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[Beta] Camera and Screenshare
[Beta] Camera and Screenshare

Here you'll find how to enable your webcam for calls on your Magma canvas and how to share your screen as well.

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Written by Ryan Allan
Updated over a week ago

Private Beta: This feature is currently available only to selected beta testers. If you'd like to get access, let us know.

Camera and Screenshare

Your voice calls on the Magma canvas now support video and the ability to share your screen. These new options will appear after starting a call.

(Note: Blaze and Fusion subscribers will have access to higher resolution camera and screenshare settings)

How to enable the camera in Magma

When you begin a call in Magma for the first time, your browser will show a pop-up message requesting access for Magma to use your microphone and camera. You must click Allow on these for calls and video to work.

Note: If you accidentally Block access to the microphone or camera in Magma, you can change the permissions in your browser’s settings panel. You can follow this guide for changing the permissions in Google Chrome.

Camera settings

After initiating a call, and the camera is active, a new bar appears where you can change the layout and a few other settings:

  • Camera view layout switches arrangement of camera windows (see below section);

  • Hide inactive speakers will remove the camera view of users who are not speaking;

  • Enable transparency makes the camera windows semi-transparent so that you can still see the canvas contents behind them.

If you have multiple camera inputs, such as your standard webcam and video software, you can select the appropriate one by tapping on the gear icon for your call settings, and opening the webcam device dropdown menu.

Camera layouts

While on the call, and other callers are using their cameras, you can select one of three different views: column, focus, cursor.

  • Column layout places different users cameras in a line above one another;

  • Focus places the active speaker in a larger window;

  • and Video on cursor replaces the avatar on the cursor with your camera view instead.

Note: Changing layouts will only apply to your view, not that of the other participants. So if you change your view to Video on cursor, others may still be viewing the callers in Column or Focus view.

When you click or tap on a user’s camera view, two icons appear in the window:

  • Screenshot to new layer on your canvas;

  • and Pin view which will pin that view to the top of the layout;

(Note: if you are experiencing connectivity issues, it’s recommended that you disable your camera)

Sharing your screen in Magma

To share your screen, first start a call. Then the button for screensharing will appear.

After you click the share screen icon, a browser window appears asking you to select a tab, wnidow, or entire screen to share with others.

While sharing your screen, the icon will change and the same one will be used to end your screenshare. Ending your call also ends the screenshare.

Your screenshare window can either be minimized to a camera view window, or maximized to fill your main screen area. You can find the icon for this in the top right corner of the screenshare window.

As with the camera, you can also capture your screenshare to a new layer on your canvas.

When you have the transparency setting enabled while screensharing on a blank background, you'll be able to draw and make notes below the window to easily highlight or point out certain things you're discussing.

For more about ways to communicate with your team, check out our communications video guide:

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