This is my in-depth guide to the Star Citizen in-game camera system or “Advanced Camera Controls”. I go into great detail on all the camera options and controls including Depth of Field (DOF), Field of View (FOV), Offsets, Zoom, and Freelook while pointing out restrictions and oddities along the way.

It’s been awhile since I created my original Star Citizen Camera Tutorial when the camera system debuted in alpha 2.6. Most of the camera system remains the same, but some things have changed and I felt it was time to update my tutorial. So whether you’re an in-game screenshotter, videographer, content creator or just want a better understanding of it how it all works, check out my guides below.

For a complete breakdown and walk-through of Star Citizen’s camera system and “Advanced Camera Controls” (formally known as “Director Mode”), watch my video below. Fair warning… it is VERY detailed and runs 30 minutes long. I realize that’s a lot to ask anyone to sit through, but it was an intentional decision as it’s meant to be a definitive guide. I do take advantage of YouTube’s “chapter” system and timestamps so that you can easily jump around to the segments that are relevant to you.



For a much more concise and keybind-focused version of the video tutorial, have a look at my one page Star Citizen Camera System Reference Guide. Download it as a JPG or as a printable PDF.



Download Links:

Download a JPG version of the guide

Download a PDF version of the guide
Star Citizen Camera Controls Reference Guide

The video tutorial is based on Star Citizen Alpha 3.10 as of July 2020. Since Star Citizen is in active development and in an alpha state, the camera system and it’s controls might change in future versions of the game. If the changes are significant enough, I’ll make an updated or additional video… so check my website for any newer versions. I will try to keep the one page reference guide as up-to-date as possible though.

I only cover the in-game camera controls in this video and I don’t go into any of my specific techniques, tricks, or tips. I do have a few supplemental Star Citizen camera tips and tricks videos for those that are interested:

I’d like to thank my fellow crackpot camera junkies and friends for helping me out. People like Rellim, Weehamster, Captain Raoul, Narayan, Monk, DamnShame and a whole bunch of others have been sharing anything and everything we learn about the Star Citizen camera system with each other for years now. My complete Star Citizen camera system tutorial was my effort at combining our collective knowledge into a more comprehensive and accessible format to aid all players in their Star Citizen photography endeavors.

My English subtitles were, or are in the process of being, translated manually by volunteers in the Star Citizen community into the following languages:
Dutch, French, German, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish

A special thanks to the following people who helped with subtitle translations:

  • ArieNeo
  • Darjanator
  • IronEagle
  • Narayan
  • Pewbaca
  • Utho Riley
  • vahadar
View the tutorial on the RSI Community Hub