Xamera 4.0 · Released November 2, 2026
What's new in Xamera 4.0
Xamera 4.0 adds real-time makeup to Face Studio: twelve one-tap looks, from Natural to Goth, or your own look built from foundation, lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, liner, lashes, brows, and colored lenses. Xamera now opens full screen with Face Studio and camera settings side by side, can frame your face with one click, and has a redesigned Setup that lets you uninstall the camera extension from inside the app.
Reviewed November 11, 2026, against Xamera 4.0.0.
Xamera 4.0 at a glance
Makeup tab
Twelve one-tap looks, or build your own from more than a dozen makeup controls.
Full-screen studio
Face Studio on the left, camera settings on the right, your camera in the middle.
Auto framing
One click zooms and pans so your head and shoulders sit in the center of the frame.
New Setup
Uninstall the camera extension and turn launch at login on or off, with a shortcut to camera permissions.
Real-time makeup in Face Studio
Face Studio now has two tabs. Face keeps the shape controls for your nose, face, lips, and eyes. Makeup is new, and it's also where skin smoothing and teeth whitening live now. Pick a look and it applies to your camera immediately, in any app where you choose the Xamera camera.
The twelve looks
- Natural
- Soft Glam
- Hollywood
- Smoky
- Luminous
- Bronzed
- Doe Eyes
- Berry Night
- Frost
- Siren
- Graphic
- Goth
Looks start at half strength, which keeps them closer to everyday makeup than stage makeup. Drag the Strength slider under the looks to make one subtler or bolder.
Build your own look
Under the looks, the makeup controls are grouped the way you'd do your makeup in a mirror:
Base
Foundation, with a choice of finish, and concealer
Lips
Lipstick, gloss, lip liner, teeth whitening
Cheeks & Skin
Skin smoothing, blush, contour, highlight, bronzer, freckles
Eyes
Eyeshadow, crease, shimmer, under-eye, eyeliner
Lashes & Brows
Lashes, lower lashes, brows
Lenses
Colored contact lenses
Products like lipstick, blush, and eyeshadow have a palette of shades, plus a custom color if none of them match. Lipstick, eyeliner, lashes, and brows also come in several styles.
Lipstick masking helps keep color on your lips, including when you talk or laugh. Results depend on tracking and lighting.
Read the full guide to beauty filters on MacA full-screen studio
Xamera now opens full screen. Face Studio sits on the left, camera settings on the right, and your camera fills the middle, so you can see the effect of each change at a useful size. One click switches back to the small floating preview when you want to keep Xamera open next to a call, and Xamera reopens in whichever layout you used last.
Auto framing
Camera settings has a new framing button, just above the pan control. Click it and Xamera finds your face, then zooms and pans so your head and shoulders are centered, with a little room above your head.
How it differs from Center Stage
Auto framing runs once per click. It doesn't follow you around the room like Apple's Center Stage. If you move, click the framing button again. It uses digital zoom, up to 3×, so on a lower-resolution camera a tight frame looks softer than the full image.
How to turn off Center Stage on MacA simpler Setup
- Setup is redesigned. It has a button to uninstall the Xamera camera extension, a button to turn launch at login on or off, and a shortcut that opens the camera permissions in System Settings, where you can turn off Xamera's camera access.
- When macOS asks you to approve the camera extension, Xamera explains what to click more clearly.
- If a meeting is using the Xamera camera when you uninstall it, Xamera warns you first, because uninstalling stops that meeting's video.
How to get Xamera 4.0
- 1Open the App Store on your Mac and click Updates, or search for Xamera.
- 2Update Xamera to version 4.0.0, then open it.
- 3Open Face Studio and choose the Makeup tab.
- 4In FaceTime, Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, or OBS, select Xamera as the camera.
Updates are free from the Mac App Store. Xamera itself is a free download; using its camera in other apps needs a Full Access subscription.
Limitations
- Xamera 4.0 needs a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 15.5 or later.
- Makeup follows face tracking. In low light, at steep angles, or with a hand in front of your face, it can be less precise. Face Shield helps prevent an unfiltered frame if Face Studio loses track of you.
- You can try every look in Xamera's own preview for free. Sending the Xamera camera to FaceTime, Zoom, or other apps needs a Full Access subscription, and other apps see a black picture without it. New subscribers may be offered a free week first.
- Makeup is a camera effect, not a photo editor. It changes your live video only in apps where you select the Xamera camera.
- Auto framing doesn't track you continuously, and zooming in reduces image detail.
- There are no AR lenses, masks, or characters. Xamera's looks aim to look like real makeup.
Xamera 4.0 FAQ
Is Xamera 4.0 a free update?
Yes. Updating from an earlier version through the Mac App Store is free, and 4.0 doesn't change how Xamera is sold. You can preview looks in Xamera for free; using the Xamera camera in other apps needs a Full Access subscription.
How do I make a makeup look more subtle?
Looks start at half strength. Lower the Strength slider under the looks, or open a group such as Lips or Eyes and adjust or turn off individual products.
Does the makeup work in FaceTime, Zoom, and Google Meet?
Yes, with Full Access. Makeup is part of the Xamera camera, so it appears in any app where you select Xamera as the camera, including FaceTime, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and OBS. Without Full Access, those apps see a black picture.
Is my video sent anywhere to apply makeup?
No. Face Studio, including makeup, processes your camera on your Mac.
Can I go back to the small preview window?
Yes. One click switches from the full-screen studio back to the small floating preview.
How do I remove all makeup at once?
Use Reset All at the bottom of Face Studio. It turns off every Face Studio adjustment and all makeup.
Try the new makeup looks
Update or download Xamera, open Face Studio, and pick a look before your next call.