PTZ stands for Pan, Tilt, and Zoom — the three axes of movement on supported cameras. You can also fine-tune how fast the camera moves along each axis using speed settings in the control tray.
This article covers all the ways to move your camera and how to dial in the speed to match your production needs.
What You'll Need
A PTZ camera added to your Iris workspace and currently online.
The camera must support at least one movement axis (pan, tilt, or zoom). Iris automatically detects which axes your camera supports and enables or disables controls accordingly.
The camera must not be calibrating. PTZ controls are disabled while calibration is running.
Ways to Move Your Camera
On-Screen D-Pad
In the control tray, find the Move section (collapsed by default — click to expand). The directional pad supports eight directions: up, down, left, right, and all four diagonals. Zoom In (+) and Zoom Out (-) buttons sit alongside the D-Pad.
Directions your camera doesn't support will be grayed out. For example, if your camera can't pan, the left and right arrows are disabled.
Quick Shots
Eight quick-action buttons in the control tray:
Pan Left / Pan Right — Continuously pans. Press again to stop.
Tilt Up / Tilt Down — Continuously tilts. Press again to stop.
Zoom In / Zoom Out — Continuously zooms. Press again to stop.
Home — Returns the camera to its home position.
Stop All — Immediately stops all movement.
Quick Shot buttons are automatically disabled when the camera has reached its position limit in that direction — for example, if you're fully panned left, the Pan Left button grays out.
Click to Center
Select the Center tool from the toolbar above the video preview. Click anywhere on the feed, and the camera moves so that point becomes the center of the frame. This doesn't change the zoom level.
A Cine Center variant is also available (via the dropdown arrow on the tool icon) — it uses smoother, cinematic motion to reach the target.
Fast Frame
Select the Fast Frame tool from the toolbar. Draw a rectangle over the area you want to frame, using the scroll wheel to resize it (which controls zoom level). Click once to place the selection, then click inside it again to execute. The camera pans, tilts, and zooms to match.
A Cine Frame variant is available for smoother, coordinated movement.
Virtual Joystick
Select the Joystick tool from the toolbar, or press J. Click and drag on the video to pan and tilt — the farther you drag, the faster the camera moves. Scroll the mouse wheel while dragging to zoom simultaneously.
Quick access: Hold Space while hovering over the video to temporarily activate the joystick. Release Space to return to your previous tool.
Scroll Wheel Shortcut
While using the Click to Center tool, scrolling the mouse wheel automatically switches you into Fast Frame — so you can zoom to a specific area without changing tools first.
Keyboard
Arrow keys — Pan (Left/Right) and Tilt (Up/Down)
(=) and (-) — Zoom in and out
Gamepad
Iris supports USB and Bluetooth gamepads:
Left stick / assigned axis — Pan and Tilt
Assigned axis — Zoom
Quick shot buttons — Single-axis movements
Configure gamepad bindings under Settings > Controllers > Gamepads.
Gamepads also have pace presets you can cycle through with assigned buttons:
Preset | Pan/Tilt Speed | Zoom Speed |
Slow | 5% | 2% |
Medium (default) | 20% | 25% |
Fast | 50% | 60% |
IP Controller (Desktop App Only)
Connect a professional VISCA-compatible IP joystick controller. Manage them under Settings > Controllers > IP Controllers. This is only available in the desktop application, not the browser.
Adjusting Pan and Tilt Speed
In the control tray, find the Pan & Tilt speed section. You have two modes:
Variable (default) — The camera speed scales with how far you push the control. Gentle input = slow movement. Full input = fast movement. The rate slider sets the maximum speed.
Fixed — The camera always moves at the exact speed you set with the rate slider, regardless of input.
Rate Slider
Adjusts speed from 1% to 100%:
In Fixed mode, this is the constant speed.
In Variable mode, this is the maximum speed the control can reach.
Adjusting Zoom Speed
The Zoom speed section works the same way — Fixed or Variable mode with a rate slider. Zoom speed is configured independently from Pan & Tilt speed, so you can have different settings for each.
Fixed — Constant zoom speed.
Variable — Zoom speed adjusts based on input from your cursor, scroll wheel, gamepad, IP controller, or trackpad.
Speed with Zoom Position
Some cameras have a setting that automatically reduces pan and tilt speed when the camera is zoomed in. This prevents overshoot and jerky movement at high zoom levels — when you're zoomed in tight, even small movements cover a lot of the frame, so slower speed keeps things smooth and controlled.
This is a camera-level setting and only appears if your camera model supports it. Look for it in the Pan & Tilt section of the control tray.
Camera-Level Speed Settings
In addition to Iris's Fixed/Variable speed modes, your camera may expose its own speed controls that are sent directly to the hardware. These vary by camera model — you may see some or all of:
Pan Speed / Tilt Speed / Zoom Speed — On-camera speed value sliders
Motion Sync — Coordinates pan and tilt so they arrive at the target position at the same time, producing smoother diagonal movements
Slow Mode — Enables a finer, slower movement range for precise adjustments
Speed Control Mode — Switches between "Standard" and "Superfine" speed ranges (available on some brands)
Speed with Zoom Position — Auto-adjusts pan/tilt speed based on zoom level
Preset PT Speed / Preset Zoom Speed — Controls how fast the camera moves when recalling a saved Position Preset. These are independent of your manual movement speed.
Pan/Tilt Position Limits — Configurable left, right, up, and down limits to restrict the camera's range of motion
If a setting doesn't appear, your camera model doesn't support it.
What Speed Settings Affect
The Fixed/Variable speed settings and rate slider primarily affect the Joystick, D-Pad, Quick Shots, and Zoom tool. Tools like Click to Center, Fast Frame, and Cine Frame use their own movement algorithms and may not be affected by these settings.
Tips and Best Practices
Save settings per source. PTZ speed settings are saved per camera, so each source retains its customized speeds.
Select the correct camera driver. The right brand and model ensures accurate speed control. An incorrect driver can lead to sluggish or overshooting movement.
Variable mode for most situations. It gives you the most range — slow for fine adjustments, fast for big moves.
Fixed mode for predictability. When you need consistent, repeatable speed regardless of input.
Gamepad pace presets let you quickly switch between slow/medium/fast without touching the UI.
Adjust during setup, not live. Speed changes take effect immediately — be careful during production.
What Happens If…
…Auto-Tracking is active and you try to move the camera? A confirmation alert appears. You can override (which may stop tracking) or cancel.
…the camera is calibrating? All PTZ controls are disabled until calibration completes.
…your camera doesn't support pan or tilt? The corresponding D-Pad directions are grayed out, and the speed section for that axis won't appear.
…the camera loses connection mid-movement? The camera stops at its last commanded position. Controls become unavailable until the connection is restored.
…you scroll the mouse wheel while using Click to Center? Iris switches to Fast Frame so you can zoom to a specific area.
Troubleshooting
What's happening | Likely cause | What to do |
D-Pad arrows are grayed out | Camera doesn't support that axis, or calibration is running | Check camera capabilities. Wait for calibration to finish. |
PTZ controls do nothing | Camera is offline | Verify the camera is powered on and connected |
"Cannot move" alert appears | Auto-Tracking is active | Confirm the alert to override, or stop tracking first |
Camera moves too slowly or fast | Speed settings need adjusting | Open the speed section and adjust the rate slider, or switch Fixed/Variable |
Gamepad doesn't control the camera | Not detected or configured | Go to Settings > Controllers and verify the gamepad is listed |
Camera-specific speed sliders don't appear | Your model doesn't support them | Expected — Iris only shows what your camera supports |
Quick Shot button is disabled | Camera is at its position limit in that direction | Move the camera the other way first |
FAQs
What's the difference between Fixed and Variable speed? Fixed moves at a constant rate you set. Variable scales speed with input — gentle = slow, full = fast.
Can I control pan/tilt and zoom at the same time? Yes. The D-Pad, gamepads, joystick, and Fast Frame all support simultaneous pan, tilt, and zoom.
What is Motion Sync? A camera-level setting (on supported models) that coordinates pan and tilt so they finish at the same time, producing smoother diagonal movements.
What's the difference between Click to Center and Fast Frame? Click to Center moves the camera so the clicked point is centered — no zoom change. Fast Frame lets you draw a rectangle to define both position and zoom.
Can I set position limits on my camera? Yes, on supported cameras. Look for Pan Left/Right Limit and Tilt Up/Down Limit in the Pan & Tilt section.
How do I change gamepad speed on the fly? Use the assigned pace-up and pace-down buttons to cycle through Slow, Medium, and Fast presets.
Does zoom speed affect preset recall speed? Some cameras have separate Preset PT Speed and Preset Zoom Speed settings that control how fast the camera moves when recalling a saved position. These are independent of manual movement speed.
Can I use an IP controller instead of a gamepad? Yes. Go to Settings > Controllers > IP Controllers to set up a VISCA-compatible controller. Desktop app only.
Can I use variable speed for pan/tilt and fixed for zoom (or vice versa)? Yes. Pan & Tilt and Zoom speed modes are configured independently.