Editing Webcam (section)

== Uses ==
The most popular use of webcams is the establishment of [[Videotelephony|video links]], permitting computers to act as [[Videotelephony|videophone]]s or [[Videotelephony|videoconference station]]s. For example, [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s [[iSight]] camera, which is built into Apple laptops, iMacs and a majority of [[iPhone]]s, can be used for video chat sessions, using the [[Messages (Apple)|Messages]] instant messaging program. Other popular uses include security surveillance, [[computer vision]], video broadcasting, and for recording social videos.

=== Videotelephony ===
{{Further|Videotelephony||}}
[[File:TJ Cox talks with Caruthers Unified and CSBA.jpg|alt=Six people talking|thumb|A video call session with use of webcams]]
Webcams can be added to [[instant messaging]], text chat services such as [[AOL Instant Messenger]], and [[VoIP]] services such as [[Skype]], one-to-one live video communication over the Internet has now reached millions of mainstream [[Personal computer|PC]] users worldwide. Improved video quality has helped webcams encroach on traditional video conferencing systems. New features such as automatic lighting controls, real-time enhancements (retouching, wrinkle smoothing and vertical stretch), automatic [[Facial motion capture|face tracking]] and autofocus, assist users by providing substantial ease-of-use, further increasing the popularity of webcams.

Webcams can also encourage [[remote work]], enabling people to work remotely via the Internet. This usage was crucial to the survival of many businesses during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], when in-person office work was discouraged. Businesses, schools, and individuals have relied on video conferencing instead of spending on business travel for meetings. Moreover, the number of video conferencing cameras and software have multiplied since then due to their popularity. 

Webcam features and performance can vary by [[computer program|program]], [[operating system|computer operating system]], and also by the computer's [[Central processing unit|processor]] capabilities. Video calling support has also been added to several [[List of video telecommunication services and product brands#Software clients –free instant messaging programs|popular instant messaging programs]].

Webcams allow for inexpensive, real-time [[Videotelephony|video chat]] and [[Webcast|webcasting]], in both amateur and professional pursuits. They are frequently used in [[online dating]] and for online personal services offered mainly by women when [[camgirl]]ing. However, the ease of webcam use through the Internet for video chat has also caused issues. For example, moderation system of various video chat websites such as [[Omegle]] has been criticized as being ineffective, with sexual content still rampant.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Problems with Omegle Girls and Free Chat Services |url=http://www.omeglegirlschat.com/omegle-controversy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903121614/http://www.omeglegirlschat.com/omegle-controversy |archive-date=3 September 2013 |access-date=14 May 2013 |publisher=OmegleGirlsChat}}</ref> In a 2013 case, the transmission of nude photos and videos via Omegle from a teenage girl to a schoolteacher resulted in a [[child pornography]] charge.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ex-band teacher pleads guilty to porn charge with girl, 16 |url=http://www.jconline.com/article/20130426/NEWS03/304260027/child-porn-former-teacher-nude-photos |access-date=14 May 2013 |publisher=jconline.com}}</ref>

The popularity of webcams among teenagers with Internet access has raised concern about the use of webcams for [[cyber-bullying]].<ref>Poeter, Damon. "[https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401701,00.asp Webcam Peeper Convicted in Rutgers Cyberbullying Case] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810211439/https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401701,00.asp|date=2017-08-10}}," ''[[PC Magazine]],'' March 16, 2012.</ref> Webcam recordings of teenagers, including underage teenagers, are frequently posted on popular Web forums and [[imageboard]]s such as [[4chan]].<ref>[http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/4chan-reports-child-pornographer-769123 Tip From 4chan Leads To Arrest Of Site Visitor On Child Porn Charges] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328075524/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/4chan-reports-child-pornographer-769123|date=2012-03-28}}," ''[[The Smoking Gun]],'' February 27, 2012.</ref><ref>Goodin, Dan. [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/13/predator_indictment/ Feds: bald man posing as 17-year-old secretly taped teens] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210191631/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/13/predator_indictment|date=2017-12-10}}," ''[[The Register]]'' (UK), October 13, 2009.</ref>

=== Monitoring ===
[[File:Webcam (5282372873).jpg|left|thumb|Webcam mounted on a building, used as a [[Closed-circuit television|CCTV]]]]
Webcams can be used as [[security camera]]s. Software is available to allow PC-connected cameras to watch for movement and sound, recording both when they are detected. These recordings can then be saved to the computer, e-mailed, or uploaded to the Internet. In one well-publicised case,<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/4272041.stm Serial burglar caught on webcam] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209131938/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/4272041.stm |date=2006-12-09 }} [[BBC News]], February 16, 2005, retrieved January 3, 2006.</ref> a computer e-mailed images of the burglar during the theft of the computer, enabling the owner to give police a clear picture of the burglar's face even after the computer had been stolen.

In December 2011, Russia announced that 290,000 Webcams would be installed in 90,000 polling stations to monitor the [[2012 Russian presidential election]].<ref>[https://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2012/01/16/russia-election-webcams-linked-to-site-blamed-for-piracy/ Russia Election Webcams] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922011049/https://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2012/01/16/russia-election-webcams-linked-to-site-blamed-for-piracy/ |date=2017-09-22 }} ''The Wall Street Journal'', January 16, 2012.</ref> Webcams may be installed at places such as childcare centres, offices, shops and private areas to monitor security and general activity.

=== Astrophotography ===
[[File:3rd quarter plus 12hrs - Flickr - chipdatajeffb.jpg|thumb|An image of the [[Moon]] created by [[Image stitching|stitching images]] from a webcam]]
With very-low-light capability, a few specific models of webcams are very popular to photograph the night sky by astronomers and astro photographers. Mostly, these are manual-focus cameras and contain an old CCD array instead of comparatively newer CMOS array. The lenses of the cameras are removed and then these are attached to telescopes to record images, video, still, or both. In newer techniques, videos of very faint objects are taken for a couple of seconds and then all the frames of the video are "stacked" together to obtain a still image of respectable contrast.<ref>{{Cite book |last=North |first=Gerald |url= |title=Observing the Moon: The modern astronomer's guide |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-511-29054-1 |edition=2nd |location=Cambridge, UK |pages=109–120 |language=en |oclc=772458173}}</ref>

===Laser beam profiling===
A webcam's CCD response is linearly proportional to the incoming light.<ref>Cignoli F, De Iuliis S, Zizak GA. Webcam as a light probe beam profiler. Appl. Spectrosc. 58, (2004), 1372.</ref> Therefore, webcams are suitable to record laser beam profiles, after the lens is removed. The resolution of a [[laser beam profiler]] depends on the pixel size. Commercial webcams are usually designed to record color images. The size of a webcam's color pixel depends on the model and may lie in the range of 5 to 10&nbsp;μm. However, a color pixel consists of four black and white pixels each equipped with a color filter (for details see [[Bayer filter]]). Although these color filters work well in the visible, they may be rather transparent in the near infrared. By switching a webcam into the Bayer-mode it is possible to access the information of the single pixels and a resolution below 3&nbsp;μm was possible.<ref>G. Langer et al., A webcam in Bayer-mode as a light beam profiler for the near infrared, Optics and Lasers in Engineering 51 (2013) 571–575</ref>