At Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple announced updates to Continuity which will allow Mac owners to use their iPhone as a high quality webcam.
This new feature, dubbed Continuity Camera, activates automatically when the iPhone is nearby. The iPhone doesn't even have to be awake and connects to the Mac wirelessly. Because of Apple's existing ecosystem, the connected iPhone has access to features that are found on its other products.
For example, you'll be able to use Center Stage, the feature that keeps the user centered in the frame even while they move around. You can also use the Portrait mode feature to create a fake bokeh, or shallow depth of field, around you so that the background is blurred. There's also a Studio Light feature that illuminates a person's face and dims the background, useful for poor lighting conditions.
One interesting new feature is called Desk View. This uses the iPhone's ultrawide camera to simultaneously show the user's face and an overhead shot of their desk. Apple says this is perfect for creating DIY videos or showing off sketches. This would also be great for unboxing videos where you want to show an overhead shot, but lack a separate camera mounted above you.
Obviously, the concept of using your smartphone as a webcam is nothing new. Popular apps like DroidCam, Reincubate Camo, and EpocCam are already available. However, Apple's implementation leverages their software and hardware control and provides a built-in solution for those already in Apple's ecosystem.
Continuity Camera is part of the new features for newest iteration of Apple's desktop operating system, macOS Ventura. Apple announced a plethora of updates for each of its major operating systems along side a new MacBook Air with the M2 chip. There was also a surprising focus on gaming with Apple touting its Metal 3 API that has upscaling tech similar to Nvidia's DLSS and AMD's FidelityFX Supersampling (FSR).
David Matthews is a freelance writer specializing in consumer tech and gaming. He also strongly believes that sugar does not go in grits. Follow him on Twitter @packetstealer.
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This new feature, dubbed Continuity Camera, activates automatically when the iPhone is nearby. The iPhone doesn't even have to be awake and connects to the Mac wirelessly. Because of Apple's existing ecosystem, the connected iPhone has access to features that are found on its other products.
For example, you'll be able to use Center Stage, the feature that keeps the user centered in the frame even while they move around. You can also use the Portrait mode feature to create a fake bokeh, or shallow depth of field, around you so that the background is blurred. There's also a Studio Light feature that illuminates a person's face and dims the background, useful for poor lighting conditions.
One interesting new feature is called Desk View. This uses the iPhone's ultrawide camera to simultaneously show the user's face and an overhead shot of their desk. Apple says this is perfect for creating DIY videos or showing off sketches. This would also be great for unboxing videos where you want to show an overhead shot, but lack a separate camera mounted above you.
Obviously, the concept of using your smartphone as a webcam is nothing new. Popular apps like DroidCam, Reincubate Camo, and EpocCam are already available. However, Apple's implementation leverages their software and hardware control and provides a built-in solution for those already in Apple's ecosystem.
Continuity Camera is part of the new features for newest iteration of Apple's desktop operating system, macOS Ventura. Apple announced a plethora of updates for each of its major operating systems along side a new MacBook Air with the M2 chip. There was also a surprising focus on gaming with Apple touting its Metal 3 API that has upscaling tech similar to Nvidia's DLSS and AMD's FidelityFX Supersampling (FSR).
David Matthews is a freelance writer specializing in consumer tech and gaming. He also strongly believes that sugar does not go in grits. Follow him on Twitter @packetstealer.
Continue reading...