The Control Tray is where you manage and operate your connected cameras in real time. It sits on the right side of your Studio and gives you hands-on control over camera movement, focus, zoom, speed, and image settings — all from a single interface.
This article walks you through the full Studio workspace layout so you know where everything is, then dives into the Control Tray itself.
The Studio Workspace
When you open a Studio room, the workspace is organized into five areas:
Left panel — Your video and audio source lists. Click a source to select it.
Top toolbar — Movement tools, view arrangement (Single/Multi-Camera), and gridline toggle.
Center viewport — Your live camera feeds.
Right panel (Control Tray) — The Controls and Image tabs for operating the selected camera.
Bottom panel — Position Presets and Auto-Tracking controls.
If you're a Viewer, you'll see the left panel and viewport only. The Control Tray, bottom panel, and toolbar controls are hidden — you need an Admin or Producer role to access them.
What You'll Need
An Iris Studio account with access to at least one room.
At least one video source added. Without one, the Controls tab shows: "A video source must be added to begin."
Admin or Producer role — Viewers can see feeds but can't operate controls.
A calibrated camera for some tools — Click to Center, Fast Frame, and Auto-Tracking require calibration. The Joystick works without calibration.
The Control Tray (Right Panel)
The right panel has two tabs at the top:
Controls (joystick icon) — Camera movement, focus, speed, and quick actions.
Image (sliders icon) — Exposure, white balance, picture profile, and other image-quality settings.
Click a tab to switch between them. There's also a keyboard shortcut to toggle between the two.
Inside the Controls Tab
The Controls tab is organized into collapsible sections, listed top to bottom:
Focus
Device-specific focus settings — auto-focus mode, focus limits, one-push trigger, and more. The available options depend on what your camera supports.
Quick Shots
Eight quick-action buttons arranged in a grid:
Pan Left / Pan Right — Continuously pans the camera in that direction. 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.
If your camera doesn't support a particular axis (e.g., no pan capability), those specific buttons will be grayed out.
Pan & Tilt Speed
Choose between two speed modes:
Variable (default) — Speed scales with how you interact with the controls. The rate slider sets the maximum speed.
Fixed — The camera moves at a constant speed set by the rate slider, regardless of your input.
The rate slider goes from 1% to 100%. This section may also show device-specific settings like motion sync or speed limits, depending on your camera.
Device-Specific Controls
Additional settings pulled from your camera's capabilities. For example, if your camera has built-in auto-tracking, those parameters may appear here.
Zoom Speed
Same Fixed/Variable toggle and rate slider as Pan & Tilt, but for zoom movement.
Move (D-Pad)
A virtual directional pad for manual pan, tilt, and zoom with 8 directions (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW). This section is collapsed by default — click to expand it.
If Your Camera Doesn't Support PTZ
If the selected video source isn't a PTZ camera, the Controls tab shows: "The video source you've selected doesn't support this functionality." You can still use the Image tab for exposure, white balance, and other image settings.
Selecting a Camera to Control
Click on a video source in the left panel's Video tab, or click directly on a camera feed in Multi-Camera view. The Control Tray and toolbar tools update to apply to the selected camera.
Tips and Best Practices
Adjust controls during setup, not live. Changes take effect immediately — be careful with live adjustments.
Use Position Presets for frequent camera angles or live transitions. Name them descriptively (e.g., "Wide Shot - Stage Left").
Variable speed for most situations, Fixed speed when you need predictable, constant movement.
Explore the Controls tab after adding a new camera. Every driver is different, and manufacturers label their control features differently. Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the layout.
Troubleshooting
What's happening | Likely cause | What to do |
Controls tab says "A video source must be added" | No video source in the room | Add a camera from the left panel |
Controls tab says "doesn't support this functionality" | Selected source isn't a PTZ camera | Select a PTZ source, or use the Image tab |
Movement tools are all grayed out | Camera is being calibrated | Wait for calibration to finish |
Click to Center / Fast Frame disabled | Camera not calibrated | Calibrate first — right-click the source in the left panel |
Auto-Tracking tool is disabled | Plan doesn't include it, Bridge is offline, or embedded-only | Upgrade your plan and/or ensure the desktop Bridge app is running |
Quick Shot buttons are grayed out | Camera doesn't support that axis | Expected for cameras without pan, tilt, or zoom |
Can't see the Control Tray at all | You're a Viewer | Ask an Admin to upgrade your role to Producer or Admin |
Speed slider doesn't appear | Speed mode may be set to Variable without the variable speed feature enabled | Switch to Fixed mode, or check with your administrator |
FAQs
How do I switch between controlling different cameras? Click the camera in the left panel's Video tab, or click its feed in Multi-Camera view. The Control Tray updates to the selected camera.
What's the difference between Fixed and Variable speed? Fixed sends movement commands at a constant rate you set with the slider. Variable adjusts speed based on how far you push the joystick or how you interact with the viewport — the slider sets the maximum.
Can I use a physical gamepad? Yes. Iris supports gamepad controllers that work alongside the on-screen controls.
What are Cine Center and Cine Frame? Cinematic variants of Click to Center and Fast Frame. They provide smoother, more gradual camera movements. Access them via the dropdown arrow on the tool icon.
How do I return the camera to its default position? Use the Home button in the Quick Shots section.
Can multiple users control the same camera? Yes, multiple Admins and Producers can be in the same room. However, simultaneous conflicting commands to the same camera may produce unexpected results.
Where are advanced settings like resolution and streaming? Those are in Advanced Settings for the video source, not in the Control Tray. The Controls tab focuses on real-time movement and focus.
Does the Control Tray work in the browser? Yes, it works in both the web browser and the desktop app. However, Auto-Tracking requires the desktop Bridge to be running.
Do Position Presets save focus values? No — only Pan, Tilt, and Zoom. For image settings, use Image Presets.
What's the difference between Auto-Tracking in the Controls tab and the bottom panel? The Controls tab may show your camera's built-in, native auto-tracking settings (device-specific). The bottom panel's Auto-Tracking tab is Iris's AI-powered auto-tracking — a separate system. They're not the same thing.