Camera Help
Everything runs on your device
Gesture Synth uses your camera to read your hand movements in real time. Here's how it works, how to set it up, and how to fix common issues.
Why we need your camera
Gesture Synth turns your hand into an instrument. Your camera feed is analyzed locally in your browser to detect how many fingers you're holding up and how high your hand is — those gestures trigger chords and shape the energy of the music in real time.
Without camera access, the magic can't happen — but you can always play with your keyboard instead.
Privacy First
Nothing is recorded or uploaded
- Video never leaves your browser — hand tracking runs entirely on your device.
- Nothing is recorded, stored, or uploaded to any server.
- No account or sign-in is required to use the camera.
- You can revoke camera permission at any time in your browser settings.
Setup Guide
Get the best tracking in four steps
Good lighting
Face a window or lamp so your hand is evenly lit. Avoid bright light directly behind you — backlighting makes your hand a silhouette.
Clear background
A plain wall works best. Busy backgrounds and moving objects behind you can confuse the hand tracker.
Hand position
Hold your palm facing the camera with fingers spread. Keep your whole hand inside the frame.
Distance
Sit about an arm’s length from the camera. Too close crops your fingers; too far makes gestures hard to read.
Troubleshooting
Common issues & fixes
Camera not detected
Check that your browser has permission to use the camera. Click the lock icon in the address bar and set Camera to "Allow", then reload the page. Also make sure no other app (Zoom, Meet, etc.) is using the camera.
Hand not recognized
Improve your lighting and move to a plainer background. Hold your palm flat toward the camera with fingers spread, about an arm’s length away, and keep your whole hand in the frame.
Laggy or jumpy tracking
Close other tabs and apps — especially anything using the camera or lots of CPU. Hand tracking runs in real time on your device, so freeing up resources makes it smoother.
Black screen
Refresh the page and re-allow camera access when prompted. If it stays black, check your browser’s site settings, make sure the camera works in another app, then try again.
⌨️ No camera? No problem.
You can play every style with your keyboard — same chords, same music, no camera required.
Play in Keyboard Mode →Ready to make music with your hands?
Your camera is set up and your privacy is protected. Let's play.