Use case
SwapCam for video calls
How the camera feed works
SwapCam sits between your physical webcam and the page using it. It reads the feed from your camera, applies the transformation as the frames arrive, and presents the result as a camera source the page can select. From the application’s point of view, it is reading a camera — it does not know or care that the frames were transformed on the way through.
This is why there is no rendering step and no file to export. What you see in the SwapCam preview is what the other people on the call see, give or take the delay of the call itself.
Selecting SwapCam on a call
- Load the SwapCam extension in Chrome, if you have not already.
- Open the video-call site in a Chrome tab.
- Open SwapCam and choose your source face.
- Enable the camera transformation and check the preview.
- In the call application’s own camera settings, choose SwapCam from the camera list.
- Confirm the application’s self-preview before joining.
Check your own preview first
What to expect
- A short warm-up. The transformation needs a moment to start after you enable it. Enable it before joining rather than during.
- Performance varies by machine. Real-time transformation is continuous work for your computer. Closing other heavy tabs and applications gives it more room.
- Tracking follows your face, not the room. Even, front-facing light and a camera roughly at eye level produce the most stable result.
Limitations
SwapCam runs inside Chrome, so it reaches applications running in a Chrome tab. A video application running as a separate desktop program is outside the browser and will not see the SwapCam source.
Some applications also restrict which camera sources they will accept, or only expose the camera picker in certain places. Where a given application lands on this varies, and we do not publish a supported-platforms list for services we have not tested. If SwapCam does not appear in a camera list, the troubleshooting guide covers what to check.
Responsible use
On a call, the people you are speaking with reasonably assume they are seeing you. Using SwapCam to impersonate a specific real person, to pass identity verification, or to mislead someone about who they are talking to is out of bounds — see the responsible use policy. Some settings, such as workplace meetings and anything involving recording, may also have their own rules about altered video.