How to change your webcam settings on Linux
Need to mess with your camera on your Linux desktop? Unfortunately, many webcam manufacturers don’t support Linux. That’s ok, though. Try out Cameractls. It’s an advanced webcam application that allows users to fine-tune their webcam settings with ease.
How to install Cameractls on Linux
Before using Cameractls on your Linux PC to capture your webcam, you will need to install the program. There are a few ways to get the program working. Users can install the app via Flathub as a Flatpak, as a Snap package, and from the official GitHub.
In this guide, we’ll show you each way you can install Cameractls on your Linux PC. To start, launch a terminal window. You can open a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on the keyboard. Or, launch it via the app menu. Once the terminal window is open, follow the installation instructions below to get the app working on your Linux PC.
Flatpak installation instructions
Installing Cameractls via Flathub as a Flatpak is the way to go, as it is the official installation method supported by the developer. To start the installation process, you must set up the Flatpak runtime on your computer.
Head over to our official installation guide for Flatpak, and follow it to get Flatpak working on your computer. After setting up the Flatpak runtime, use the wget command below to download the Cameractl Flatpakref file to your PC.
wget https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/hu.irl.cameractrls.flatpakref
After downloading the Flatpakref file to your computer, use the flatpak install command to set up the Cameractls app on your computer.
sudo flatpak install hu.irl.cameractrls.flatpakref
Once the file is installed, it should set Cameractls up on your Linux PC and be ready to use.
Snap package installation instructions
Although it is unofficial, it is possible to install Cameractls via the Snapcraft Snap Store as a Snap package. To start, you must enable the Snap package runtime on your computer. You can enable this runtime on your computer by following our Snap package setup tutorial.
After setting up the Snap package runtime on your computer, you can use the following snap install command to set up the program on your computer.
sudo snap install cameractrls
GitHub installation instructions
While it is unnecessary, it is possible to install the Cameractls application on Linux via the officially released source code. To get it working on your computer, head over to the official Cameractls Github page. Then, follow the instructions on the page to get it working on your system.
How to change your webcam settings with Cameractls
To change your webcam settings in Cameractls, open up the app. You can open up Cameractls by searching for “Cameractls” in the app menu. Once it is open, you’ll see a drop-down menu.
In the drop-down menu, select your webcam (if Cameractls can see it.) If you cannot see your webcam in the Cameractls app, you may be using a webcam that is not compatible with Linux out of the box.
To ensure your webcam is working with Linux, you can run the lsusb command to view the device. Then, search for drivers for it. Once you’ve got it working, re-open Cameractls.
Basic settings
To adjust basic settings in your webcam with Cameratcls, launch the app. Once it is open find the “Basic” section. Then, find the “Crop” area in the “Basic” section. From here, you can adjust your webcam’s zoom, pan, and tilt.
Exposure settings
It is possible to change the exposure settings for your webcam in Cameractls on Linux. To do it, launch the Cameractls app. Then, find the “Exposure” section, and click on it.
Once in the “Exposure” area of Cameractls, you can change your webcam’s auto exposure, enable/disable shutter priority mode, and change the gain as well.
Color settings
Want to change the color settings of your webcam on Linux? Launch the Cameractl app, and select the “Color” section. Once you are inside the “Color” area, you will be able to modify things like the white balance, brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, and gamma.
Advanced settings
The “Advanced” settings area of Cameractl isn’t as filled with features as the name suggests. The “Advanced” section only allows users to change the “Power Line Frequency” of the webcam.
So, if you wish to change your webcam from running at 50Hz to 60Hz, launch Cameractl, and select “Advanced.” Then, choose “60Hz.” Alternatively, you can set your camera to use 50Hz instead of 60Hz.
Capture settings
To change the webcam capture settings on Linux, launch Cameratcl, and find the “Capture” section. Once you’ve located it, select it with the mouse. You’ll then be able to change the pixel format, webcam resolution, and frames per second.
