2021 macbook pro camera

Hi there k.b.kelly,

It sounds like you're not getting a clear image from the camera on your Mac.

Make sure there's plenty of light in the room, without a light source directly behind you.

The "Improve image quality" section of the following page offers additional guidance we think you'll find helpful: Use the built-in camera on Mac

Cheers!

"Make sure there's plenty of light in the room"? How much?

I turned on all the possible lights and it still feels like the camera is somehow adding a filter to touchup the face to make things smooth/buffed/blurred.

See a sample picture below I just took with Photo Booth on my 5 day old MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021).