How to Use Your Camcorder As a Webcam for Free

You can make your camcorder into a high-end webcam.

If you have a digital camcorder with a USB or FireWire connection, it can be enabled to pull double duty as a high-end Web cam without extra cost. Some models may already come equipped with drivers which allow it to do this, though most do not. Either way, you'll find the process for converting your camcorder to a webcam to be quick, easy and, since most camcorders far outshine webcams in the number of options and the quality of picture, well worth the little time that it will take you.

Things You'll Need

• Camcorder with USB or FireWire
• Webcam driver for camcorder

Instructions

1. 

   Your camcorder must have a USB or FireWire connection.

   Check the owner's manual for your camcorder to see if it comes equipped with a webcam-mode driver. If it does, install the driver from the disk that came with the camcorder. Once you've done this, you're ready to go. If the camcorder doesn't have this capability, there's a little more work that you'll need to do.

2. 

   Download a trial version of camcorder-to-webcam software.

   Find and download a software program designed for camcorder-to-webcam conversion. Several software companies offer trial versions of these products, which work by making your computer think the camcorder is a webcam.

3. 

   Camcorder

   Install the software and test your camcorder. The free trial of some of these products enables you to make sure the software is compatible with your camcorder. Keep in mind, however, that if you find your camcorder doesn't come with a webcam driver, you will have to purchase the full version of a camcorder-to-webcam software in order to use it for that purpose. While it's not free, the cost is very reasonable: about $20 for most of the available products.

References

• Tom's Hardware: Trash that Webcam, Mount a Camcorder
• Chris Pirillo: How to Use a Camcorder as a Webcam
• Home Toys: Use Your Camcorder as a PC Webcam