How To Make Your Laptop Webcam Clearer - Techwalla

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How to Make Your Laptop Webcam Clearer By Jennifer Hudock Fact Checked Techwalla may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here. Built-in webcams tend to be lower quality than USB and external webcams.

Whether your holding a video business conference, having a personal video chat with a friend or recording video with your laptop webcam, image clarity plays a huge factor in the quality of the video. There are a number of factors that contribute to the image quality, including available lighting and screen resolution settings.

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Step 1

Adjust your webcam settings, such as brightness contrast, hue and saturation to accommodate the lighting in the room. In order to access your webcam settings, click on "Start" and open the "Control Panel." Choose "Hardware" and then choose your internal webcam from the hardware menu. Select the "Properties" tab to open the setting controls and slide each bar until you achieve the ideal visual settings for your broadcast.

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Step 2

Increase the available lighting behind you when conducting a webcam chat, but do not increase the lighting close to the webcam. A lack of back lighting not only creates a darker image projection, but can cause graininess. Too much light close to the webcam can blanch the image, making it difficult to see.

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Step 3

Adjust your screen resolution. When the image quality is blurred and distorted during a webcam broadcast, lowering your resolution can sharpen the image projection. To lower your resolution, right-click on your desktop and click "Properties." Choose "Screen Resolution," from the available prompts. Lower the screen resolution one step below where it is currently set and test the image quality. If it needs further sharpening, repeat the process until you achieve the desired clarity.

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Step 4

Adjust settings in the video chat program you are using. For example, if you are using Skype, select "Tools" and click on the "Video" icon in the left toolbar. Select "Webcam Settings" and adjust your visual and camera function settings, such as the hue and saturation, as well as lighting compesation.

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Step 5

Test your bandwidth settings. If the traffic on your network is high, and multiple users are sharing the same Internet connection, it can affect your bandwidth and lower the quality of your video projection. In order to conduct a quality video session, you should have minimum bandwidth connection of 128 kbps. To check your bandwidth, visit an online test site like SpeedTest and run a bandwidth check.

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Step 6

Dust off the lens to free dust particles with an air can. Dust particles can cloud the clarity, but you don't want to wipe them away with your fingers or a rough cloth. Blasting the lens with a burst of canned air will blow away debris and help improve picture clarity.

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references & resources

• WorldStart Computer Tips: Webcam Settings
• Lifehacker: Perfect your webcam picture
• Skype: Home
• Speedtest: The Global Broadband Speed Test

Techwalla may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.

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