Talking about video conferencing on a Mac is such a disappointment. Apple made video calls popular with the iSight camera 20 years ago but now the company seems to be in dark. Apple is now content with selling expensive computers containing awful webcams, year after year. Also, there is no built-in control available for users to improve quality themselves. Apple does not provide System Preferences adjustment for the FaceTime camera on a Mac. You are out of luck in case the video app you’re using doesn’t have its own controls. But you will gain some options if you’re willing to invest a bit of money in an app. In this blog, we will discuss ‘How to adjust camera settings on MacBook pro?’
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Try the Webcam Settings app
There are various apps available through which you can change the settings on your Mac webcam. One of the popular ones is iGlasses as it has many great features. However, it is still difficult to recommend because of various reasons. Firstly, it is costly at $20. Secondly, the app creates a “virtual webcam” which does not work well with FaceTime, Photo Booth, or newer versions of Skype.
We recommend you go for the Webcam Settings app. This is because you can get it for $7.99 in the Mac app store. It also works great on macOS Big Sur and Apple Silicon macs (through Rosetta) and it can directly control features of your webcam. So, it is safe to say that it works with nearly every app. You can adjust many features depending on the hardware features of the camera you’re adjusting. For instance, exposure time, aperture, brightness, contrast, zoom, backlight compensation, focus, etc. You also have the option to save these settings as quick presets.
We know that it is very frustrating to pay money for something that should be available in Apple’s system preferences. But this is the only way and we will help you improve your webcam’s look by spending a little.
Check your webcam maker’s software
If you’ve got an external USB camera, you should look for your camera maker’s website for any free software it offers. We suggest you have one as Apple’s built-in cameras are very bad for remote learning or work. You can install the drivers for better control instead of just plugging in your camera to work with Zoom, FaceTime, and Skype.
For instance, Logitech’s G Hub software is the hub for all Logitech’s gaming gear, including webcams. You also have the option to pop over to the support site and download the company’s Camera Settings app. In this way, you can tweak settings on all Logitech webcams.
Conclusion
We have mentioned all the ways through which you can know the answer to ‘How to adjust camera settings on MacBook pro?’ However, the best thing will be for Apple to recognize the important role webcams play in modern computer use. They should build in camera hardware on par with front-facing iPhone cameras. In order to tweak their settings, it should be accompanied by System Preferences controls. Until this happens, we can only recommend you to spend a bit of money, either on a paid app or an external webcam.