Smile! The Camera Field is Here

A while ago, my coffee maker started making this weird grinding noise every morning. Since it was still under warranty, I decided to file a claim with the manufacturer online.

The form was pretty straightforward until I hit this field: “Please upload a video showing the malfunction in action.”

Of course they wanted a video. How else could I prove my coffee maker sounded like it was eating gravel?

So I had to minimize the browser, open my phone’s camera app, switch to video mode, figure out how to prop my phone up to get a good angle, start recording while simultaneously turning on the coffee maker, hope the audio picked up that awful grinding sound, then save the video and navigate back to their website.

The first video was too dark to see anything clearly.

The second attempt had good lighting but you could barely hear the noise over my kitchen fan running in the background.

By the third try, I was balancing my phone against a cereal box trying to get the perfect shot, and honestly getting pretty annoyed. Here I am, trying to get my perfectly legitimate warranty claim processed and I’m basically directing a low-budget documentary about defective appliances.

When I finally captured a decent video and went back to upload it, the form session had expired. I had to start the entire warranty claim over from scratch.

I seriously considered just calling their support line instead. And I build forms for a living!

If I’m getting this frustrated with a simple video upload, imagine how your customers feel when they hit the same roadblock.

Introducing WPForms’ brand new camera field

That coffee maker warranty nightmare was the final reminder of why we needed to solve this problem once and for all.

That’s why I’m excited to share something we’ve been working on: our new Camera Field for WPForms.

Now your users can take pictures and videos in real-time and upload them directly through your forms. No app switching, no file hunting, no session timeouts.

But here’s what makes this even better – we’ve also completely upgraded our existing File Upload field. Now every file upload field gives users the choice: upload an existing file OR capture new content right on the spot.

Here’s what makes this feature pretty darn cool

• Real-Time Photo & Video Capture – Users snap photos or record videos instantly without leaving your form
• Smart Retake Functionality – Don’t like how it turned out? Hit retake and try again instantly
• 3-2-1 Countdown Timer – Gives users a moment to get ready before the camera starts recording
• Enhanced File Upload Field – Every existing file upload now offers both upload and capture options
• Instant Preview – Users see their captured content immediately before submitting
• Works Everywhere – Seamless experience on phones, tablets, and desktop devices
• No Extra Apps – Everything happens right in the browser

The retake feature alone would have saved me so much hassle with that coffee maker claim. Instead of the camera app juggling act, I could have just hit “retake” until I captured the grinding noise perfectly.

It’s a snap to set up

Adding camera functionality to your forms couldn’t be simpler. It’s as easy as adding a field to your form using our drag and drop functionality you know and love. With a few powerful settings, you can customize the field and uploads to fit your needs. Check out the full guide.

Plus all your favorite WPForms features still work

The best part? You can use all of WPForms’ powerful features with the new Camera Field:

• File Access Restrictions – Control exactly who can view uploaded photos and videos on your website backend
• Cloud Storage Integration – Automatically save captures to Dropbox or Google Drive
• Smart Conditional Logic – Show camera fields only when certain conditions are met
• File Size & Format Controls – Set exactly what types of content you want to accept

Who will love this

WPForms’ Camera Field is perfect for any business collecting visual content:

• Marketing Teams – Collect authentic customer testimonials where clients can record their experience right in your feedback form
• Educational Institutions – Students can submit project videos or document their work visually
• HR Teams – Receive video applications or portfolio samples directly
• Real Estate Professionals – Allow clients to submit property photos or record virtual tours
• Insurance Companies – Collect damage photos and incident documentation instantly
• Product Support Teams – Let customers show you exactly what’s malfunctioning instead of trying to describe weird noises

The picture-perfect difference

Our Camera Field is built right into WPForms with all the polish you expect. No extra subscriptions, no complex integrations and certainly no frustrating “one shot only” limitations.

Think about my coffee maker story. With our Camera Field, I would have clicked the camera icon, used the countdown to get positioned, recorded the video, heard it didn’t pick up the grinding noise clearly, hit “retake,” and gotten it perfect on the second try. All without leaving the form.

That’s the kind of smooth experience that keeps customers happy and conversions high.

Time to picture the possibilities

Try the Camera Field today! Your users will love the streamlined experience (especially that retake button), and you’ll love having all your visual content automatically organized with your other form submissions.

Suddenly, forms go from being a necessary evil to something that just makes sense. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Thanks for being part of the WPForms community. We’re always working on ways to make your forms better and your life easier.

Till next time,

Lauren