Motion Trigger

Capture still images or video when motion appears inside a live view zone

Motion Trigger watches the live view image for movement inside a zone that you draw. When enough motion appears in that zone, the app can capture a still image or start video recording.

A typical setup is a camera on a tripod pointed at a scene where you expect a subject to enter the frame, such as a bird landing at a feeder. You draw the zone around the area that matters, tune the sensitivity, test with actions disabled, and then enable the camera action when the trigger is reliable.

Motion Trigger is integrated into Live View. Open Live View, then use the Motion Trigger tab in the live view control strip.

Before you start

Put the camera on a stable tripod or mount.
Connect the camera and start Live View.
Frame the scene so the expected motion is inside the live view image.
Avoid including large moving backgrounds in the zone.
Use Action disabled while tuning the zone and sensitivity.
Make sure the camera can capture still images before using still capture.
For video recording, make sure the camera is in a video-capable state.

Some Nikon bodies require a physical switch on the camera body before video recording is available. You can also use Lock in the Nikon Body UI when you need the app to hold the camera in the required state.

Motion Trigger tab

The Motion Trigger tab contains the controls used to detect motion and choose what happens when motion is detected.

Enable motion detection turns the motion overlay and trigger processing on.
Cell Size controls the size of the sampling cells used to measure motion.
Delta controls how much brightness change is required before a cell counts as changed.
Threshold controls how much changed area inside the zone is needed before motion is detected.
Zone edit mode lets you draw and edit the trigger zone on the live view image.
Add node inserts a new zone point after the selected point.
Delete node removes the selected zone point.
Rearm delay sets the minimum time before another motion trigger can fire.
Action disabled lets you test detection without firing the camera.
Still image selects still capture as the trigger action.
Video recording selects video capture as the trigger action when the camera supports it.
Video duration sets how long the recording should run. The default is 5 seconds.
Cancel recording stops the current video recording session when recording is active.

Quick setup

Mount the camera on a tripod.
Connect the camera and open Live View.
Open the Motion Trigger tab.
Turn motion detection on.
Turn Action disabled on.
Enter zone edit mode.
Draw a zone around the area where motion should trigger the camera.
Adjust Cell Size, Delta, and Threshold while watching the live view overlay.
Set Rearm delay high enough to prevent repeated captures from one event.
Choose Still image or Video recording.
If using video, set Video duration.
Turn Action disabled off when the detection behavior is reliable.

Start with a conservative setup. Use a smaller zone, higher Threshold, and longer Rearm delay until you understand how the scene behaves.

Trigger zone

The zone is the part of the live view image that Motion Trigger watches. The zone must have at least three points.

Use the zone to isolate the subject area from motion that should not trigger the camera. For example, when photographing a bird feeder, draw the zone around the perch or landing area instead of the full tree, sky, or background.

To edit the zone:

Turn on zone edit mode.
Select a zone point on the live view image.
Drag points to reshape the zone.
Use Add node when you need more shape detail.
Use Delete node to simplify the zone.
Turn off zone edit mode when the zone is ready.

Motion detection pauses while the zone editor is active. This lets you adjust the zone without the edit movement itself triggering an action.

Sensitivity

Motion Trigger uses the live view image, so scene movement, lighting changes, noise, and camera shake all matter.

Cell Size controls how large each sampled block is. Larger cells ignore more tiny changes and image noise, but they reduce detail. Smaller cells can catch smaller motion, but they may react to noise or texture changes.

Delta controls how much brightness must change before a cell counts as changed. Raise Delta when small lighting shifts, live view noise, or flicker create false motion. Lower Delta when the subject moves but changed cells do not appear.

Threshold controls how much motion inside the zone is required before the trigger fires. Raise Threshold when the camera fires too easily. Lower Threshold when real subject movement is visible but does not trigger.

The best settings depend on the scene. Wind, shadows, reflections, rain, snow, high ISO noise, and changing sunlight can all affect detection.

Action disabled

Action disabled is the safe tuning mode. When Action disabled is on, Motion Trigger still detects and displays motion, but it does not capture a still image or start video recording.

Use Action disabled before a real session to check:

Whether the zone covers the right part of the scene.
Whether background motion crosses the threshold.
Whether the trigger reacts to the subject you care about.
Whether the rearm delay is long enough.

Turn Action disabled off only after the zone and sensitivity are tuned.

Still image action

Still image tells the app to capture a still image when motion triggers. The camera must be connected, Live View must be running, and the camera must be ready to capture.

After a still trigger, Motion Trigger waits for the camera to become ready again before it can arm for the next capture. Use Rearm delay to add more time between possible triggers.

Video recording action

Video recording tells the app to start a timed recording when motion triggers. Video duration sets the recording length in seconds. The default duration is 5 seconds.

The camera must support video recording from its current state. Some Nikon bodies require a physical switch on the camera body before video recording is available. If video controls are not available, check the camera body position and the Nikon Body UI.

Use Lock in the Nikon Body UI when you need the app to keep the camera in the required video-capable state.

Rearm delay

Rearm delay is the minimum delay before another motion trigger can fire. It helps prevent a single motion event from creating many captures.

Use a longer Rearm delay when:

The subject remains in the zone for several seconds.
The camera needs time to finish capture or recording.
Wind or repeated background motion keeps crossing the threshold.
You only want one capture per visit to the zone.

Use a shorter Rearm delay only when the camera is ready quickly and repeated triggers are intentional.

Practical limitations

Motion Trigger compares live view image changes. It does not understand what object moved.

False triggers can come from:

Camera shake.
Wind moving branches, grass, leaves, or curtains.
Shadows moving across the zone.
Reflections, water, rain, or snow.
Sudden light changes.
Autofocus movement or exposure changes.
High ISO live view noise.
A zone that includes too much background.

Missed triggers can happen when:

The subject is too small in the zone.
Threshold or Delta is too high.
Cell Size is too large.
The subject moves slowly or has little contrast against the background.
Live View is not running.
The camera is not ready for the selected action.

Advanced setup tips

Use a tripod and avoid touching the camera during a motion session.
Keep the zone tight around the expected subject area.
Exclude bright reflections, swaying branches, and large background areas.
Start with Action disabled and watch the overlay before enabling camera actions.
Tune Delta before lowering Threshold too far.
Increase Cell Size when live view noise creates false positives.
Increase Rearm delay when one event causes multiple captures.
For birds or small animals, frame the subject area larger when possible so real movement covers more of the zone.
For video, confirm the camera can start recording manually before relying on motion triggering.

Troubleshooting

If motion is visible but no camera action happens:

Turn Action disabled off.
Confirm Still image or Video recording is selected.
Make sure the camera is connected and Live View is running.
For still capture, confirm the camera can capture.
For video, confirm the camera is in a video-capable state.
Lower Threshold or Delta after confirming the overlay shows real motion.

If the camera fires too often:

Turn Action disabled on while tuning.
Raise Threshold.
Raise Delta.
Increase Cell Size.
Tighten the zone around the subject area.
Increase Rearm delay.
Remove moving background areas from the zone.

If video does not start:

Check whether the camera body needs its physical video/still switch changed.
Check the Nikon Body UI and use Lock when needed.
Confirm Video recording is selected.
Confirm Video duration is greater than zero.
Try starting video manually from the app before relying on motion.

If the zone is hard to shape:

Add nodes for more detail.
Delete unneeded nodes to simplify the shape.
Keep at least three points.
Use a larger zone first, then refine it after basic triggering works.

Related setup

Use Live View to frame the scene, focus, and tune the motion zone. Use Hotkeys when you want keyboard-triggered capture. Use Voice Trigger or Sound Trigger when the trigger should come from user input outside the live view image.