Taking an webcam image from the command line

Last modified on July 24, 2026 • 1 min read • 53 words
Taking an webcam image from the command line.
Taking an webcam image from the command line
Image by Michael Jeltsch

There are probably not many use cases, but remote surveillance is an example, both in a malicious and legitimate context. Malware can take pictures of the unwitting user, and “Has anybody searched through my office after I forgot to close the door last Friday?”, respectively.

fswebcam -r 960x720 --jpeg 95 -D 1 web-cam-shot.jpg