Webcam Capture is a feature of the Iptanus File Upload plugin that captures screenshots or video from the device’s camera and uploads them to the website.
When the Webcam option is enabled in the plugin’s visual editor, a live feed from the webcam appears on the page.
Overlay buttons control the webcam: switching camera, taking a screenshot, recording video and playing it back. Depending on the Capture Mode the administrator has set, users can:
- record video with the red button
in the bottom-left corner of the webcam window - take a screenshot with the yellow button
in the bottom-right corner - switch between the front and rear camera with the white button
in the top-left corner - turn the webcam on and off with the white button
in the top-right corner.
Video recording
While recording, the red button flashes and a stop button appears, along with a timer showing how long the recording has run. When recording stops, playback buttons appear so the user can review the video, and the Upload Media button below the webcam window becomes available:
From here the user can preview the video with the playback buttons, upload it with the Upload Media button, or return to the live feed.
Capture settings
Administrators control webcam capture through these settings:
Note that the preferred settings are applied only if the camera supports them.
Allow File Selection
When the Allow File Selection setting is enabled, the user can also choose a file with the Select File button, as shown below:
Only one file can be selected; multiple selection is disabled in this mode. If the file is an image, it is previewed inside the capture window:
Screenshot capture
When the yellow ‘aperture’ button is pressed, the live feed freezes and the Upload Media button below the webcam window becomes available. Pressing it uploads the screenshot to the website as a PNG image.
Switch Camera button
When the Switch Camera Button setting is enabled, the user can switch between the front and rear camera of their device with the button in the top-left corner of the capture window.
There is also a Webcam Switch Camera Mode setting in the plugin’s Dashboard area, in the Advanced tab. It controls what the Switch Camera button does, and takes two values:
- side — the default. The device switches between its front and rear cameras, where it supports that.
- device — the device cycles through every camera available to it. On a phone with one front and one rear camera this behaves exactly like side; on a phone with a second rear camera, it will reach that one too.
device mode is particularly useful on laptops and desktops with several USB cameras connected, since it is the only way to switch between them.
If you have questions about webcam capture, please contact us.
The Iptanus team
Dear Nickolas, I am having issues with the video / webcam feature (full plug-in version). It sure does record alright and upload to the server, yet when I try and open the file, I am having troubles reading the file in my media players. It looks as though it has something to do with the audio recording. When I record just video, my media players play the file just fine.
Also I am having trouble using it with Chrome Version 74.0.3729.131 (that is my current version).
Can you help, since this is a great feature and much needed!
Thank you.
Hi which players do you use? It seem to be working fine with VLC.
In addition, what do you mean that you cannot use it with Chrome?
Regards
Nickolas
Hi Nickolas,
I am using different players. Indeed it works in VLC, but not in Windows Media Player, nor in the new win10 player, nor in quicktime nor in (that is my main problem) any editing software (using Premiere and Resolve). Quicktime gives me an error 2048 (codec error) as does premiere. When you look up the media information of the file, you notice, there is no codec information attached, maybe that is the problem. I cannot figure out what codec it is, even VLC won’t give me any information on that. I think it may be that the file does not reveal its codec in the first place, so players don’t know how to decode the file. Without the ability to edit the footage, and with only VLC to play it, this functionality seems pretty restricted. As I said, when you turn of the audio recording, the file is handeled much better. So maybe therein lies the problem. Thank you for checking.
Further: i use chrome with all blockers deactivated and the general webcam recognized and turned on for in page recording (settings tab). Still my chrome gives me a “Your browser does not support webcam capture!”. This is no general problem (other sites like https://webcamera.io) work fine. Maybe because I am still not on http and not https (waiting on the final domain for that site to activate my SSL) but other than that, I am at a loss.
Thank you for your help and patience.
Small update: chrome is ok now, the SSL did the trick. So FYI chrome does not engage the webcam with sites that are not encrypted (as it should).
Hi, yes indeed Chrome requires https (and other browsers I think).
The problem with the codecs maybe has to do with the way browsers generate the video file. I have configured the plugin so that mp4 files are generated. However I have read some reports that Chrome will always create webm video files (a web video format) encapsulated in mp4. There is not much detail online about this.
Nevertheless I will make some experimentations to increase compatibility with common video players and get back to you.
By the way, there are some codecs that can be installed in your computer and make Windows Media Player (and probably others) play unsupported video files.
Regards
Nickolas
Dear Nickolas,
thank you for taking care about this issue. I have tried the video picture with various browsers, they all show the same issue. And believe me when I say this is no issue with my codecs, since as a video editor I have a vast collection of codecs on my machine. There definitively is an issue with the encapsulation of the video and the audio. As I told you, the file works much better when audio is not recorded (still not in my video editing software though). Can you tell me what function you are using for the capture, maybe I can heal and search the web too…
I really hope you will solve this issue because this would really make the plugin very valuable and usable for me.
Thank you again for caring about your customers needs, not every developer does.
Enkidu
Hi,
Do you have an issue for safari browser please?
Thanks in advance for your support.
Tan
Hi Nicolas,
Webcam is not working on safari browser. Do you have an issue please?
Thanks for your help.
Hi, no particular issues. What is the problem?
Regards
Nickolas
Hi, the Webcam doesn’t work on latest chrome (79.0.3945.130). it gives me the “Your browser does not support webcam capture!” error.
Hi, is your website secure (https)? This is a requirement imposed by browsers for using the webcam.
Regards
Nickolas