ManyCam Beginner’s Guide – Get Started with ManyCam Here

Here is a beginner's guide to ManyCam for to get you started using the virtual webcam software.

If you're not too sure how to use the webcam software, then this guide will walk you through each of the tabs and features of ManyCam.

Watch the video above for a much more detailed tutorial, or continue to read an overview of each section.

Video

Add your webcam

Right click on your empty slot and select your camera.

Resolution

Keep this at 720p.

Frames per second

Don't worry about this too much, just leave it as it is.

Zoom

Here you can control a sliding button to zoom in and out on your camera.

Flip and rotate

You can select this button to flip your camera sideways and upside down.

I use the upside down button a lot as a way to keep engagement. Check out how I do this in my reward system below:

Picture in picture mode

Here you can create multiple cameras within your camera. This is useful if you wish to play a video to your student whilst still being present on the screen.

Check out the article below to see a list of great guessing game videos:

Colour

Here you can change the brightness of your camera, as well as its colour.

This is great if you are in a dark room, or if you are not feeling your best – you can give yourself a tan and look right as rain!

Audio

Audio input

Here select your headset microphone.

Audio output

Here select your headset.

Draw

This is a way to draw or type on your camera using a Microsoft Paint and Word equivalent interface.

I don't use this very much as you will have a pen and typing tool on your online teaching platform anyway.

Time

Don't worry about this; you won't use it.

Chroma Key

This can be used for having a digital teaching background, but it would require a green screen.

With green screens, it is hard to get the lighting right, so I don't bother with this.

And also I think a digital background would be too overwhelming for the student…you're better off with a simple poster background.

Check the article below to discover how to make your own online teaching background:

Lower Third

Don't worry about this. I know I've said this a lot…but because ManyCam isn't designed to be an exclusive online teaching software, a lot of the features aren't always going to be relevant or useful.

Effects

Here is where the money is made! These are effects that you can make appear on your camera, such as cartoon images and face masks.

Get more effects

You can download effects from the ManyCam website at the link below:

Here is a video on how to add effects into ManyCam:

Objects

These are cartoon images such as fruit. I use these for creating a lot of games such as the one below:

Emoticons

Also known as ‘Emojis', these are fun expressions of different emotions. I use these to keep engagement, as you can see in the article below:

Face masks

Use these to transform your face into something fun and interesting, such as a cat!

You can see how I use the cat mask in my article about ukulele improvisation whilst teaching:

Face accessories

These are things such as glasses and moustaches, which are always a lot o fun.

Click the image below to check how to use these with my ManyCam Tips & Tricks:

Borders

So if it's the student's birthday, you can put things up like birthday flags and decorations – that's a little example for you.

Overlays

These are basically screensavers…but I just use the one I made that I mentioned earlier.

Backgrounds

Here you can set your background as a tropical paradise or a library etc. These are essentially real-life scenic pictures that you will fill your camera with you amongst it.

Check out how I use these to play a pretty fun game:

Filters

With the filters, you can make yourself black and white or look like a cartoon etc.

Just a cool thing to turn on to suddenly shock your student and thus keep them engaged.

Distortions  (Windows only)

Unfortunately distortions are only available on the Windows version of ManyCam. 

They operate like a sort of magic mirror, where you can make yourself look bigger, smaller or just kind of strange.

Check out how I use these in the game below:

Speech bubbles

These are what they say on the tin…a collection of speech bubbles that you can make appear with ‘hello' and other phrases on them.

Lower Thirds

Don't worry about this.

Groups

Don't worry about this for the beginner's guide.

Gallery

This is where you recorded videos or snapshots through the ManyCam camera go.

Favourites

Don't worry about this one as well.

Using the ‘Slots'

I call them slots, but there is probably a more official term. These are the cameras that you can transition between. So for instance, I'll have one with my camera, one with a game and one with a…

…Screensaver

This is what I use to cover my camera for when a student doesn't turn up and I don't just want to sit in front of an empty classroom in front of a camera for half an hour looking like a gorm.

For more information on my screensaver, check the article below:

Transition and cut

This is the button you press to move between your camera slots. ‘Transition' slowly glides to the next camera, and ‘cut' quickly jolts to it.

Recording and snapshots

You can press the record button on ManyCam or take a picture if you want to capture the beauty of you trying out all of the different digital hats.

Setting up Games

To set up games, I select a blank white screen after right clicking my camera slot.

Then I simply add the appropriate effects to it.

Click the link below to see a more detailed example of how I have set up a game:

Media Files

You can right-click your camera slot and select ‘Media Files' to play already downloaded videos to your student.

YouTube URL

Here is my preferred option of simply finding YouTube videos and copy and pasting the URL into ManyCam.

Just right-click and select YouTube URL and paste away.

Here is an example of how I make a class activity out of an animated Mr Bean clip from YouTube:

Area Under Cursor

This is essentially sharing your screen to your student. It will display whatever your cursor will hover over.

So I use Google Images instead of flashcards.

Here' s a video below of I use ‘Area Under Cursor' as a class activity:

Clear

Clear the slot to start fresh and new

Connecting ManyCam to DaDaClass

Here's a video on how to integrate ManyCam into DaDaClass. This is handy now that you are a pro after this guide!

Which Version?

There are several versions of ManyCam you could get…but which one is the best for teaching English online?

Don't worry, I've made a video and article comparing all of the versions to give you an answer. Check it out below: