Need to upload an image instead of a webcam selfie? Here’s how.
I’m a desktop guy so I hate it when a site requires me to be on mobile to buy something. Recently I hit something even more pernicious: a site that required me to snap a selfie to buy something. Yes, really. They have a desktop site, but when you go to check out, the selfie requirement forces you to use mobile or a webcam-equipped computer.
Using a Picture as a Webcam Upload
For a variety of reasons, I wasn’t eager to recreate my cart contents and switch to mobile, but I found there’s a workaround: the FineCam virtual webcam app. This handy free app has a feature to share content with others, which is exactly what I wanted.
Unfortunately, FineCam doesn’t really have a “presenter mode” where you can make your selfie image front-and-center. If you use it normally, your static image will be overlaid with a live image from your cellphone camera.
Here’s what you do instead:
- Launch FineCam on your PC
- Launch the FineCam app on your phone
- Initiate a connection to your phone from the FineCam app on the PC – but don’t approve the connection on your phone
- Click the Content button on the PC’s FineCam app and upload the photo you want to send to the website as your selfie
- Jump to the vendor website and “send” the selfie image they want.
Task complete.
