"Ken Burns" Effect

[InyoRanger]

"Ken Burns" effect is what I've heard people call the panning and zooming of a still photograph into a video.

The very beginning of this Youtube video shows this effect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wxhT4KG-G8

I've played around with VideoMeld but have been unable to achieve the desired result.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

[2leftfeet]

Know exactly what you are talking about - I tried to do that recently but could not work out how to do it because the effects window is not very easy to get your head round it all. I know you can because I did it once a long time ago There is other software out there which will work, but you must buy first. I made many slide shows with Pro Show Gold about 8 years ago. Might have to upgrade it this time round. Videomeld works brilliantly for what I mostly use it for, nothing else comes close.
Good luck!

[Sped2001]

It's easy with the crop/pan/zoom effect, once you get the hang of it. Example: https://youtu.be/rD2mqJvnFPA

[GoldWave Inc.]

The Crop/Pan/Zoom effect can be a little tricky to set up because the preview shows how the effect will look. The important thing to remember is to check the Original box when setting the points, then uncheck it to see how it looks.

[InyoRanger]

I finally got around to this project again and I'm pretty happy with the results.

https://youtu.be/nAzUpdYKiaU

One thing I couldn't figure out. I wanted to frame a small portion of the image, hold that framing for about five seconds and then zoom out to the whole frame.

Every time I tried to do this, the project would immediately start zooming. I could not figure out how to "hold" a particular framing.

Still very happy with the result. Thanks!

[GoldWave Inc.]

You'd set the zoomed-in frame at the time you want to start holding it, then right-click on the timeline graph and choose "Copy all points at this time". Adjust the time (either buy dragging the red time line or adjusting the thumb above the effect range) to the end of the hold time, then right-click on the graph and choose "Paste all points at this time".

[InyoRanger]

OK - that's understandable. It works well and gives the desired result, but it is not "user friendly."

I realize that it is a difficult programming problem, so this suggestion may not be workable.

First the user would select the desired aspect ration (16x9, 4x3, etxc), then a "viewfinder" of the appropriate shape would appear over the image. The "i" key would zoom in, the "o" key would zoom out and the mouse would control where in the image the "viewfinder" would be. Press "record" ans start creating your Videomeld template for video file creation. In other words, it would be much like using a video camera viewfinder and adjusting the zoom to "crop" the scene as desired.

BTW - my video is now at:
https://vimeo.com/218067477

[GoldWave Inc.]

All you really have to do is to set all the points at the end of the "hold" so that they are the same as as the points at the beginning of the hold time. That way they remain constant during that time. Using the copy/paste buttons in the Settings area is the quickest way to do that. It's actually much quicker than using zoom keys and recording once you get the hang of it.

[InyoRanger]

Deleted.

[GoldWave Inc.]

That may be a problem with the aspect ratio. If you adjust coordinates manually or move points in the graph, that may cause the ratio to change. All 4 corners must be set at once and stay at the same instant of time. To correct the problem you'd need to delete some of the points and set them again so that the ratio is maintained throughout the effect.

[InyoRanger]

Not really sure what most of your reply means. I "programmed" this video just like many others I have created and only this one has that noticeable distortion. I have re-tried it from scratch several times and always get the same facial distortion.

Additionally, why would the program change aspect ratio during creation without the user specifying that change? Shouldn't the "default" be to maintain the aspect ratio unless the user requests the change?

[GoldWave Inc.]

Somehow the ratio of the width and height are not staying constant (proportional). That can happen if you drag individual points on the graph or if you make a change between two other changes. Usually if you move the points in the preview area only (and keep away from the edges when moving them) and make adjustments in time order, that should keep things proportional.

[GoldWave Inc.]

I should have mentioned earlier to make sure you have the "Mode" set to "Proportional" for the Crop/Pan/Zoom effect.

[InyoRanger]

I've kept trying to get this the way I want it to look. Still not sure that I understand the exact sequence needed to achieve the effect I want, but I think it is finally right now.

https://vimeo.com/226239963