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If you are brand new to the world of streaming video, you may wonder, “Why does my webcam keep flickering?” Some of the best webcams, after all, are still susceptible to various maintenance issues, flickering among them. So what causes webcam flickering, and what can you do about it? Keep reading to find out.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
There are many reasons a webcam flickers, including both software and hardware issues, with causes similar to when learning why your webcam lags. Once you internalize the exact definition of a webcam, you see how common flickering is. It could boil down to the refresh rate or the quality of the camera itself if you are comparing a laptop webcam vs an external webcam. It could also be a simple matter of webcam frame rates, which are easily misunderstood.
Insider Tip
The camera itself could be experiencing hardware issues, necessitating a replacement.
No matter the cause, don’t fret, as there are multiple ways to fix this frustrating issue.
There may be many causes behind webcam flickers, but there are just as many potential solutions. Here are some useful troubleshooting steps worth considering.
You may think you have no control over various parameters of your webcam, but that is not true. You can easily adjust the refresh rate and frame rate to eliminate flickering by heading to any dedicated settings application affiliated with your webcam. Experiment with higher and lower refresh rates to see if that solves the issue, though in most cases lowering this rate is the correct move. You can also sometimes change up the refresh rate and frame rate in the settings affiliated with your PC or laptop.
Your preferred video chat application, such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, could be causing the flickering by simply asking too much of your webcam. Open up the software and head to the settings tab. Lower some settings, such as resolution or frame rate, to ease some of the burdens on your camera. This should fix the issue of flicker, at least when you are using this particular conferencing software.
STAT: Of those living in a household where the total income was 100,000 U.S. dollars or more per year, 58 percent said that they owned Canon products. (source)
Downloading and installing new webcam driver software is always a good move when troubleshooting any issue. Check the settings of your camera to check for a software update. Barring that, manually download new software at the manufacturer’s web portal.
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