Twelve looks, tuned for webcams
Each look is a complete colour grade built for faces on small webcam sensors, not a generic photo filter. Pick one as a starting point, then fine-tune it with the adjustment sliders.
| Look | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | The camera's image, untouched | Accurate colour, documents, official photos |
| Natural | A touch more contrast, colour and crispness, slightly warmer | Everyday calls and profile photos |
| Cinematic | Muted colour, teal shadows and warm highlights, soft vignette | Moody portraits, intros, creative videos |
| Vintage | Faded blacks, warm tint, gentle grain and vignette | A film-photo feel |
| Warm | Shifts white balance towards orange | Cold blue light from screens or overcast days |
| Cool | Shifts white balance towards blue | Rooms lit by very warm bulbs |
| Black & White | Removes colour and adds contrast | Classic portraits; hides mixed lighting |
| Soft | Lower contrast with a gentle glow | Flattering skin, harsh lighting |
| Vivid | Strong colour and extra crispness | Products, colourful objects, bright scenes |
| Sepia | Warm brown monochrome with a light vignette | An old-photo look |
| Retro | Muted, slightly shifted colour with grain | Playful, nostalgic videos |
| Dramatic | High contrast, darker exposure, strong vignette and sharpening | Bold portraits and thumbnails |
Adjustments
The sliders work on top of whichever look you choose. Double-click a slider to reset it.
| Slider | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness | Lifts or darkens the whole image | A slightly underexposed webcam |
| Contrast | Separates lights and darks | Flat, washed-out images |
| Saturation | Intensity of colour; all the way down is monochrome | Over-saturated cheap webcams, or to add punch |
| Temperature | Warmer (orange) or cooler (blue) white balance | Correcting the colour cast of your room light |
| Exposure | Photographic stops of light, gentler on highlights than brightness | Dark rooms, without blowing out a window behind you |
| Blur | Softens the whole image | A dreamy look, or hiding detail |
| Sharpness | Crisper edges | Soft, slightly blurry webcam lenses |
Quick recipes
- Dim room, grainy image: Exposure up a little, Contrast up slightly, Sharpness at zero (sharpening exaggerates noise).
- Face looks orange under a lamp: Temperature towards blue until skin looks natural.
- Face looks grey or blue in daylight: Temperature towards orange, or choose Warm.
- Washed-out laptop camera: Natural plus a little Contrast.
- Harsh overhead light: Soft, with Brightness slightly down.
Background blur and replacement
Open the Effects tab to change what's behind you:
- Blur softens the background while keeping you sharp, with a strength slider.
- Colour replaces the background with a solid colour - pick a preset or any colour you like.
- Image replaces the background with a picture from your device. The picture is read by your browser and is never uploaded.
These effects use a person-segmentation model that runs on your device. The model file is downloaded once from our server; after that, every frame is analysed inside your browser. The camera image is never sent anywhere.
Tips for cleaner background effects
- Contrast helps. Segmentation works best when you stand out from the background. A dark jumper against a dark wall is harder to separate.
- Light your face. Good front light gives the model a much clearer outline.
- Lower the resolution if it stutters. Segmentation is the most demanding effect. 720p is usually smooth even on older laptops.
- Expect soft edges around hair. Fine hair and fast hand movements are the hardest parts for any segmentation model.
How the filters work
Filters are rendered on your graphics processor using WebGL 2, so they stay smooth even at 1080p. Every frame from the camera is graded once, and the same processed frame is used for the preview, for photos and for recordings - so what you see is exactly what you save.
If your browser can't use WebGL 2, the studio falls back to a simpler renderer and shows Basic rendering at the top of the preview. Looks still work, but some effects are simplified.
Using filters with photos and videos
- In photo mode, the current look and adjustments are baked into the saved JPG, PNG or WebP.
- In video mode, the recording includes whatever is on screen - you can even switch looks mid-recording.
- Filters can't be removed afterwards, so if you might want the original, take a second shot with Normal.
Ready to shoot? Use the filtered camera to take a photo or record a video, or open the full Camera Studio.