Reading and voice

Eye contact on camera: where to put the text on your teleprompter

Short answer: Your eyes stay on camera when the text you read is narrow and close to the lens. Narrow the text area, move the reading line up to camera height and shift the text sideways toward the camera. Pick a font size you can read from your normal sitting distance without squinting.

Why do your eyes drift when you read?

Your eye travels from the start of a line to the end. The wider the line, the more your gaze swings side to side – and on camera that looks like reading. Distance matters too: if the text sits in the middle of the screen and the camera is at the top, your eyes are always slightly low.

Which settings keep your eyes on the lens?

  1. A narrow text area. Short lines keep your eye still.
  2. The reading line at camera height. The word you're reading stays on the line, and the line can move up toward the camera.
  3. Text shifted toward the camera. If your webcam sits off-centre, nudge the text sideways to that side.
  4. A comfortable font size. When you don't have to squint, your face stays relaxed.
  5. A floating window under the camera. On calls and recordings, a small window right below the lens works best.
Look settings: text width, position, font and reading line. Demo workspace with sample data.
Look settings: text width, position, font and reading line. Demo workspace with sample data.

What about on a phone?

A phone's front camera is at the top edge. Keep the text narrow and the reading line high, and use a second phone as a remote so you don't reach for the screen mid-take.

Do colours help with eye contact?

Indirectly. When verbs, nouns and adjectives stand out in colour, your eye finds the words that carry the sentence at a glance instead of scanning the whole line. Less time reading means more time looking at the lens.

Frequently asked

Where should teleprompter text be placed?

As close to the camera as possible: a narrow text area, the reading line at camera height and the text shifted toward the camera.

Why do I look like I'm reading even though I'm looking at the screen?

Wide lines make your gaze swing side to side, and text far from the camera pulls your eyes down. Narrow the text and bring it closer to the lens.

What font size should a teleprompter use?

Large enough to read from your normal sitting distance without squinting. Too small shows up on camera as a tense face.