How do I get a good angle for using FaceTime in landscape mode on my iPad? It still looks off center and I thought Center Stage would fix that.
***And FYI, I am using a new iPad Pro, 11” with iOS 16.5.1, so I don’t know why it is reflected differently below.
iPad Air
What you are seeing is a fundamental limitation of tablet and camera design - which becomes more pronounced as screens become larger…
By necessity, the iPad camera is off-axis; the bigger the screen and the closer you are to it, the more this physical limitation becomes apparent. This effect is not limited to iPad, but similarly affects all computing platforms that employ a front-facing camera.
Unless you are looking directly at the camera, you gaze will never appear to be looking in its direction. Ultra wide-angle lenses, such as that employed by the current models of iPad Pro and iPad Air, seem to visually exaggerate this effect - hence the behaviour that you observe.
When comparing with a a desktop or laptop PC, the camera is most often placed at the top as opposed to the side of the screen (as is the case when using your iPad in Landscape orientation). As such, when using a PC, you gaze may appear to be below and away from the camera axis. A correctly positioned laptop will have the top-edge of the screen (and hence the camera) will be approximately at eye-level. Whilst your gaze will still be directed downwards, the off-axis effect will be minimised.
It follows that the only way that this limitation could be fully resolved is to place the camera lens dead-centre - looking through your screen. Clearly, this is not a viable proposition with current screen technology.
In conclusion, there is nothing that you can do - other than to place the screen slightly further away to reduce the unavoidable effect.
What you are seeing is a fundamental limitation of tablet and camera design - which becomes more pronounced as screens become larger…
By necessity, the iPad camera is off-axis; the bigger the screen and the closer you are to it, the more this physical limitation becomes apparent. This effect is not limited to iPad, but similarly affects all computing platforms that employ a front-facing camera.
Unless you are looking directly at the camera, you gaze will never appear to be looking in its direction. Ultra wide-angle lenses, such as that employed by the current models of iPad Pro and iPad Air, seem to visually exaggerate this effect - hence the behaviour that you observe.
When comparing with a a desktop or laptop PC, the camera is most often placed at the top as opposed to the side of the screen (as is the case when using your iPad in Landscape orientation). As such, when using a PC, you gaze may appear to be below and away from the camera axis. A correctly positioned laptop will have the top-edge of the screen (and hence the camera) will be approximately at eye-level. Whilst your gaze will still be directed downwards, the off-axis effect will be minimised.
It follows that the only way that this limitation could be fully resolved is to place the camera lens dead-centre - looking through your screen. Clearly, this is not a viable proposition with current screen technology.
In conclusion, there is nothing that you can do - other than to place the screen slightly further away to reduce the unavoidable effect.
Center Stage is just a digital pan and zoom feature of the FaceTime camera software.
If you want to look centered in a FaceTime video call, you still need to physicslly orient/set up the side mounted camera lens, on the front of your iPad, so you look centered properly within the iPad's screen.
Best of Luck to You!
You may need to prop up the iPad on some type of physicsl platform to raise the iPad up, slide the iPad camera lens in front of you and speak and look at the iPad's camera lens instead of the iPad's screen.
“***And FYI, I am using a new iPad Pro, 11” with iOS 16.5.1, so I don’t know why it is reflected differently below.”
You have to add your proper iPad hardware when in the hardware description area before you finish posting.
Do you have any tips on doing this? In part, I purchased a new ipad because I thought the center stage feature helped to resolve this. I can never get my ipad front camera at a good angle when the ipad is horizontal, which it almost always is the stand.
iPad self video or face time still looks off center
