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I have a Mac (Mini) with the Apple Studio monitor. I use the built-in camera for teaching sessions on Zoom and Teams.

The problem is that the camera is at the top of the screen, of course, while I’m looking at the middle of the screen, of course. As a result, the camera always sees me as looking down, which doesn’t present well.

The problem is the same when using the built-in camera on my MacBook.

Is there some sort of plugin or application or something which can fake the image so that I appear to be looking at the camera?

Update

I’m not sure why this question is getting some flack.

Currently, video applications, such as zoom, teams, and even facetime allow various adjustments including colour and lighting adjustments, smoothing, backgrounds, filters, avatars, effects, and, of course, Centre Stage.

It seems a reasonable question to ask whether there’s a way to appear to be looking at the camera.

I admit, nobody’s ever complained about where my eyes appear to be, but neither have they complained that I’m not on the deck of the Enterprise, or that I don’t have rabbit ears.

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    I have been taught online a lot during Covid and never would I care where exactly the lecturer would look, particularly given the fact that the presentation would be maximized. I highly doubt that this is an issue anyone in your audience cares about and very much agree with @bmike on his last paragraph in the answer. Commented Apr 13 at 13:39
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    Thanks @X_841 and I debated putting that comment here or in the answer. High production values have a place, but I would only expect it if I’m paying enough for the session that the people preparing it can afford $2k of lighting, prompters, controllers, cameras etc…. Commented Apr 13 at 14:17
  • @X_841 No, I haven’t had the audience in an uproar about where my eyes are, but given all the other effects that are available, I can’t see why this particular issue is a problem. Commented Apr 14 at 2:12
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    The difference to the other effects you mention is optics. Changing the background is way simpler than „turning“ the video image to make you look into the camera. This will inevitably lead to some image distortion which may make the result worse than if your eyes are not focusing on the camera. Commented Apr 14 at 5:39
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    I agree this is a legitimate software query, but I think a lot of the pushback is from the dubious assumption in “the camera always sees me as looking down, which doesn’t present well.” In the abstract, sure, direct eye contact would seem ideal. But virtually everyone presenting, teaching, etc online today is using a similar camera setup, so this small degree of “looking down” is, at least, something we’re all accustomed to in that setting. Arguably it’s a normal level already in in-person conversation — your gaze flicking between someone’s eyes and mouth as they talk. Commented Apr 16 at 6:22

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None I can recommend for teams or zoom, even FaceTime trying to fake this out IMO isn’t a good solution (it works for panning, not so much for pupil redirection without changing the iris and eyelids). It’s the best I’ve seen, but not for your apps.

FaceTime control for attention

I recommend a proper teleprompter setup if you need to be looking directly at the camera no matter which streaming platform you use. If close enough is good enough, Ben has great tips for minimizing the eye angle.

The two Elgato products are solid and reasonably priced (USD 300 and 600).

Are you certain this matters to the audience? I would presume they are more interested in your ability to deliver the content than make eye contact while you are understandably focused on the content. For how long are you not taking a break to engage the audience by looking at the camera?

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I doubt there is such a plug-in. While it's easy to change the background, or give you bunny ears, anything that actually altered the appearance of your eyes would probably look cartoonish or monstrous, and distract from your presentation.

CentreStage can zoom and pan, but it can't make the camera appear to be viewing from a totally different position and angle.

I have the Studio Display, and if I'm looking at the top half of the screen, then it does appear that I'm looking straight at the camera.

Make sure the height of the display is correct -- your horizontal eyeline should be near the top. But if the display is higher than that, then you'll be looking upward, toward the camera more often. If the display is lower down, then everyone will just see your eyelids.

On the laptop, make sure that the screen lid is leaning back slightly, beyond the vertical. That will ensure a better angle for the camera towards your face.

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    This is excellent advice. For most people, the choice seems to be get an eye line “close enough” by moving the desk, tilting the display and managing the background visible from the camera. Another approach is to avoid the “eye contact” issue entirely. Two “over the shoulder” side camera options exist: one features the presenter front and side, the other presenter back and showing the workspace. Commented Apr 14 at 12:38

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