How to Control the Computer with a Webcam
Thomas, your megalomaniac neighbor, continues to boast for the purchase of a very expensive mouse studded with keys and advanced features. You absolutely must give him a moral slap and, believe it or not, you can do it without spending even a penny.
All you need to shut up James and keep all your friends amazed is one of those programs that allow you to control your computer with a webcam. How do you say? Totally ignore the ability to control the PC remotely, with a simple nod or a movement of the hand? Well, now no more! If you devote some of your free time, I can give you a practical demonstration of how easy it is to use the PC webcam to move the cursor on the screen and interact with the computer without using the mouse.
Courage: make yourself comfortable, take all the time you need to concentrate on reading the next paragraphs and, more importantly, implement the “tips” that I will give you. I am sure that if you follow my instructions step by step, you will not have the slightest problem in carrying out your today’s “business”. I just have to wish you good reading and, above all, have fun with your webcam!
How to Control the Computer with a Webcam – Index
Enable Viacam (Windows / Linux)
Camera Mouse (Windows)
GiMeSpace Cam Control (Windows)
ControlAir (macOS)
Enable Viacam
One of the first solutions that I recommend trying to control the computer with the webcam is Enable Viacam (also known as eViacam): a free and open source program that allows you to move the mouse cursor simply by moving your head. Let’s get to know him more closely.
The first step you need to take is to download Enable Viacam on your PC. Then connect to the official website of the program and click on the item Download eViacam located on the right side of the page. When the download is complete, open the .exe file you just downloaded by double clicking on it and, in the window that opens, click on the Yes button, then click OK, in order to confirm the use of the english language.
Then put the check mark next to the item I accept the terms of the license agreement, presses the Next button for four consecutive times and press on Install, Next and End to finish the setup.
After installing and launching Enable Viacam on your PC, select the webcam you want to use to control your PC (eg Id: 1 HP Webcam-101) and press the OK button. In the program welcome window, proceed with the configuration wizard by clicking on the Next button and following the instructions on the screen.
After configuring Enable Viacam, move and resize the blue rectangle to include only your head and click on the green Enable button (✓) to start controlling the computer with the webcam. If everything went right, the mouse cursor will follow the movements of your head moving in the desired direction.
To choose what operation the mouse must do when the head is stopped, all you have to do is click on one of the buttons on the toolbar at the top of the screen when the program starts: select Left to associate the left click to the movement of your head; Right to activate the right click; Drag to enable file dragging; Double click to double-click or No click to not take any action at the cursor when the head is stationary.
To stop the program, however, you do not have to do is click on the red button Disable (X) and you’re done. Easier than that ?!
Mouse Room
Another solution that I suggest you try to control your PC with the webcam is Camera Mouse. The name of this program gives a good idea of what its use may be, that is, controlling the PC using the webcam as a mouse. Also in this case we are in the presence of a 100% free software, as well as simple to use.
To download Camera Mouse on your PC, connected to the program’s website, click on the downloads link located at the top and then click on the The Camera Mouse 20xx program link, in order to start downloading the software installation file.
Download is complete, open the file you just downloaded, presses the Yes / Run button and complete the setup by following the simple wizard that is shown on the screen. Then put the check mark on the item I accept the agreement, click on the Next button and then click on Install and Finish.
In the Camera Mouse welcome window, you are reminded to connect a webcam to your computer (if you have not already done so) and place it in such a way that it looks good on your face: after viewing the message in question, presses the OK button to continue. In the window that opens, select the room you want to use by putting the check mark next to his name (eg HP Webcam-101) and then presses the OK button.
Now you are finally ready to control the mouse pointer with simple movements of the head: click on the part of your face that you want to use the program as a reference point for the movements to follow, so as to bring up a little green square. Now, wait a few seconds and, as if by magic, the mouse cursor will follow exactly the movements of your head! To stop the program, press the Ctrl + F9 keys at the same time or simply move the mouse.
If you want to customize the settings related to the cursor controls, presses the Settings button located under the heading Control: Mouse / Camera Mouse and click on one of the tabs you see: Clicking, to activate the click functionality and change its settings; Control, to change camera controls; Exclude, to select portions of the screen where the cursor does not arrive when controlled via Camera Mouse or Sensivity, to select the degree of sensitivity of the cursor and so on.
GiMeSpace Cam Control (Windows)
Another program that I recommend you try is GiMeSpace Cam Control, a software that allows you to control the mouse cursor by making simple hand gestures. It is free, as long as it is used for personal use: to make commercial use and to remove the not too invasive advertising banners present in the free version of the program, it is necessary to purchase the license, which costs 10 dollars.
To download GiMeSpace Cam Control on your PC, connected to the program’s website and click on the Try Now button at the bottom. Download is complete, open the file you just downloaded, presses the Yes button and complete the setup by following the instructions that appear on the screen. Then, check the item I accept the agreement, click on the Next button for three consecutive times, then press the Install button, uncheck the item on obtaining discounts on additional software (if you are not interested) and, finally, press on Finish.
In the main program window, select the Options tab and then select the webcam with which to control the mouse by selecting one of the options displayed in the drop-down menu located at the top. Then choose the degree of sensitivity of the cursor through the adjustment bar located at the bottom: moving the cursor towards the words Low sensitivity will decrease the sensitivity, while moving it towards the words High sensivity will increase it.
Now, select the Horizontal tab and assign to the horizontal movement displayed in the image an action by selecting it from the Select action menu and then setting its sensitivity level using the appropriate adjustment bar. Repeat the operation also in the Vertical and Zoom tabs to select, respectively, the settings related to the vertical movement and to the zoom.
After selecting the settings related to the gesture to be used for the movement of the mouse, click again on the Options tab and presses on the Pause / Run button to enable control of the cursor by hand movements. By pressing the Pause / Run button again, you can stop the cursor control using the gesture.
ControlAir (macOS)
Do you use a Mac? In this case you can download ControlAir: a free application that allows you to fully control the multimedia applications installed on your Mac, such as iTunes or Spotify. The gestures to be used are simple but very effective: just lift a finger to control the volume, skip the tracks and pause the content being played.
To download ControlAir, connected to the page of the Mac App Store where the application is present and then presses the button Get / Install the app. In the main ControlAir window, presses the Next button, positions your face so that it is inside the red circle, presses again on Next twice in a row and then on the Start button tutorial to view the tutorial with which become familiar with the main features of the application.
Basically, the gestures that you will have to use are the following: raise the index finger to bring up the menu of the media player, move your finger to the right or left to select the button you want to “click” with your finger and then bend the fingertip to select it. At the beginning it might seem impractical to use the gesture in question, but I guarantee that then it will become natural, as well as comfortable!
How to Control the Computer with a Webcam