Rescreen / Free tools / Webcam test
Webcam test
Check your camera works before a call or a recording: see yourself live, read the resolution and frame rate the camera really delivers, and get a plain fix if it is blocked, black, busy or too dark. The picture stays in this browser tab and is never recorded or uploaded.
Test your camera
Your browser will ask to use the camera. Choose Allow. Nothing is opened until you press the button.
Starting the camera…
The picture and its details appear in a moment.
- Resolution
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- Quality
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- Aspect ratio
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- Frame rate (measured)
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- Camera setting
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- Asked for
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Camera switched off.
How to test your webcam
A minute with the preview before a call or a recording.
Allow the camera
Press Test my camera and allow the browser to use it.
Pick your camera
Pick the camera you will use from the list. A laptop, an external webcam, a phone used as a webcam and virtual cameras (OBS, video-call apps) can all appear, and the browser’s default is not always the one you expect.
Check the picture
Look at the picture: are you framed, in focus and lit from the front?
Read the details
Read the result and the details under the preview. They show what the camera is really sending, not what its box promises.
Try the bubble, then stop
Switch to Rescreen bubble to see how much of you is left in the round crop, and press Stop camera when you are done.
What the results mean
- Black picture: the browser opened the camera but every frame is black. Almost always a privacy shutter, a camera key or switch on the laptop, or a lens cap.
- Dark: the picture is underexposed. Face a window or put a lamp behind your screen. Light from behind or above leaves your face in shadow.
- Washed out: a large part of the frame is pure white, usually a bright window behind you.
- Choppy: fewer than 20 frames a second reach the page. Webcams slow down in dim light to expose longer, so more light is the first fix.
- Low resolution: below 640 × 480. Choose a higher quality; if it does not change, that is the camera’s limit.
- Working: usable size, frame rate and brightness. The rest (framing, focus, background) is for your eyes.
Why the resolution is not what the camera’s box says
A web page cannot order a camera to a size. It asks for an ideal size and frame rate, and the browser picks the nearest mode the camera offers. This page shows the size of the frames that actually arrive, which is what a recording made in this browser will get. It can be smaller than the camera’s advertised maximum for a few reasons:
- Many webcams reach their top size only at a lower frame rate, or only in a compressed mode the browser does not use.
- A USB hub, a long extension or an older USB port may not carry the bandwidth, so the camera falls back to a smaller mode.
- Another app, or virtual camera software in between, can fix the size for everyone.
- Some browsers and phones cap the size they hand to web pages.
Use Ask for to try a different request. The Asked for line is what was requested; Resolution is what the camera gave. Frame rate is measured by counting the frames that reach the page, next to the rate the camera says it is set to.
a request, not an order
the camera’s real maximum
The page reports the frames that actually arrive.
Mirrored preview or saved video
Seeing yourself mirrored feels natural, which is why most video apps flip your own preview. It is only a preview. The camera itself sends an unmirrored picture, and that is what a recording saves and what other people see: raise your right hand and it appears on their left, and a poster behind you reads the right way round. Turn off Mirror the preview to see exactly what viewers will see. Rescreen’s own camera preview is not mirrored, for the same reason.
Example
A typical 1080p USB webcam, plugged straight into a laptop and asked for 720p in a lit room, reads 1,280 × 720, 16:9, about 30 fps: “working”. Draw the curtains and the same camera can drop to about 15 fps and read “dark”. Asked for 4K, it answers with 1,920 × 1,080, its real maximum, and the page says so instead of pretending.
If your camera is not working
The browser asked and you pressed Block
Click the icon at the left of the address bar, set Camera to Allow, then press Try again. In Safari, open Safari → Settings → Websites → Camera.
Mac
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera and turn on your browser; macOS may ask you to reopen it. A camera in use by an app such as FaceTime or Zoom can still be shared, but a frozen or black picture usually clears after quitting the other app.
Windows
Open Settings → Privacy & security → Camera, turn on Camera access and Let desktop apps access your camera. Windows lets only one app use a camera at a time, so if the test says the camera could not be started, close Teams, Zoom, the Camera app or OBS first. Many laptops also have a camera key or a privacy slider on the lid.
Phones
Use the phone’s main browser: some apps’ built-in browsers block the camera. Front and back cameras appear as separate entries in the list.
Before a Rescreen walkthrough
The default request here, “Like Rescreen”, asks for the camera the way the Rescreen recorder does: 1,280 × 720 at 30 frames a second. That is plenty for the round bubble in the corner of a screen recording; a bigger camera picture mostly costs upload time. Use theRescreen bubble view to check your face sits in the circle and is not cut off at the top, then choose the same camera in Rescreen. Check your microphone too with themicrophone test, and plan what to say with thescript timer. The tutorial video guide covers when a camera helps and when it is in the way.
Limitations
- The result is a guide from size, frame rate and brightness, not a judgement of picture quality. Look at the preview.
- Frame rate is counted only while this tab is in front: browsers slow hidden tabs. Until it is counted, the camera’s own setting is used.
- The page shows the size the camera gives this browser. Another app on the same computer may get a different size from the same camera.
- Nothing is recorded, so this does not test a saved file. For sound, use the microphone test.
- Camera names appear only after you allow the camera; that is how browsers protect your privacy.
- Tested in Chrome on desktop and at phone screen sizes. It uses standard browser features found in current Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox; it does not work in some in-app browsers.
Is my video uploaded or recorded?
No. The preview plays only in your browser and nothing is recorded. No picture, and no camera name, is sent anywhere. We count anonymous page views, whether the test ran, which result it showed (for example “dark”) and the size class (for example “720p”). See the privacy policy.
Only on your device
Nothing is recorded or uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
How do I test my camera?
Press Test my camera above and allow the browser to use it. You will see a live preview and the resolution, aspect ratio and frame rate your camera actually delivers, with a plain fix if anything is wrong.
Why is my webcam showing a black screen?
Most often a privacy shutter or camera switch is closed, or another app is holding the camera. If the test says the picture is black, check the lens first, then close other apps that use the camera and press Test again.
Why is my webcam blurry or grainy?
Usually too little light: webcams raise their gain in the dark, which adds grain and slows the frame rate. Light your face from the front. A dirty lens and a low resolution are the next things to check.
Does this camera test work on a phone?
Yes, in the phone’s main browser. You will be asked for permission the first time. Choose the front or back camera from the list.
Spend less time editing
your next recording.
Create an account and record your first video in your browser.