There are plenty of special effects we can add to IM clients in the form of emoticons, avatars and pictures.

But webcams are generally restricted to nothing but the image you see. However, with WebcamMax Full, you can add all manner of special effects and images to webcam images to make your broadcasts and webcam sessions more interesting. WebcamMax adds videos, pictures and effects to virtual/real Webcams and broadcasts on messenger services.

You can add videos, screenshots, pictures, flash and effects to virtual or real Webcams and messengers including the most popular IM clients such as ICQ, AIM, MSN, Camfrog, Skype, Paltalk, Yahoo, ANYwebcam and Stickam. You can also add special motion effects (Frame, Transform, and Emotion) over your webcam image. If you find that the program doesn't offer you enough effects, you can also download up to 1500 more from the developer's website. Apart from having fun, this program can enhance your YouTube videos or blogcasts by changing the background or environment from where you are broadcasting from.

Perhaps the most useful feature however doesn't relate to effects at all and relates to PinP (Picture in Picture). So for example, you want to talk about a certain part in a film with a friend or discuss it in a review, WebcamMax Full allows you to choose an alternative source which plays in the corner of your webcam in a smaller screen while you talk.

An interesting webcam tool which can be used for fun or more serious pursuits like picture in picture to get the most out of your webcam.

Download WebcamMax Full 5.0.3.8 in Softonic

If you regularly conduct video calls or video conferencing with more than one person, then ooVoo is an elegant and powerful video conferencing and IM client that combines elegance with functionality.

With ooVoo you can talk face-to-face with up to six people, add an ooVoo link to your blog or online profiles (so others can instantly add you to their contacts), send and receive video messages and best of all, it's completely free. To get started, you need to create an ooVoo ID which is fairly painless although a bit annoying as all registration forms can be. Once you've started the setup process, you'll be asked to create an ooVoo username and password. You'll also be asked to add a few friends and contacts to your ooVoo account although if like me, you don't know anyone using ooVoo, you can simply elect to send invites. Unlike some video conferencing applications, it's very easy to get up and running with your webcam and it can handle very high quality cameras of up to 2 megapixels depending on the speed of your connection. During chats and video calls, you can add effects to video such as sepia, blurring and morphing although it seems to take some time in applying these successfully. ooVoo also serves as a VoIP app although unfortunately, it only serves mobiles and landlines in the USA and Canada at the moment. What's really nice about ooVoo though is the ability to place your contacts, and their video images, down the side of your screen in a sidebar simultaneously. This way, you can chat away to all of them at the same time and see them at once. This does hog quite a bit of your RAM though if you're not working on with at least 1GB of RAM or more.

An impressive video conferencing and chat IM although it would be interesting to see how it performs when a maximum of 6 people are trying to conduct a video conference at the same time.

Download ooVoo 1.6.1.10 in Softonic

BRAVIS Galaxee 4free (formerly BRAVIS Pico) allows you to conduct videoconferencing between multiple users simultaneously using just an Internet connection and a webcam and microphone.

The advantage of this program is that you do not need additional hardware or dedicated servers. It has been developed with closed groups in mind using peer to peer connections. It's especially useful when performing negotiations or interviews as you can add other users at any time. Bravis Galaxee 4free adapts the quality of the call to the type of connection you have which means that communication is usually pretty stable. In addition, you have a chat client which can also accept new additions at any time. Overall, the program is very easy to use and you never feel like you have to explain to other users how they may join and remove themselves from conversations at any time. If you need to be able to conduct video conferences with an unlimited number of users, then you'll find BRAVIS Galaxee 4free an easy to use and solid solution.

A very good multiple video conferencing app which doesn't require installation and is easy enough for anyone to use.

Download BRAVIS Galaxy 4free 1.5 in Softonic

Everyone always bangs on about how wonderful the Net is as a means of researching and finding out information. Whilst this may be true, it is a wild overestimation to say that the Internet is mainly used for this purpose. In fact, many people online use the Internet as a tool for hooking up with mates and meeting new people. As a consequence, there are dozens of web video chat apps that have sprung up and Camfrog represents a slight break from the norm.

In terms of video and sound quality, Camfrog is second to none, offering pixel-perfect visuals and crisp, clear sounds. One of the other things that makes this app stand out from the vast ranks of similar programs is its ability to allow you to chat to more than one person at a time. The ‘Pro’ version also offers the chance to resize the video chat window, which is great when dealing with friends whose camera runs at a different resolution. Unfortunately though, you cannot resize the window to your preference, as you need to choose from a series of preset sizes.

The interface is fairly simple to get around, but perhaps it would have benefited from some more options within the contact list window and the ability to make the window smaller than it currently allows. Nevertheless, Camfrog is a great program for enabling online video chat and boasts a video quality unheard of in many of its rivals. If you want something simple to be able to see and talk to friends on the Net, Camfrog is a worthy option.

Download Camfrog Video Chat 4.1.82 in Softonic

Use fake webcam to play you pre-recorded videos on instant messengers (Yahoo, MSN, Paltalk etc) while chatting. It can even broadcast one single movie to all the messengers at the same time.

Fake webcam enables you to:

• Play pre-recorded videos without even having a physical webcam
• Have a virtual personality
• Keep your privacy by pretending to be some one else

Download Fake Webcam 4.5 in Softonic

I don't know about you but I much prefer to meet with people in the flesh rather than chat online with them. Of course, this isn't always possible as many of your buddies may live in a different town or even a different country. An interesting compromise between the two ways of conversing can be met by producing 3D video to broadcast to your friends and family.

In the past this was a tortuous process because you need to capture the same image from two different perspectives, then apply a colour filter to each before editing it together in a single sequence. This can take a long time and relies on a lot of guesswork to get it right, so enter HeavyMath SteroPic to do the job for you with ease. Quite simply, you just set up two webcams, point them at yourself and hit 'record'. The application the does everything else for you, producing a pretty accurate 3D reproduction of yourself.

HeavyMath SteroPic provides a very simple way of broadcast video in 3D, although it does make your eyes go funny after a while!

Download HeavyMath StereoPic 3.5.4 in Softonic

ManyCam is a highly flexible webcamera for all occasions. You can add text to your webcam video window with any application.

You can also add cool animations in your video window and display both your local day and date in your video window.

There's also an option to add live CGI graphics like fire and water effects and even make it appear as if it is snowing inside your house. Have more fun with your webcam today!

Download ManyCam 2.0 in Softonic

Combine video conferencing, voice calls, instant messaging, filesharing and web co-browsing for richer online meetings with family, colleagues or customers.

Video conference, audio call, message and collaborate across Windows & Mac Operating Systems and hardware. Share pictures, videos, music or any file format during voice calls or video conferences.

Download iVisit 3.7.4 in Softonic

iSpQ VideoChat desktop conferencing software connects you with people from around the world in a live video chat community. Connecting is easy with public directories, private chat rooms, and an online contact list. Breakthrough video and voice technology enable a real and natural experience that shrinks any distance between two or more people.

Features include:

• High resolution multi-person video chat
• Better than phone quality sound, without a headset
• Safe and large community with room monitors
• Shared Internet and wireless compatible
• Easy communication with friends and family
• Thousands online now with detailed photo profiles

Download iSpQ VideoChat 8.0.50 in Softonic

Let'sPowwow Desktop software brings great minds together electronically. Whether the purpose is creating, presenting, teaching or training, there's no limit to what can be accomplished securely, reliably and economically, regardless of distance or physical barriers between collaborators. Through leader-controlled access codes, two to thirty participants can simultaneously view and/or edit a document or file from any location, source and format. Team members communicate instantly online through private, public or group chat. Regardless of where team members are geographically, they all walk away with the same documentation at the end of each session. Let'sPowwow Desktop makes it possible for teams and individuals to work together on the desktop-as though they were face to face.

Download LetsPowwow Collaboration Software 1.3 in Softonic

TooMeeting Conference is the videoconference software that allows unlimited users to communicate without installing any program regardless of the connection quality or configuration. Therefore TooMeeting Conference is the ideal solution for holding meetings, collaborations, multiconferences, elearning communications, etc.

Thereby it stands as the multimedia application for real time conferences, that allows an unlimited number of users to participate in an interactive way on events, where you can simultaneously share:

• Video
• Audio
• Text
• Desktop
• Blackboard
• Presentations, slides
• Documents and various reports

Download TooMeeting Conference 3.2 in Softonic

Festoon (formerly vSkype) adds video and sharing to your Skype experience. Getting started is simple. Just connect a camera, download our free Festoon plug-in, and invite up to 200 buddies to a video call - even if they don't have a camera. You can also share anything you see on your screen, even your entire desktop. Whether you use Skype for business or to connect with family and friends, now you can show a presentation, work on a spreadsheet, or share photos of your weekend fun while seeing everyone on the call.

Download Festoon 1.3.213 Beta in Softonic

Easy and small application for free video communication via Internet on any broadband or even dial-up. Easy and convenient interface which doesn’t require special skills and knowledge. It has call history book, full user information with photo, address book, alternative change of interface skins, multi-language support, chat, convenient search of friends via Web. It is possible to call right from Web-site. It also has big size video picture, separated self-view window; works through HTTP-proxies and firewalls. Thanks to the noise silence, face detector, automatic estimation of channel width, own video codec and other technologies it ensures good connection even through instable low speed channels. This application ensures more competitive quality of video communication on dial-up.

Download ZoomChat 4.4.0 in Softonic

Dialcom's Spontania video plug-in is designed to be integrated with any 3rd party Internet-based communication solution. Dialcom selected Skype, the leading VoIP solution, as the first integration candidate. As a result of this, we are pleased to bring you Spontania video4IM, for free. This product support Skype, and Spontania Video4IM uses the Skype API but it is not endorsed or certified by SKype. High-quality video communication is as easy as placing a voice call.

Download Spontania Video4IM 0.8.5 beta in Softonic

Eyeball Chat allows you to communicate face-to-face over the Internet for free. All you need is an Internet connection and a Webcam to connect with friends and family worldwide. The Contact List allows you to see which of your contacts are online at anytime, so you can instantly engage in live video chat.

Features:

• Support for AIM, MSN, and Yahoo messengers
• Support for integrated chat rooms with improved privacy
• The ability to record and send video messages
• File transfer

• SSL encryption

Download EyeBall Chat 2.2 in Softonic

NetMeeting delivers a complete Internet conferencing solution for all Windows users with multi-point data conferencing, text chat, whiteboard, and file transfer, as well as point-to-point audio and video.

Download Microsoft NetMeeting 3.01 in Softonic