in iSight connected when I made this example, and because my external iSight was not connected, the drop-down menu showed only "Time Lapse." Because your Mac has a built-in iSight, your built-in iSight would show in the drop-down menu even when no other camera is connected. Connecting an additional Mac compatible webcam should allow you to choose either camera.
Other iMovie versions work slightly differently.
iMovie 9 (from iLife '11) uses a different camera choice button shown in this article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iMovie/9.0/en/mov39f84285.html
iMovie 8 (from iLife '09) is slightly different as explained in this article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iMovie/8.0/en/10172.html
In general, you can use your Mac's help for the application in use to find out how to select among more than one connected camera.
(3) Photo Booth in Snow Leopard 10.6.x and later uses the Photo Booth > Camera menu command to select which camera to use.
Note for readers with older Mac OS X: The previous version of Photo Booth that came with Tiger (10.4.x) is such a simple, basic app that it offers no menu selectable choice. Unless your built-in iSight is already occupied as the camera being used by some open application before you launch Photo Booth, Photo Booth will use ONLY your built-in iSight.
However, you can use the trick from ¶ 4 of http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302781 to let Photo Booth use an external camera.
(If you have an external Firewire camera connected, it may be used in preference to any USB webcam. If that is a problem for you, merely disconnect the problem Firewire device.)
(4) For FaceTime, launch the app and click the Video menu item.
If your Mac recognizes more than one connected compatible camera, a "Camera" section listing the cameras from which you can choose will appear there. Clicking on the desired camera name will let you select the one you want as shown in this image from my Mac Pro and LED Cinema Display:
If your Mac recognizes only one compatible camera, the "Camera" section will not appear in the Video menu, but FaceTime will automatically use the connected camera that is recognized by OS X.
(5) I do not use Skype oir Oovoo. For those or other apps, see Help for each app for info on how to select your desired camera.
Message was edited by: EZ Jim

Using the built in Isight camera with MSn Messenger

I am trying to use the built in webcam on my MacBook Pro with MSN Messenger. I cannot locate the option to activate the camera. Any help is appreciated.

I have a new Macbook and want to video chat with MSN Messenger users.
Can I do that via aMSN?
I've also got XP running on my Macbook and have installed MSN Messenger running but I cant seem to get XP to recognize the built in camera. Is there a way to do this?
Thanks in advance

Video recording using the built in iSight camera on a MacBook Pro

Hello,
Where do I find directions to record video using the built in iSight camera on a MacBook Pro?
Thank you,
Deb

Hi macosxlover,
Those are the instructions.
Open iMovie
Move the slider to the camera (use it as a drop down if more than one cam is available)
Press the record button to add the video feed as a clip.
Edit as required.
12:00 AM Monday; June 12, 2006

Using the built-in camera as a webcam

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