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Simon Willison’s Weblog

Doing more with the iSight

The iSight came close to being the biggest disappointments of my new Mac experience. It looks gorgeous and appears to integrate seamlessly with iChat AV, although as I don’t currently have any contacts with an iSight I haven’t been able to try video conferencing yet. The dissapointment is that there was no clear way of using it to capture video directly—a feature that I reasonably expected from iMovie. Apple’s knowledge base knocks the point home pretty clearly:

iSight is intended for use as a video conferencing camera, and does not output the DV format necessary for capturing video with iMovie.

Well that sucks. Thanksfully before writing the thing off completely I did some Googling and turned up this excellent O’Reilly article: Making Movies with the Apple iSight, which shows how Apple’s free QuickTime Broadcaster software can be used to capture footage straight from the iSight to disk.

Surprisingly for Apple the procedure is far from transparent, but at least it’s possible.

Oh, and the biggest disappointment? The fabled backlit keyboard, which tends to be drowned out by the light from the laptop screen making it more of a gimmick than a useful feature.

Posted 13th January 2004 at 1:15 am

This is Doing more with the iSight by Simon Willison, posted on 13th January 2004.

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42 comments

  1. Two points --

    First, if you're looking for someone to iChat with, dotmac.info has an iChat registry of people looking to chat: iChat Registry

    Second, I agree with you about the iSight and iMovie integration. The new version of iMove (due Friday in the iLife package) will allow you to do this. iLife costs $49 but it comes with new versions of iPhoto and iDVD as well, and it features GarageBand, a very cool new music making app.

    SomeBob - 13th January 2004 01:46 - #

  2. There was a lovely demo at MacWorld of Boinx's iStopMotion and iRecordNow.

    The latter handles the recording from iSight or J. Random Webcam device.

    The former provides stop-motion and time-lapse recording. They had a little Lego robot figure you could animate ala Walace and Gromit at their booth. Not that I'm itching to do stop motion animation, but it was pretty cool.

    Bill Humphries - 13th January 2004 01:58 - #

  3. The keyboard backlight (on my old 17" model) is actually surprisingly useful. You just need to use the backlight keys to adjust the brightness the same way you would the volume level. I expected a gimmick, but I love it...

    Owen - 13th January 2004 02:14 - #

  4. QuickTime Broadcaster can capture video from iSight, as can the new iMovie (as a student, the iLife package will set you back $25).

    Jacques Distler - 13th January 2004 02:46 - #

  5. I also didn't think much of the backlit keyboard until I discovered the brightness controls, now I find it quite useful. You should also try out ToySight if you want a fun game to use with it.

    Matthew Walker - 13th January 2004 04:34 - #

  6. Didn't Our Steve mention the fact that the new iMovie '04 can dow record from iSight in his iKeynote this year?

    Moof - 13th January 2004 07:57 - #

  7. Yes, the new iMovie will allow you to use your iSight as a video input device! You can read about it at Apple's iMovie page: http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/

    Matthew Smith - 13th January 2004 15:37 - #

  8. Don't leave out: www.ichatfinder.com and www.ichatters.com You'll find iSight users around the world at these two sites.

    Todd - 13th January 2004 16:07 - #

  9. Does anyone know of an alternative camera that will work with iChat AV? I am thinking of getting one but balk at the limited applications (plus only one person I know will have one)...

    B'Mike - 13th January 2004 17:37 - #

  10. ...or, approaching it the other way, will the iSight work in Yahoo Messenger etc?

    B'Mike - 13th January 2004 17:41 - #

  11. Yes, the iSight works with Yahoo Messenger

    anonymous - 13th January 2004 18:45 - #

  12. To clear up a bit of the confusion, iSight is a firewire webcam, not a digital video (DV) camera. This is why it wouldn't work in the soon-to-be-obsolete version of iMovie - iMovie only supports DV cameras. Kudos to Apple for improving this, as it was a pretty common misconception, only encouraged by being able to use a DV camera with iChat AV.

    As for other iSight apps, it will work with anything that any other firewire webcam will work with, such as BTV, Quicktime broadcaster, Yahoo messenger, and so on.

    As for other cameras to use with iChat AV, any firewire webcam will do, as will a firewire-equipped DV camera. If you use a DV camera, it's a good idea to plug it in rather than drain the battery. Also, people have noticed that the auto-off feature is annoying, but can be bypassed on some models by removing the tape.

    matt - 15th January 2004 15:41 - #

  13. If you want to find other iSight users, try www.ichatfinder.com which is a fairly high quality general interest site for iChat AV users around the globe. Name a topic and there's likely someone else who wants to chat about it using text, audio, or video. If your only interest is a gay/lesbian chat room, then try ichatters.com. Each of these sites has more than 10,000 members (tells ya something, doesn't it) and there are some others that are too small to be much fun.

    Tando - 5th February 2004 16:42 - #

  14. actually, you _can_ make movies with isight and the newest imovie (v4, comes with ilife). it's stupid that apple expects you to shell out another $40 for the app after you've already spent $150 on the camera, but well, at least there's an option.

    though it's very, very little consolation.

    stephanie - 29th March 2004 09:01 - #

  15. Interesting to hear your biggest disappointment was the backlit keyboard. I bought the 12" powerbook fully expecting the backlit keyboard and it doesnt have one - it was only on the 17" model. Now that was disappointing - I was looking forward to that feature!

    litsl - 13th June 2004 12:41 - #

  16. Hi. I have a Mac with OSX. Am planning to buy a webcam to communicate with a friend who has a PC (and a PC webcam). We communicate on Yahoo Messenger. 1. If I buy iSight, will I be able to use it to send my friend video through Yahoo Messenger? Since he has a PC he won't be able to use iChat. 2. I understand Yahoo Messenger for Mac does not support audio, right? So my iSight mic will be useless for this? 3. Are firewire cams better than USB cams? Note: I can receive video from my friend on Yahoo Messenger. Anyone out there who has successfully used his or her iSight with Yahoo Messenger for Mac to send video, please confirm that this is possible and easy. Thanks! Any other advice will also be appreciated! Joey

    Joey - 28th August 2004 16:44 - #

  17. i am using Yahoo Messenger 2.5.3 for Mac OS X. can anyone tell me if i can use iSight to chat through Yahoo Messenger, considering most of my friends have pcs and cannot use iChat.

    Jantra Jacobs - 21st August 2005 09:16 - #

  18. I have an iSight, and have recently been trying to use it with Yahoo Messenger. I haven't been successful yet. It appears that YM is broadcasting, since the video from my iSight comes up on the screen within YM. But when friends try to view my webcam through YM on their machines, it says my webcam is not available! Any ideas??

    Suman - 30th August 2005 20:26 - #

  19. My iSight doesn;t even work with Yahoo 2.5.3 for OS X anymore. One day, it just decided to stop working. The little green light comes on, but there is no picture and the status says it is stopped. As of yes, Yahoo hasn;t been of any help, other than telling me to download BTV to test my iSight's compatibility with my system. Of course, that was pointless. I am sure it is the program itself - I really wish Yahoo would update the program to be comparable to the PC version :/ My iSight still works with other programs.

    Jarrett - 13th September 2005 06:04 - #

  20. My iSight works on Yahoo 2.5.3 for OS X. I have found that I can only use it with Yahoo when I am not on another application as well, for example iChat. If I do have another application open then yahoo will just say that it is broadcasting..but no picture will be available. I really wish that mac would update their msn!!!

    Jantra - 6th October 2005 03:05 - #

  21. i just tried Tiger's own iMovie HD and it can capture video from iSight. Perhaps now is the time, long waited, happily embraced.

    victor zambrano - 12th October 2005 03:12 - #

  22. Are there other confirmations of iSight compatibilty w/ Yahoo Messenger? What about Skype?

    Brett - 17th October 2005 18:52 - #

  23. iSight also works w/skype but you cannot have it running with any other application. contrary to what the box says, iSight can be used with dial up and at a 56 kb modem rate and though is slightly delayed, it still very good.

    Jantra - 18th October 2005 02:53 - #

  24. I am in the market for an Apple Powerbook, but just heard, that iSight does not work with Yahoo, or it's a drag to set it up. Can't these guys at Apple stress better compatibility. After all, they are going 2006 after a number of prospective new customers with the new Intel platform.

    Michael OZ - 20th November 2005 13:32 - #

  25. My isight works on my old Ti powerbook in OS tiger with AIM by using ichat (video and audio), and the video works with Yahoo IM but no audio, and it also works with Skype as a great microphone. (when chat with friends oversea without AIM, I use Yahoo's video and Skype's audio and it work perfect running in the same time) I got it a day after thanksgiving at apple store for US$119 (did not know about the one day only sale just got lucky). If you have a mac and wants a webcam, theres no excuse anymore because it works with all major pc IM software now. I video chat with people everywhere theres wireless hotspot, and isight takes only a little power from my laptop. Isight provides very good quality video and better audio than most webcam pc or mac, the price is higher because of the firewire connection and it came with all accessories you need (even a little plastic tube to protect the came when travel). There is almost no setup require and it looks great..... Long time PC user and lover, but loves my Mac too now because of Isight

    joe - 1st December 2005 02:48 - #

  26. Joe, Skype worked a treat for us too, we used the same workaround (after giving up on the webcam - Isight audio via Yahoo) on Christmas day and it worked fine between Prague and Huntington Beach CA. The images were a little stilted but the audio was excellent...the overall experience was amzing really.

    Booda - 30th December 2005 17:15 - #

  27. I have a G5 and would like to use the iSight camera and microphone with skype. It turns on automatically with iChat but turns off when I try skype. What am I doing incorrectly? Do I require any other software?

    Everard Guitry - 3rd February 2006 00:28 - #

  28. Help! I've bought a new isight. Almost all my friends use windows computers. I have failed to broadcast from isight, though of course I can receive pictures from them. Can someone tell me how I can use my isight to broadcast to windows users?

    John West - 4th March 2006 15:23 - #

  29. ichat is perported to work with AIM Video Chat (but not the latest version of AIM on PC). Use goggle and look for "ichat isight AIM". Also, check http://www.mvldesign.com/video_conference_tutorial .html. But, if you check my blog, you'll see I have had very little success. There are a bunch of firewall settings that have to be "just so" on both sides. I never had this problem with Video conferenceing PC-to-PC. Yahoo for Mac works but there is no audio yet (and picture quality is very poor). I have yet to do all the "port forwarding" that is suggested because that just should not be necessary. Also, it would break other video conferencing going on from other computers on the same (home) network. Good luck. I've been frustrated for weeks

    fred avolio - 11th April 2006 19:08 - #

  30. I just bought a new Intel Mini and also purchased an iSight cam. For four days, I thought I was lucky, because my iSight worked very well with Yahoo IM (not as fast as iChat AV, but acceptable). Then out of the blue...I'd try to start my cam in yahoo...and it would say..."connecting...stopped." This lasted a day until last night...miraculously...I was able to view my webcam in the broadcast window. It said..."Broadcasting...No viewers." The new problem is now I can't invite anyone to view, nor can I view anyone's cam in yahoo. I just don't know what gives. Four good days, then boom! Does anyone think there are iChat/Yahoo protocol issues...and maybe I should reinstall iChat? I reinstalled Yahoo twice...hoping that was the problem. Thanks ALL!

    fitgraphisva - 3rd June 2006 14:41 - #

  31. I have an iSight cam and a G4 Emac running )S 10.3.9 ... i have had NO PROBLEMS whatsoever using Yahoo video chat for over a year (no sound of course) THEN 2 days ago ... EVERYTHING has stopped ... i cannot reciever video and cannot broadcast ... HELP PLEASEEEEEEEE !!!!!!

    Ian - 4th June 2006 13:26 - #

  32. Well Ian...it looks as if you and I started experiencing the SAME PROBLEM at precisely the SAME TIME. Mine stopped working Thursday evening, June 1, 2006. Hmmm...now I am wondering if its a Yahoo issue...and not us! I contacted Yahoo Help with my concern...but of course all I have received so far is the usual "form" email stating they are checking on my problem. Ian...please send Yahoo an email detailing your problem. If they get enough complaints, maybe they'll work on it. Why don't we ALL blast Yahoo with messages? Think that would help? One final note: From what I have been reading in online Business News, Apple and Yahoo haven't been playing nicely together lately. Could this be a sign? Cheers!

    firgraphisva - 4th June 2006 14:30 - #

  33. Hey Ian and firgraphisva, my webcam on yahoo IM just stopped a few days ago. I cannot receive any vid and when I ask others to accept my webcam invite it say on their computer that my webcam is not available. This has just started to happen in the last few days. Must be yahoo then.

    Alan - 4th June 2006 22:07 - #

  34. Hi Alan ... Hi Firgraphisva ... FANTASTIC to see comments from u guys do quickly ... OKKK - so i guess we can assume that our trusty Macs are NOT the problem ... which comes as NO surprise (I have been a Mac user for 16 years) ... ... oh well - i agree - the best we can do is BOMBARD Yahoo ... DAILY ... So let's do it - contact all your friends who are Mac users ... ... ...

    Ian - 5th June 2006 05:34 - #

  35. So what is the video chat application of choice for cross platform communication now that Yahoo no longer works for us???

    Ian - 6th June 2006 03:38 - #

  36. Ian...don't know the answer to that. Haven't even tried Yahoo since Sunday. Who knows? Maybe it's working now. But I doubt it.

    fitgraphisva - 6th June 2006 21:34 - #

  37. hi there... just chiming in that my yahoo messenger stopped working with video around June 1 too. My only difference is that I was using a Logitech Quickcam 4000 instead of an iSight - this has worked fine for the last year or two since finding the free maccam driver, but suddenly stopped around 6/1. Sound like it must be yahoo and not our macs... I'll keep checking back for updates, glad to hear its not just me or my mac...

    jon - 7th June 2006 10:52 - #

  38. I was just googling to see if I could resolve the fact that I could not view a friend's webcame via yahoo with my mac... I see I am not the only one for whom this problem started recently... anyone gotten it to work again?

    xaa - 12th June 2006 23:23 - #

  39. I was able to VIEW a friend's webcam on Yahoo tonight. HOWEVER they were not able to view mine. Very annoying. So...I bombed Yahoo with still another email telling of my trouble and requesting they keep working to resolve it. I also mentioned that I corresponded with other iSight users (on here) and they were experiencing the same problem. Keep up the harassment! Maybe it'll work...someday.

    fit_graphis_va - 13th June 2006 02:24 - #

  40. ChatFinder.com has free iChat tech support from other members and they are skilled. Just sign up as a free basic member - you don't have to be a paid member to use it. Great iChat and AIM directory with most wierdos screened out. About 40,000 members.

    Tando - 25th June 2006 13:53 - #

  41. I just found out from another message board that apparently Yahoo did a software upgrade to their systems on 5/31/06. Unfortunately, not all their ducks were in a row (or they did not care) and the upgrade rendered iSight cams inoperable on Yahoo. Great! They claim they are working feverishly to solve the problem. Well, naturally I am skeptical. It's only been about a month!

    fit_graphis_va - 26th June 2006 01:47 - #

  42. My sister, who has I-Sight and a Mac, and I (who have a PC with a Logitech cam) can video chat seamlessly with SightSpeed, a free application.

    Kathy - 12th July 2006 23:53 - #

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