Set up a laptop teleprompter
There are two ways to read a script on a laptop without looking away from the webcam: a small glass prompter in front of the webcam with a phone under it, or a narrow script column placed right under the camera.
Step by step: read under your webcam
- Choose Laptop or desktop webcam. This preset puts a narrow column of text right under the camera, with the reading line near the top, so your eyes stay close to the lens.
- Keep it narrow and close to the lens. The shorter the distance between the words and the camera, the more it looks like you’re talking to the viewer. Keep the text small enough to read without leaning in.
- Run it beside your call or recorder. Zoom, Meet, Teams, OBS or QuickTime keep running underneath. Control the scroll with the keyboard, a clicker, a Stream Deck or your phone.
Option 1: a glass prompter on the laptop
Laptop prompters put a small piece of glass in front of the webcam. On the Glide Gear TMP 75, the script shows on a smartphone in the front tray (Teleprompter.com); it ships without teleprompter software (LensesPro). The Little Prompter works with laptops, phones and DSLRs through common apps (LensesPro).
- Open Reframely on the phone that sits in the prompter's tray and tap Open prompter.
- Choose Your rig → Phone in a glass rig, which mirrors the text for the glass.
- The script is on the phone, not the laptop, so pair a second phone as the remote, or pair a Bluetooth clicker with the phone in the tray.
Option 2: no glass, script under the webcam
- Open Reframely on the laptop and choose Your rig → Laptop or desktop webcam.
- Make the browser window narrow and drag it right under the webcam. The reading line sits at the top, closest to the lens.
- Use the keyboard: Space plays and pauses, arrows move lines, = and − change speed.
Option 2 is free and works with any webcam, but your eyes sit slightly below the lens. Option 1 puts your eyes on the lens itself.
Which option looks better on camera?
A glass laptop prompter puts the words directly in front of the lens, so your eyes look straight into the camera. Reading under the webcam (option 2) is a small step down: your eyes sit a little below the lens. For most calls and casual videos the difference is hard to notice if the text column is narrow and close to the camera. For a sales video, a course or anything filmed close up, the glass is worth it.
Getting option 2 right
- Keep the window narrow, about the width of three or four words, and directly under the camera.
- Raise the laptop so the camera is at eye level: a stack of books works. Looking down at a laptop camera is less flattering than reading.
- Sit further back than usual, at arm's length or more; small eye movements are less visible from further away.
- Use the smallest comfortable text size and a medium speed.
Questions
What app does the Glide Gear TMP 75 use?
It doesn't include one. The script runs on a phone in its front tray, so any mirrored teleprompter app on that phone works.
Can I read a script on my laptop while recording?
Yes. Keep a narrow Reframely window under the webcam while your recording or meeting app runs.
Sources
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