At WWDC 2022 conference, Apple announced a new camera feature as part of their continuity mode. If the user has access to a built-in webcam on their Mac PC, you can use it. If not, Apple recommends using the iPhone for this by attaching it to the upper edge of your screen with a cable or other mount.
You can also read: Announcement of macOS Ventura: What’s New!
In the last iPhone update, the company has added new shooting modes to the camera that improve picture quality. As for usefulness, many users report using their front-facing camera only for work calls and not self-portraits, and they are skeptical if these improvements are worth it.
Here is an introduction video from Apple:
iPhone as Webcam in macOS Ventura
You need to follow a few steps to make Continuity work properly.
Step 1: Your devices need to run macOS Ventura and iOS 16. It is advised to have backups created before attempting to install the operating system since a beta release carries more risks than usual.
Here are all the guides that you can use:
For installing macOS Ventura: How to Download and Install macOS Ventura
For installing iOS 16: How to Download and Install iOS 16
Step 2: After installing the newest OS, you should connect your MAC and phone to the same Wi-Fi network.
Step 3: Once unlocked, your iPhone will automatically be recognized as a camera in any application with Continuity add-ons. In an experiment, the iPhone 13 Pro and Facetime were used. Interestingly, even though the program has not been updated for the new operating system, I managed to take photos with my phone instead of the built-in camera.
Step 4: The settings can be found in Control Center. The camera and microphone can be configured separately from each other. This is convenient because you will still have access to any other microphone once done. They are combined suitably easily.
To improve the shooting quality, Apple added a few additional settings:
- Spotlight
- Portrait
- Studio Light
- Desk View
Spotlight lets you keep your face in the center of the image using an ultra-wide-angle camera. For this reason, it needs a lot more light so that there won’t be too much noise in your finished picture. Otherwise, when you use a wide-angle lens, there is less noise. When you turn off this mode, the iPhone will switch to the standard camera, which can take better quality shots.
Desk View is designed to show what’s on your desk while you’re working and the keyboard. Let’s be frank. This mode with the holder showcased at the presentation is not very convenient. The ultra-wide-angle camera for Desk View is mounted to the back of the phone and pointed at the monitor. To take a picture, your phone is held up at this angle that makes the monitor not in front of it but at a distance.
Depending on what device you’re using, viewing the screen may cause discomfort. If you’re using a desktop computer, then this isn’t an issue. But if you’re on a laptop, for example, then moving the keyboard might not work. The camera is made for those with a large desk and does not provide a perfect viewing angle. I would suggest Desk View because the viewing angle is better for those with iMacs, Mac minis, Mac Pros, and Mac Studios. There are still some potential bugs with this app, but hopefully, they’ll get solved with the stable version.
More About Cameras in Mac
There are a lot of Apple computer users who are asking the question – “Why?” They want to know why Apple came up with such a complex tool to improve photo quality instead of just using a regular camera inside the computer.
Yes, the new MacBook Airs have cameras up to 1080p now. But for most people, the old 720p cameras were still enough. Remote work is becoming more popular, and the Covid-19 pandemic has caused people to work from home. Meeting chats are conducted through a front-facing camera on an iPhone, but future implementation will look beyond this model.
This all contrasts with the point that the holder for the phone will need to be purchased separately. We predict the cost of such a holder at about $59. Due to the presence of MagSafe in it, it simply cannot be cheap, and again, the question arises, WHY?
I don’t understand the point of these tricks, to be honest. I think a lot of people will agree with me. However, there will always be those who prefer to do things the hard way just because they are confident that it works. I hope they don’t get any glitches, but it will be fun to add new features.
