In recent years, the use of video calls to stay in touch with friends and relatives has increased dramatically. After all, it is a complete and versatile form of communication, within everyone’s reach. Too bad, however, that even video calls can become boring in the long run.
If you’ve come this far, it’s probably because you want to make your video calls more fun and, doing some research online, you’ve discovered Snap Camera: a computer program made by the creators of the famous Snapchat app for smartphones and tablets, capable of making video calls with your friends more fun through the use of filters and special effects. The database of filters in the application is practically infinite, so you can really have fun without ever getting bored. Besides, you can even create your own.
If you want to know more and want to learn how to download Snap Camera, keep reading: in this tutorial I’ll show you how to download Snap Camera on your Windows PC or Mac and how to use it on some of the most popular video calling platforms to make your communications more fun. I assure you that you won’t regret it!
Preliminary information
Snap Camera, as mentioned earlier, is a free program for Windows and macOS made by the same developers of Snapchat, in fact it integrates all the filters in augmented reality, called Lenses, also present in that app for smartphones and tablets.
With Snap Camera you can add virtually any effect to your face, such as the nose and ears of a small dog, hearts, a particular hat and much more. In addition, from the application you can also take and record videos directly, which you can then share directly with your friends.
The most interesting feature of Snap Camera, however, is its compatibility with the main applications dedicated to video calls, such as Google Meet, Discord, Zoom and Skype. With a few small tricks, you’ll be able to impress your friends during a video call on any platform.
Snap Camera is compatible with PCs running Windows 10 (and later) and with Macs running macOS 10.11 or later. In addition, a minimum hardware is also required to take full advantage of the application and all its real-time filters (in addition to a good webcam, of course): specifically, the computer in use must have at least an Intel Core i3 processor at 2.5GHz or AMD FX 4300 at 2.6GHz, 4GB of RAM and a graphics card Intel HD Graphics 4000, Nvidia GeForce 710 or AMD Radeon HD 6450. These are fairly basic technical specifications, now present in most PCs on the market in recent years.
If your computer has everything you need to get started, you’re ready to download the software: here’s how.
How to download Snap Camera on PC
What do you say? Are you getting restless and want to try Snap Camera right away but don’t know how to do it? Don’t worry, that’s what I’m here for. In the course of this chapter I’ll show you how to download Snap Camera on PC: whether you have a Windows computer or a Mac, you’ll find all the information you need as you read on.
How to download Snap Camera on Windows
Let’s start by seeing how to download Snap Camera on Windows. Open the official Snap Camera website and click on the download button in the center of the screen or in the upper right corner. On the next screen, you will be shown the minimum system requirements and the license agreement, which you must accept. Check the boxes “I have read the Privacy Policy and agree to the Snap Camera License Agreement and the Terms of Service” and “I am not a robot” and click the Download for PC button.
After a few seconds of waiting, the system will start downloading the Snap camera installation package. Once the download is finished, double-click on the newly downloaded package and then click on the Yes button in the window that pops up, related to Windows user account control. After that, click on the Next button four times in a row, then on Install and Finish to finish the setup.
How to download Snap Camera on Mac
If you own a Mac, to download Snap Camera, connect to the program’s official website, accept the license agreement and then check the I’m not a robot box and click the Download for Mac button that appears at the bottom. After a few seconds of waiting, the system will start downloading the Snap Camera installation package.
Once the download is complete, double-click on the downloaded package to start the software installation process. On the first screen of the installation package, click on the Continue button located on the bottom right, then subsequently click on the Install button, type in your Mac’s password and finally click on the Close button.
When you are asked if you want to move the setup file to the Trash, choose freely. Well, now you’re done and you can use Snap Camera on your Mac without any problems!
How to download Snap Camera on Chromebook
Excuse me? Do you want to find out how to download Snap Camera on Chromebook? Unfortunately, I have bad news for you. Snap Camera is not compatible with Chromebooks, so you won’t have the possibility to use the application on your computer.
If, however, you don’t want to give up the possibility of making your video calls more fun, you can resort to online services or apps for Android (such as Snapchat) that allow the application of filters such as those of Snap Camera.
How to download Snap Camera for Google Meet
As anticipated, Snap Camera becomes much more fun when used while making a video call with friends using one of the many compatible communication platforms, for example Google Meet.
After installing Snap Camera on your Windows or Mac PC, you can use it with Meet by connecting to the service’s official website and logging in with your Google account.
At this point, click on the Settings icon at the top right (the gear). In the menu that appears, select the Video tab and in the menu dedicated to the camera select Snap Camera: in this way, every time you start a video call on Google Meet you will use the virtual Snap Camera with its filters by default.
Excuse me? Do you also use Google Meet for business video calls and don’t want to have Snap Camera on all the time? No worries. If you want to turn on Snap Camera just a few times, all you have to do is select it once you start a video call.
During a video call, click on the button with the three dots at the bottom and, in the pop-up menu, click on Settings. On the next screen, select the Video tab, choose Snap Camera as the video camera and you’re done.
How to download Snap Camera for Discord
Snap Camera is not only compatible with normal video calling programs, but it can also be used on more complex platforms, such as the famous Discord: a platform used mainly by gamers and in which you can stay in touch via instant messaging, calls and video calls with lots of users from all over the world, in special thematic rooms.
To use Snap Camera filters in Discord, open the user settings in Discord (by clicking on the gear icon at the bottom left, next to your avatar), select the Voice and Video tab, scroll down and, in Video Settings, choose Snap Camera as your webcam. Easy, right?
How to download Snap Camera on smartphones and tablets
Now I know what you’re thinking. After seeing how to do it on PC and Mac you’d also like to understand how to download Snap Camera on smartphones and tablets, because maybe you’re not a guy who likes to stay at the PC, but prefers mobility. Unfortunately, I have bad news for you: there is no way you can use Snap Camera on mobile devices.
Alternatively, though, you can try having fun with the Snapchat app, which instead is available for both Android and iOS/iPadOS and, as mentioned, allows you to apply fun filters to your shots (though you can’t use it on other messaging platforms). If you know absolutely nothing about this app, you can find out everything you need in my tutorial on how to use Snapchat.