A full camera app that runs in a browser tab
Camera Studio connects to any camera your browser can see - a laptop's built-in webcam, a USB webcam, a capture card, a phone-as-webcam app or the front and rear cameras of a phone or tablet. Pick a device, choose a resolution and frame rate, and the preview updates immediately without reloading the page. There's nothing to install and no account to create.
The studio is laid out like desktop photo software on large screens - preview in the centre, settings on the right, gallery underneath - and like a native camera app on phones, with the shutter in thumb reach and settings in a bottom sheet.
What you can do in the studio
Take photos
- A real shutter button, or press Space.
- A self-timer of 3, 5 or 10 seconds with an on-screen countdown.
- Mirror and vertical flip, applied to the preview and the saved photo.
- A rule-of-thirds grid to help with framing. The grid is never saved into the photo.
- Export as JPG, PNG or WebP at the full resolution the camera delivers.
Record video
- Record camera video with microphone audio, or turn the microphone off for silent clips.
- Pause and resume without creating separate files.
- Choose Standard, High or Maximum quality, and a file format your browser can produce natively - WebM or MP4.
- Recordings appear in the gallery the moment you stop, ready to play back and download.
Apply filters and effects
- Twelve looks - Normal, Natural, Cinematic, Vintage, Warm, Cool, Black & White, Soft, Vivid, Sepia, Retro and Dramatic.
- Seven adjustments - brightness, contrast, saturation, temperature, exposure, blur and sharpness.
- Background blur and background replacement using an on-device segmentation model.
Filters and effects are rendered on your graphics processor and applied to the exact frames that are saved, so the photo or video you download matches the preview.
Zoom
Use the zoom chips (1×, 2×, 4×), the zoom slider, a pinch gesture on touch screens, or Ctrl + scroll on a computer. If your camera supports optical or hardware zoom, the studio uses it. If it doesn't, the studio offers digital zoom up to 4×, which crops into the image; drag the picture to choose which part stays in frame. A small navigator shows where you are in the full image.
Hardware controls, shown only when they work
Many webcams let the browser change exposure, focus, white balance, zoom or the torch (flash light) on phones - but many don't. The studio asks your camera what it supports and only shows a control when it can actually change the image. A missing slider isn't a bug: it means your camera or browser doesn't expose that setting to websites.
When hardware controls are missing, the filter adjustments are a good substitute. Exposure and Temperature in the Filters tab are applied in software and give similar results to the hardware equivalents.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Take a photo, or start/stop recording |
| P | Pause or resume a recording |
| + / − | Zoom in / out |
| 0 | Reset zoom |
| G | Toggle the composition grid |
| M | Toggle mirror |
| F | Toggle fullscreen |
Where your photos and videos go
Everything you capture is created in your browser and shown in the gallery. By default the gallery is kept in memory for this visit only - close the tab and it's gone. If you turn on Keep media on this device, captures are stored in your browser's own local database (IndexedDB) so they survive a reload. In both cases files stay on your device; nothing is uploaded to us.
From the gallery you can preview, download or delete a capture, or select several and download them together as one ZIP file.
Getting the best image from a webcam
- Light your face from the front. A window or lamp behind the screen is the single biggest improvement you can make. Light from behind turns you into a silhouette.
- Choose the highest resolution that stays smooth. Check the Preview fps in the Camera tab. If it drops below about 24, step down one resolution.
- Raise the camera to eye level. Looking down into a laptop camera is unflattering; a few books under the laptop fix it.
- Use filters lightly. A small increase in exposure and a touch of warmth usually look more natural than a strong preset.
- Clean the lens. Fingerprints cause a hazy glow around bright areas.
Which tool should I use?
The studio is the full workspace. If you only need one thing, the focused pages are quicker:
- Take a Photo Online - photo mode with the timer and formats front and centre.
- Video Recorder - opens straight into recording.
- Camera Filters - opens with the filter panel ready.
- Online Camera - one button, one photo, nothing else.
- Webcam Test - diagnostics instead of capture.