Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual

Camera

Almost every tablet and laptop these days has a camera—sometimes two (front and back). Even some desktop PCs have Webcams built in. Nobody is going to take professional portraits with these cameras, but they’re fine for video chats and Facebook snaps. Camera (Figure 4-7) is the app you use for taking pictures and videos. (If you don’t see the Camera app, it’s because your gadget doesn’t have a camera.)

Note

The first time you open this app, Microsoft’s privacy team has your back. “Can Camera use your webcam and microphone?” it asks. It’s just making sure that the camera isn’t opening on behalf of some nasty piece of spyware.

To fire up Camera, select its Start screen tile—or, if you have a touchscreen tablet, swipe downward on the Lock screen (Customizing Apps’ Notifications), a shortcut familiar to phone owners.

To take a picture, tap or click the screen. (In Video mode, tap or click the screen to start and stop recording.) You can also tap the button, but it’s a much smaller target.

If you open the App bar (swipe up, or right-click), you see a few icons:

• Camera roll. Select to see all the pictures and movies you’ve made with this machine, as described below.

• Change camera. This button appears only if your computer has cameras on both the front and the back—a common arrangement on tablets. (Back camera for photography, front camera for video chats, since it’s aimed at you.) Each ...