Zoom has a built-in beauty filter called Touch up my appearance: one slider that softens skin. For separate control over skin, eyes, teeth and lighting, select ClaraCam as your camera in Zoom. It retouches your video on your own computer before Zoom sees it.
Checked September 2026
7 days. No credit card.
ClaraCam runs on your Mac or PC — send yourself the link and you'll be set up in two minutes.
Sent. Open it on your computer — you'll be live in two minutes.
Something went wrong. Visit claracam.com on your computer to download directly.
For your computer: macOS 14+ with Apple silicon, or Windows 11 24H2+.
Intel Macs and Windows 10 are not supported.
Sent. Open it on your computer — you'll be live in two minutes.
Real footage — hold the video to see the original, or pick a camera in the menu.
Touch up my appearance is Zoom's beauty filter. Zoom describes it as a softening effect that minimises the visibility of imperfections. You get an on/off switch and one intensity slider. The one slider sets the strength for the whole face at once.
Adjust for low light brightens a dark picture, automatically or by hand. Portrait lighting dims the background and brightens you. Studio effects draws eyebrows, facial hair and lip color, and needs a supported processor (Intel 4th generation or later, AMD Ryzen, or Apple M1 or later) in the desktop app.
To find them: profile picture → Settings → Video & effects.
| Zoom, built in | ClaraCam | |
|---|---|---|
| Skin | One softening slider | Evens skin and softens under-eye shadows; texture stays |
| Eyes and teeth | Not adjustable | Separate controls for each |
| Lighting on your face | Low-light brightening, portrait lighting | Ring light in three strengths, evens one-sided light |
| Definition | Studio effects: drawn eyebrows, lip color | Eyes & Brows in three subtle levels |
| Where it works | Zoom only | Zoom, Teams, Meet and any app that lets you pick a camera |
| Where video is processed | Not stated by Zoom | On your computer; never uploaded to ClaraCam |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS; not Android | macOS 14+ (Apple silicon), Windows 11 24H2+ |
| Cost | Included with Zoom | 7-day free trial, then a subscription |
Zoom facts from Zoom Support: video enhancements and video settings. Checked September 2026.
About two minutes, once per computer.
Download it above, follow the camera setup, and start your free trial. Full instructions are in the setup guide.
Pick Natural, Polished or Studio, or move the sliders while you watch the preview.
In Zoom, open Settings → Video & effects and choose ClaraCam as the camera. In a meeting, click the arrow next to the video button and choose ClaraCam. If it isn't listed, quit and reopen Zoom.
Switch off "Touch up my appearance" so the two effects don't stack.
Yes. Zoom's built-in option is called "Touch up my appearance". It applies a softening effect to your skin and has one intensity slider. It does not adjust eyes or teeth separately. Zoom also has "Studio effects" for eyebrows, facial hair and lip color, and "Adjust for low light" for dark rooms.
In the Zoom desktop app, click your profile picture, then Settings, then "Video & effects". Turn on "Touch up my appearance" and set the slider. Zoom remembers the setting for your next meeting.
Zoom documents the feature for Windows, macOS, Linux and iOS, and states it is not available in the Zoom app for Android. If you use a work account, your administrator can also restrict video effects. A virtual camera such as ClaraCam does not depend on either, because the touch-up happens before the video reaches Zoom.
ClaraCam is built for that. It retouches skin, eyes and teeth with separate controls and keeps pores, freckles and expressions, so the result reads as rested, not filtered. You can compare with your original camera in the app before you join.
Yes. ClaraCam runs on macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon Macs and on Windows 11 24H2 or later. It appears in Zoom's camera list as "ClaraCam". Intel Macs, Windows 10, phones and tablets are not supported.
Yes. Two smoothing effects on top of each other look artificial. Turn off "Touch up my appearance" in Zoom and set your look in ClaraCam.
No. ClaraCam processes every frame on your own computer and hands the finished picture to Zoom as a camera. Your video is never uploaded to ClaraCam.
Try the full touch-up for 7 days. No credit card required. After the trial, your camera keeps working with a ClaraCam watermark until you subscribe.