# Camera controls

The Compose-mode camera has two control modes – free cam and fine-tune – plus optional game-controller support. Free cam is for getting roughly there; fine-tune is for nailing the framing.

## Watch

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbS5ml0Uzx4>

![Compose mode with the picture-in-picture overhead view in the top-left and the main viewport showing the active camera framing on a moving subject](/files/5b8yKfB7faCC79zieaH0)

## What it does

A previs DP needs two kinds of camera moves: get from "I have no idea where I am" to "I'm roughly looking at the action" in three seconds (free cam), and then nudge that framing by single-degree increments until it's right (fine-tune). Stuffing both into one control mode means one of them feels broken. Compose mode separates them into two explicit states with a toggle in the bottom-left.

## How to use it

The mode toggle sits in the bottom-left of the Compose viewport.

1. **Free cam.** Click the free-cam icon. Drag to rotate; Shift+drag to pan or elevate; scroll to zoom. Same bindings as Build mode. Use this when you're hunting for an angle.
2. **Fine-tune.** Click the fine-tune icon. Drag the on-screen rosette handles for incremental dolly, truck, pedestal, pan, tilt, and roll. Use this when the angle is roughly right and you need to land it precisely.
3. **Frame an object.** Select the object in the scene outliner or in the picture-in-picture, press `F`. The camera moves to fill the frame with the object. Faster than dragging when you need to start from a known good angle.
4. **Picture-in-picture.** Toggle the PiP overlay to see an orbital "satellite view" of the scene with the camera frustum drawn in. Useful when you need to see where the camera is in the world while you adjust.
5. **Game controller.** Plug in an Xbox or PlayStation controller and the left stick maps to translation, right stick to look, shoulder buttons to elevation. Better for long crane moves or for users who set up shots while standing.

### When to use which

| You want to...                            | Use                                     |
| ----------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Find a rough angle on a moving subject    | Free cam                                |
| Place a static establishing shot          | Fine-tune                               |
| Match a specific framing from a reference | Fine-tune                               |
| Sweep across a large scene to scout       | Free cam (or controller)                |
| Get into someone's POV                    | Frame the head, then fine-tune to nudge |

## Details

| Control | Free cam                 | Fine-tune                |
| ------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |
| Rotate  | Drag                     | Pan rosette handle       |
| Pan     | `Shift` + drag           | Dolly + truck handles    |
| Elevate | `Shift` + drag           | Pedestal handle          |
| Roll    | n/a                      | Roll handle              |
| Speed   | Tied to scroll-zoom rate | Fixed-increment per drag |

## Limits and known issues

* **Free cam can drift through walls.** It doesn't collide with scene geometry. If you're looking through a building exterior, you didn't crash – you're inside.
* **Fine-tune is slower for big moves.** Don't use it to cross the scene; that's free cam's job.
* **The mode switcher quietly affects the viewport.** Switching to Build or Visualize while a shot is active swaps you back to that mode's camera; your shot's framing is preserved when you return.

## Related

* [Shots](/compose/shots.md)
* [Lenses](/compose/lenses.md)
* [Aim Camera and Target](/compose/aim-camera-and-target.md)
* [Move the camera (in Build mode)](/overview/get-started/viewport-navigation.md)


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