Stand Out

The Camo Manifesto

We’re building Camo to help you stand out with video, whether you meet, present, stream or create. Camo creates confidence on video, democratising fluent production of compelling, credible video on any platform.

At the start of 2020 I was frustrated by the quality of video I was able to get from my computer. Broadcast quality video was elusive, requiring expensive hardware, complicated software, post-production, and deep expertise.

I spent $350 on a high-end webcam, but the software sucked, the colours were cold, and it kept refocusing. Experts told me to get a DSLR or mirrorless camera. That gave better image quality, but cost thousands of dollars and opened up a world of cable mess, battery and overheating drama.

Thus began our work with Camo, the expression of our opinion that these challenges can be solved with delightful, thoughtful software. Camo’s many innovations (including use of phones as webcams, virtual bokeh video, offloaded processing, easy-to-master overlay and adjustment UX) have touched millions of people, finding fit and winning praise from users, press, and industry experts.

Engaging video matters more than ever, as work becomes increasingly hybrid and the creator economy broadens. The data shows how you look on video matters more than what you’re wearing, and good video is proven to engage employees, shorten sales cycles, increase buying propensity, and retain viewers.

We’ve got further to go in achieving our vision. That means opening Camo to multiple video sources and streaming services, deepening our integrations with platforms, chipsets and cameras to ensure those with unique capabilities really shine, and allowing others to extend and build on top of Camo. We’re doing this in line with our four core values:

Create delight. We want to make Camo’s magic as accessible as possible. That means empathetic, thoughtful capabilities and templates, deep accessibility and automation support, widely translated jargon-free copy, and native support for many platforms and devices. We’re so confident in our commitment to this that we back Camo with a refund promise.

It just works. Camo does a lot behind the scenes, and it’s our job to make that invisible to you, for a fluent, intuitive, reliable experience. We’ve studied the emerging science and psychology around video, baking it into the heart of Camo, and we’ve pioneered all sorts of techniques such as offloading processing to your camera, keeping your computer cool and quiet.

Sustainability. As a long-term indie company, we have no obligation to “juice” users with invasive ads or tracking. We see our relationship with users as a long-term investment, which is why we’re proud to offer a powerful, perpetually free version of Camo, why we invest so heavily in creating valuable, objective learning content, and why we go to great lengths to offer customer support that’s second to none.

Interact with integrity. We seek to collaborate and partner with others, just as we have done with leaders including Apple, Zoom, Cisco, Snap and Switcher. User privacy is of paramount importance to us, we treat it as sacred: Camo doesn’t store or analyse anyone’s data, and user video only goes where users send it. As the CEO, every new customer is sent my personal email address, so they can reach out directly at any time.

Our work wouldn’t be possible without the incredible support of Camo’s users, reviewing it in the press and on social media, evangelising it in their companies and to friends, contributing translations, and sharing feedback. Thank you.

If you’re new to Camo, welcome. We hope you love it, and we’re excited to be building it for you.