# Camera controls > Turn on camera controls to use head movements and facial expressions as inputs, and to move the pointer with your head. Source: https://help.cephable.com/docs/using-cephable/additional-features/camera-controls Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBJLnJHmvMQ --- Camera controls let you use head movements and facial expressions as inputs, and move the mouse pointer with your head. Everything is processed on your device — the camera feed is analyzed locally and is never recorded or transmitted. ## Turn camera controls on Camera controls are an extension, so they stay off until you turn them on. In the Cephable Workspace, use either route: - **From the home page:** under **Control**, click **Camera controls**. Cephable opens the Panel and starts the camera. This card appears once the extension is on. - **From Extensions:** open **Extensions → Cephable features** and turn **Enable** on for **Camera Controls**. Then click the camera icon at the top of the Cephable Panel. After that, the camera icon at the top of the Panel starts and stops the camera. ![The Camera Controls extension page in Cephable, showing the enable toggle and a link to camera settings](https://help.cephable.com/screenshots/desktop-extensions-camera.png) _Extensions → Camera Controls_ The camera picture appears inside the Panel with a **LIVE** badge, and Cephable briefly shows **Detected:** and the control's name each time one fires. The buttons at the bottom right of the picture update your baseline, turn **Face Lines** (the tracking overlay) on or off, and pause camera controls without stopping the camera. Move the pointer over the picture if you cannot see them. ![The Cephable camera controls window showing a live preview with face tracking lines and a detected control](https://help.cephable.com/screenshots/desktop-camera-window.png) _The camera picture in the Panel_ ## Movements and expressions you can map These are the inputs Cephable detects. Each one is mapped to an action inside your App Controls, and each has its own sensitivity. | Group | Inputs | | --- | --- | | Head tilt | Up, down, left, right | | Head turn | Left, right | | Head lean | Forward, back, left, right | | Head duck / rise | Down, up | | Eyebrow | Raise | | Mouth | Open, close, smile | :::callout type="note" title="Sensitivity, not on/off" Every input has a sensitivity value rather than a simple toggle. Sensitivity tells Cephable how far you need to move, or how exaggerated an expression needs to be, before it counts as a control. Higher values mean a smaller movement triggers the control; lower values need a bigger movement. ::: ## Set your baseline The **baseline** is your resting head and face position. Cephable measures movement relative to it, so getting it right matters more than any other setting. :::steps :::step title="Sit the way you normally sit" Use your usual posture and headrest. A baseline captured while sitting unusually upright will not match how you actually work. ::: :::step title="Update the baseline" While resting naturally, click the baseline button on the camera picture in the Panel. **Baseline Updated** confirms it. Cephable also sets a baseline from the first face it sees each time the camera starts. ::: :::step title="Adjust sensitivity per input" In **Settings → Extension: Camera**, drag the slider **left** for movements that trigger accidentally, and **right** for movements you find tiring to reach. ::: ::: ![Cephable camera settings showing head movement and face expression sensitivity sliders](https://help.cephable.com/screenshots/desktop-camera-settings-sensitivity.png) _Head movement and face expression sensitivity_ ## Moving the mouse with your head Head movement can drive the pointer instead of triggering other controls. In **Settings → Extension: Camera → Head Movement for Mouse Controls**, choose a **Mouse Move Mode**. | Mouse move mode | How it behaves | | --- | --- | | Off | Head movement does not move the pointer | | Steady Glide | Past a threshold, the pointer glides continuously | | Speed Boost | The longer you hold a position, the faster it moves | | Dynamic Glide | Speed increases with how far you move your head | Supporting settings: **Mouse Input Type** (which gestures drive the pointer), **Invert X/Y**, **Linear Mouse Movement** (horizontal and vertical only), **Mouse Speed**, **Maximum Mouse Speed**, **Mouse Acceleration Response Delay**, and **Mouse Acceleration Curve**. ![Cephable camera settings showing head movement for mouse controls, with mode, speed, and acceleration options](https://help.cephable.com/screenshots/desktop-camera-settings-mouse.png) _Head movement for mouse controls_ :::callout type="tip" title="Start with more damping than you think you need" If the pointer feels twitchy, lower **Mouse Speed** — and **Maximum Mouse Speed**, in Speed Boost or Dynamic Glide — before changing anything else. An unsteady pointer is far more tiring than a slightly slow one. ::: ## Lighting and camera placement Tracking quality depends more on lighting than on camera quality. - Light your face rather than your back. A bright window behind you is the most common cause of poor tracking. - Put the camera at or slightly above eye level. - Avoid strong side lighting, which makes expression detection uneven. If the camera cannot find your face, Cephable tells you directly — **No Face Detected. Please adjust your camera or position and try again.** ## More than one camera With the camera on, click the gear icon at the top of the Panel and choose a camera from the **Camera** list. When more than one camera is connected, a switch button on the camera picture also moves to the next one. Cephable remembers your choice. :::faq title="Common questions" :::question title="Why is my camera slow to start the first time?" The first start downloads the machine learning models. They are kept offline after that, so every later start is much faster. ::: :::question title="Can I change how much I have to move to trigger a control?" Yes — each movement and expression has its own sensitivity, so you can tune them individually. Set your **baseline** first though. Sensitivity is relative to your resting position, so a stale baseline makes every threshold feel wrong. ::: :::question title="Cephable cannot find my camera." Close any other app using the camera, check permission is granted, and check for a sliding webcam cover. Then turn the camera off and on again with the camera icon at the top of the Panel. [Camera and tracking problems](/docs/troubleshooting/camera-tracking#the-camera-will-not-start) has the full steps. ::: :::question title="My expressions fire while I am talking." Speech moves your mouth and eyebrows constantly, so tune those thresholds **while talking**, not in silence. Better still, use head movements rather than mouth expressions for anything you rely on during a conversation, and pause camera controls for the duration of a call. ::: ::: ## Next - [App Controls](/docs/using-cephable/app-controls) — map these inputs to actions - [Camera and tracking problems](/docs/troubleshooting/camera-tracking)