This is a quick update to ensure hardware compatibility, along with a dash of polish as always.

Improvements

• Show a connected tooltip for the camera in top bar (OPA-3523)
• Version text is now selectable in the About screen (OPA-3624)
• Add Internet Access Policy for Little Snitch network monitoring (OPA-3538)

Bug Fixes

• Resolve rare issue with macOS and certain hardware not correctly recognizing cameras in Composer (OPA-3621)
• Disable or hide Recording window menu items during onboarding (OPA-3462)
• Fix circle alignment in the recording timer on 1x displays (OPA-3600)
• Update dependencies including Sparkle for security fixes

We’re going with the tried and true for this one… “bug fixes and improvements”.

Improvements

• Join our Composer beta testing community from the Help menu (OPA-3543)
• When adding or removing a background via the menu the sidebar module updates (OPA-3596)

Bug Fixes

• Improved stability when recording video (OPA-3613, OPA-3614, OPA-3615, OPA-3616)

While we continue working on new surprises please enjoy a batch of useful bug fixes and performance improvements for both Composer and Tadpole.

Newly Added

• Tadpole Firmware 7.2 (OPA-3554) [also available via web-upgrade with Dr. Opal]
  • Improved power usage
  • Fixed manual focus

Improvements

• Quickly switch to the Defaults preset with keyboard shortcut Shift + Cmd + D (OPA-3585)
• Sticker trash animates when hovered (OPA-3539)
• When a sidebar module is turned off it collapses automatically (OPA-3582)
• Add link to our privacy policy in onboarding and General settings (OPA-3531)
• Add link to our Help Center in onboarding and menu bar (OPA-3592)
• Send Feedback opens our online support portal instead of using email directly (OPA-3544)
• Opal Composer support for [also available via web-upgrade with Dr. Opal] URLs (OPA-3575)

Bug Fixes

• Reset white balance values when switching back to Auto (OPA-3550)
• Restart video service automatically to prevent frozen video (OPA-3581)
• Ignore errors for loops that are too short (OPA-3563)
• Prevent rare case when a camera might be not detected (OPA-3604)
• Reduced size of download and installed app by cleaning up unused items (OPA-3570)

With this new release Tadpole is receiving a substantial update that brings improved image and audio quality. In addition we’ve focused on the core video pipeline, adopting the same camera extension technology to power Composer’s camera view for consistency, performance, and stability. Plus you’ll find a healthy dose of polish across the board.

Newly Added

• Tadpole Firmware 7.0 (OPA-3459) - Web Upgrade
  • All new auto exposure
  • Revised auto white balance
  • VisiMic output is now mono center channel
• Show a progress bar on Composer’s Dock icon when updating firmware (OPA-3473)
• Show a warning before quitting when recording or in use by another app (OPA-3471)
• Add a resizing control to the sticker editor’s tray (OPA-3490)

Improvements

• Renovated Video Architecture
  • Converted camera view to use AVKit and our camera extension (OPA-3409)
  • GPU and CPU performance improvements (OPA-3420)
  • Stability improvements (OPA-3498, OPA-3525, OPA-3552, OPA-3537)
• No longer show an alert when switching resolutions if only Composer is active (OPA-3410)
• Zebra Lines hide and show automatically when a sticker is selected (OPA-3466)
• Font names are shown on their sticker editing tooltips (OPA-3482)
• Sticker trash now animates in from the top (OPA-3504)

Bug Fixes

• Sticker resizing now respects the aspect ratio of selected item (OPA-3481)
• Layout improvements for sidebar and Pro controls (OPA-3449, OPA-3497)
• Prevent incorrect update in-progress error dialog (OPA-3480)
• Hero video speeds up on camera connect again (OPA-3485)
• Selected white balance color updates more reliably now (OPA-3488)
• Updated text copy (OPA-3479, OPA-3511, OPA-3512, OPA-3513)
• Screen and video recording improvements on Intel machines (OPA-3511)
• Video no longer freezes on Sonoma due to macOS gestures processing (OPA-3551)
• No longer crash when an audio recording device is disconnected in some circumstances (OPA-3530)

It’s time for a substantial round of polish for our flagship camera, the C1. This update comes with new firmware for your camera that includes new features and we also added a number of improvements for the visuals and fundamentals of Composer.

Improvements

Our engineers dove deep into the code to produce the best version of our C1 firmware (4.10) yet. We hope you enjoy as the changes come into focus during your daily workflows.

• A completely rewritten hybrid Auto-Focus with faster, sharper results
• Change your microphone (input) volume and mute via system settings

Bug Fixes

• Automatically hide Pro functionality when editing a sticker (OPA-3465)
• Add blurred background to recording countdown (OPA-3463)
• Window menu items no longer duplicate themselves (OPA-3442)
• Automatically quit if the user closes window during onboarding (OPA-3469)
• Properly use dark appearance for menu bar extra on macOS Sonoma (OPA-3448)
• Spin video no longer disappears when toggling sidebar (OPA-3450)
• Fix localization for sticker mirroring tooltip (OPA-3451)
• The Pause in Background feature is now off by default (OPA-3460)
• Loop module icon now dims like title when not playing (OPA-3468)
• Preset importing and restoration checks work as expected (OPA-3455)
• Tadpole camera connections are more resilient (OPA-3436)
• Prevent rare case where firmware updating might not complete (OPA-3472)

Welcome to 2024 and the first update for Composer! We’re keeping it light with some key fixes to smooth the experience for all cameras and polish recording.

Bug Fixes

• Improved camera connection reliability and reconnecting, especially for C1 (OPA-3443)
• Enabled the record button in Recording to stop an in-progress recording (OPA-3439)
• Revised screen recording permission tooltips in Recording (OPA-3432)
• Visually disable the Audio Device switch in Recording when no camera is connected (OPA-3433)
• Updated the recording button’s appearance in the main window’s top bar (OPA-3435)
• Addressed a multi-threading crash (OPA-3430)

As we finish 2023 we’d like to leave you with an increasingly resilient and enjoyable Composer for your Opal camera needs. Happy Holidays and stay tuned for 2024!

Bug Fixes

• Increased stability when plugging and unplugging a camera (OPA-3427)
• Screen recording stability improvements (OPA-3430)
• Prevent an issue with rotating camera (OPA-3426)
• Address crash in Zebra Lines (OPA-3428)

We’re going with the tried and true for this one in addition to our latest Tadpole firmware… “bug fixes and performance improvements”.

Improvements

• Tadpole Firmware 6.11
• Improved auto exposure, especially in more severe situations
• Improved facial auto focus to reduce re-focusing
• Improved video recording quality with less compression, HEVC, and more (OPA-3345)

Bug Fixes

• No longer incorrectly apply brightness and exposure, especially on C1 (OPA-3391)
• Swap the position of Tint and Temperature sliders in the Lighting module (OPA-3394)
• Resolve profile issue with 4K that could temporarily cause a freeze when recording (OPA-3424)
• Fix rare issue where recording could stop due to mismatched resolutions (OPA-3371)
• Temporarily disable top bar controls while saving a recording completes (OPA-3384)
• Hide bokeh current settings in top bar on Intel machines when unavailable (OPA-3390)
• Update Spotlight keywords and add Tadpole related terms (OPA-3376)

Our first update after the Tadpole announcement which includes important bug fixes and a new slider!

Improvements

• Brightness slider now available for Tadpole (OPA-3228)

Bug Fixes

• Improved loading states for video and content - no more blank screens (OPA-3301, OPA-3355)
• Selected preset scrolling centers it better outside of known SwiftUI issues (OPA-3316)
• Module on/off is saved immediately into the active preset now (OPA-2724)
• Recording timer is formatted for hour-plus sessions now (OPA-3235)
• Improved recording stability and support for file conflicts (OPA-3347)
• Remove manual Focus Rectangle (OPA-3341)
• Color editing and resetting behave as expected now (OPA-2500)
• Disable recording control and menu items when the loop is playing (OPA-3372)

It’s our most exciting update since launch. This release is the first for the new Opal Tadpole camera, restores all your favorite recording options, and continues our commitment to providing the experience possible for your Opal camera. Thank you for your continued support and feedback and welcome to our new Tadpole users!

Improvements

We’re excited to announce the Opal Tadpole clip web cam - a versatile, smart, and fun new way to connect from your laptop or mobile device. Combining cutting edge hardware, gorgeous industrial design, and continually improving firmware means this 4K camera and its VisiMic technology are ready wherever you are!

• Opal Tadpole
  • Latest FW update, 6.03, with enhanced VisiMic and image tuning quality
  • A new, simplified onboarding screen along with matching icons and videos

We heard you loud and clear, recording is back in a big way this release! From cameras to screens and everything in between we’ve brought the functionality you know and love to Composer with a fresh new feel.

• Video and Screen Recording (OPA-3029)
  • Select between three modes - video, screen, both
  • Customize resolution, audio input, where to save
  • Timer in the top bar of both the main window and menu bar extra’s popover
  • Video can be Picture-in-Picture overlay or individual files for “Both”

• Loops (OPA-3083)
  • New tab - Call, with a Loop module
  • Record an automatically repeating clip of up to 30s; plays until stopped

And we snuck a few more enhancements in too:

• Display camera serial number when connected in About screen (OPA-3078)
• Switch between any number of connected Opal cameras from File menu (OPA-3200)

Bug Fixes

• Fix UI syncing issue for the auto update preference (OPA-3157)

• Fix cases where the Broadcast in Progress dialog didn't appear (OPA-3187, OPA-3188)

• Menu bar extra immediately refreshes when adding a preset (OPA-2770)

• Fix rare issue with incorrectly positioned or doubled window controls (OPA-3247)

• Upgrading from Intel to Apple Silicon unlocks features as expected (OPA-3250)

• Fix issue with displaying firmware version for the connected camera (OPA-3281)

• Crash fix when accessing information from camera (OPA-3097, OPA-3098, OPA-3139)

• Improved stability and performance for textures (OPA-3099, OPA-3104)

• Improved multi-processor performance (OPA-3213)

We’re going with a classic for this one… “bug fixes and performance improvements”

Bug Fixes

• Updated highlights and shadows when switching to Auto (OPA-2853)
• Tint and Saturation are consistently synced with presets and camera (OPA-3125)
• Exposure turns on predictably now (OPA-3115)

• Polish appearance and layout of the modules reset button (OPA-3010)

• Disable Face-lock on Intel machines due to unavailability (OPA-3132)

• Improved menu commands for resizing text (OPA-3137)

• Shadows and saturation reset now matches other sliders (OPA-2872)

• Prevent flash of adjustments when renaming a preset (OPA-3141)

• Improved firmware update stability (OPA-3138, OPA-3139)

• White balance sampling loupe works as expected at any window size (OPA-3152)

• Window restoration works better with multiple displays (OPA-3149)

• Stickers reliably restore from presets when camera turns off and on (OPA-3184)

This is our first update since release. In addition to the ongoing improvement on performance we are releasing a new update to our firmware, and we started to address early usability feedback on the UI making presets easier to use, making it faster to change the camera resolution and more.

Improvements

We are introducing a new version of our firmware (3.4) that comes with the following improvements:

• Performance optimizations to keep your camera cool
• Turned off the reset to auto functionality when disconnecting
• Additional tuning for face detection (Face-lock, Focus Rectangle, Attached Stickers),

Presets is one of our most powerful features. We keep improving how they work so you can create, save and share your presets with others. We made a few improvements and implemented some early feedback on them:

• Presets are sorted statically now and scroll to the selected one (OPA-3005)
• Rewritten synchronization for preset content (OPA-2337, OPA-3026)
• Create button is visually disabled when no camera is connected (OPA-2471)

We keep learning from you and making improvements to our interface. In this update you will see the following updates.

• Revised contextual menu with more options for the menu bar extra (OPA-2920)
• Added a Support section in the Help menu (OPA-3032)
• Backgrounds have a contextual menu with Delete now (OPA-2982)
• Clicking the Resolution setting tag in top bar opens the Video settings section (OPA-3085)

Performance and reliability are always top of mind. Here’s what’s new.

• Improved and more reliable camera connection (OPA-2985)
• Performance improvements that substantially reduces our resource usage (OPA-2129)
• Windows appear as expected in the Dock and Window menus (OPA-3043)
• White balance is better, using nearest neighbor sampling (OPA-3076)

Bug Fixes

• Stickers and backgrounds are fully hidden when muting video (OPA-2962)
• Prevent last frame from sticking sometimes when muting video (OPA-3048)
• Prevent trashed stickers from briefly reappearing (OPA-2986)
• Highlights and shadows no longer impact contrast (OPA-3014)
• Additional feedback when there is a problem with Camera Extension updating (OPA-1303)
• Visually indicate when face detection functionality is disabled on Intel machines (OPA-3013)
• Update settings show the correct version info when up to date (OPA-2975)
• Adjust shadows and highlights intersections (OPA-2564)
• Reloading or switching presets turns module on/off properly (OPA-2962)
• Resolve connection delay when switching between Composer and conferencing apps (OPA-3033)
• Polish top bar of the main window (OPA-1981, OPA-2898)
• Module edited and reset button are more predictable now (OPA-3053)
• Camera no longer activates when Bluetooth headphones connect or disconnect automatically (OPA-3064)
• Fix rare video rendering pipeline crash (OPA-3068)
• Always show fonts in the Format menu (OPA-3084)
• Menu bar extra, as a detached window, closes when turning off the feature (OPA-2922)
• Current settings in the menu bar extra stay in sync at all times (OPA-3065, OPA-3045)
• Polish the menu bar extra button appearance (OPA-3055)

For the first iteration of Composer we have focused our work on addressing early feedback and improving performance. We are working on a few other big tickets but our first priority is to get Composer to a great place for all our customers.

Improvements

• The Composer window now retains its last known size and position on launch (OPA-2725)
• Switching effects on and off is now faster and more reliable (OPA-2929)
• Histogram now runs better on Intel machines (OPA-2531)
• We reduced the resources used by our camera extension over time (OPA-2858)

Bug Fixes

• Resetting the default preset turns off all modules (OPA-2921)
• Use the default value for white balance when switching between manual and auto (OPA-2864)
• Reverse the displayed colors for the Temperature slider (OPA-2835)
• Additional tweaks to Tone Sync and Touch Up (OPA-2427)
• Zoom no longer affects zebra lines when Face-lock is on (OPA-2892)
• Improved onboarding - appearance, animation, and content (OPA-2990, OPA-2957)

Welcome to the brand new Opal Composer App.

Today we are happy to introduce what we have been working on for the past few months.

First things first, why a new app? Back when we worked on the original app we envisioned it as a smart, small by design, companion. However as more people used it, more feature requests started coming in, and more ideas popped internally we realized the form factor we initially loved was not the best for what it needed to become next.

At this point we said, ok, let's do this, with Composer we can make your camera better. Let's start with the most pressing feature requests from our users:

This release includes

• Big and small preview. Everybody likes to check themselves out before a call. Our previous app had a pretty small video feed and you could not make it any bigger. With Composer you can still use a small preview AND a big preview if needed. It may seem silly but sometimes bigger is better.
• More control over your image. We made it easier to edit your video output. To start, all the controls live now in the same view. Then we have added deeper color controls (Hue, Saturation, Brightness) and the ability to select your scene temperature with a color picker. You can also see overexposed and underexposed areas with our Zebra Lines live view and adjust your tones as you wish.
• Presets. All your image parameters are now saved in Presets. You can switch now between them saving the best setup for different locations, type of meeting, or time of the day. We have also included a few presets we hope you like.
• Stickers. It all started with a small logo in the corner. Then we added images, then text, and finally the ability to move them around, in front and behind you. Please check our first run at implementing stickers in your video feed and let us know your thoughts about it.
• Camera Platform. Our rewritten firmware uses industry standard UVC to deliver better performance, lower temperatures, and on-device auto focus all while consuming less power. And the camera extension for macOS is more resilient than ever.

With all this said, we are aware that a few features from our previous app are not in Composer yet. We are talking about Gestures, the ability to record yourself, filters and probably a few others. We will continue working to bring them here as soon as possible.

To wrap it up, as we said at the beginning, we are excited to share this with you. It's possible you may find a few kinks here and there. Keep us posted as we keep working on it.

Thank you for your support. See ya in 1.0.1

Welcome to the February 2023 Release of Opal. We’re sharing today with Alpha testers, let us know what you think.

This release includes

• Reduced on camera CPU usage by 40% for less heat and power consumption
• Fixed top crash that was causing the camera to randomly reset in video conferencing apps
• Continued stability and performance improvements for latest Apple hardware

To install

• Ensure your Mac is updated to 12.3 or greater
• Download the latest build here and install
• After installation is complete, click  → System Preferences → Security & Privacy
• Click the 🔒 icon in the bottom left hand of the window and enter password to unlock
• Click the Allow button in the bottom right to allow access
• Restart your Mac for the changes to take effect

After that, you are all setup. Send any feedback or ideas to support@opalcamera.com

Today we are happy to ship a new app that allows the camera to work better with with the Chrome web browser. This includes several enhancements to improve frame rate and stability with apps that use the video stream from our device.

We’re sharing today with Alpha testers, let us know what you think.

To install

• Ensure your Mac is updated to 12.3 or greater
• Download the latest build here and install
• After installation is complete, click  → System Preferences → Security & Privacy
• Click the 🔒 icon in the bottom left hand of the window and enter password to unlock
• Click the Allow button in the bottom right to allow access
• Restart your Mac for the changes to take effect

After that, you are all setup. Send any feedback or ideas to support@opalcamera.com

Today we are happy to ship a new app that allows the camera to work better with MacOS. This includes several enhancements to improve color accuracy and stability.

We’re sharing today with Alpha testers, let us know what you think.

To install

• Ensure your Mac is updated to 12.3 or greater
• Download the latest build here and install
• After installation is complete, click  → System Preferences → Security & Privacy
• Click the 🔒 icon in the bottom left hand of the window and enter password to unlock
• Click the Allow button in the bottom right to allow access
• Restart your Mac for the changes to take effect

After that, you are all setup. Send any feedback or ideas to support@opalcamera.com

Today we are happy to ship a new app that allows the camera to work better with MacOS. This includes several enhancements to improve color accuracy and stability.

We’re sharing today with Alpha testers, let us know what you think.

To install

• Ensure your Mac is updated to 12.3 or greater
• Download the latest build here and install
• After installation is complete, click  → System Preferences → Security & Privacy
• Click the 🔒 icon in the bottom left hand of the window and enter password to unlock
• Click the Allow button in the bottom right to allow access
• Restart your Mac for the changes to take effect

After that, you are all setup. Send any feedback or ideas to support@opalcamera.com

Today we’re proud to ship something we’ve been working on for months: a complete overhaul to our Autofocus system. We now utilize special phase detection sensors already onboard your Opal to triangulate distance and focus correctly. We’re also easing changes to focus, to make your focus experience feel gentler. Along with these improvements, we’ve also shipped a few bug fixes around the camera connection.

We’re sharing today with Alpha testers, let us know what you think.

To install

• Ensure your Mac is updated to 12.3 or greater
• Download the latest build here and install
• After installation is complete, click  → System Preferences → Security & Privacy
• Click the 🔒 icon in the bottom left hand of the window and enter password to unlock
• Click the Allow button in the bottom right to allow access
• Restart your Mac for the changes to take effect

After that, you are all setup. Send any feedback or ideas to support@opalcamera.com

In the latest build of the Opal App, we’ve pushed many improvements to the camera core, including reductions to camera heat and the Opal App CPU usage.

We’re pleased to share this new feature with Alpha testers.

To install

• Ensure your Mac is updated to 12.3 or greater
• Download the latest build here and install
• After installation is complete, click  → System Preferences → Security & Privacy
• Click the 🔒 icon in the bottom left hand of the window and enter password to unlock
• Click the Allow button in the bottom right to allow access
• Reboot your Mac for the changes to take effect

After that, you are all setup. Send any feedback or ideas to support@opalcamera.com

Over the last few weeks, the Opal team was hard at work making the camera work across every video conferencing app on Mac.

We’re pleased to share this new feature with Alpha testers.

To install

• Ensure your Mac is updated to 12.3 or greater
• Download the latest build here and install
• After installation is complete, click  → System Preferences → Security & Privacy
• Click the 🔒 icon in the bottom left hand of the window and enter password to unlock
• Click the Allow button in the bottom right to allow access

After that, you are all setup.

Post install, you can use your Opal through the software on every Mac video app, apps like Facetime, OBS studio, Twitch, Teams, and in Meets or Webex on any Browser – they will all just work.

Along with full app access, this build also gives you early access to a number of new features we are testing including Gestures, Recording, and a new Low Power Mode. It also includes over 80 bug fixes to the previous version.

Send any feedback or ideas to support@opalcamera.com

Over the last few weeks, the Opal team was hard at work making the camera work across every video conferencing app on Mac.

We’re pleased to share this new feature with Alpha testers.

Improvements

• Ensure your Mac is updated to 12.3 or greater
• Download the latest build here and install
• After installation is complete, click  → System Preferences → Security & Privacy
• Click the 🔒 icon in the bottom left hand of the window and enter password to unlock
• Click the Allow button in the bottom right to allow access

After that, you are all setup.

Post install, you can use your Opal through the software on every Mac video app, apps like Facetime, OBS studio, Twitch, Teams, and in Meets or Webex on any Browser – they will all just work.

Along with full app access, this build also gives you early access to a number of new features we are testing including Gestures, Recording, and a new Low Power Mode. It also includes over 80 bug fixes to the previous version.

Send any feedback or ideas to support@opalcamera.com