Design Openbook

Camera Movement Names

What are the names of camera movements to use in AI video prompts? Use terms like Static shot, Pan, Tilt, Dolly in/out, Tracking shot, Orbit, Crane shot, Handheld, Dolly zoom, Rack focus, Snap zoom, Overhead shot, Low angle, FPV drone shot and Bullet time.

Video AI does not understand "make it dynamic." You have to say by name where the camera moves from and to.

Terms and previews

Tap a preview to pause it; tap again to play.

  1. Static shot

    The camera does not move

  2. Pan

    Turns left and right in place

  3. Tilt

    Tips up or down in place

  4. Dolly in / Dolly out

    The camera itself moves closer or farther away

  5. Tracking shot

    Follows a moving person from the side or behind

  6. Orbit

    Circles around the subject

  7. Crane shot

    Descends from high up or rises upward

  8. Handheld

    Slightly shaky, as if held by hand. Feels on-the-spot

  9. Dolly zoom

    Pulls back while zooming in. A dizzying feel where only the background stretches

  10. Rack focus

    Focus shifts from a near object to a far one

  11. Snap zoom

    A sudden fast zoom in. A startled reaction

  12. Overhead shot

    Looking straight down from above

  13. Low angle

    Looking up from below. Makes the subject look larger

  14. FPV drone shot

    A drone flies fast through a space

  15. Bullet time

    Circles the subject at a moment when time seems frozen

How to use it

  • Use only one camera movement per shot. Mixing two makes the AI do both poorly.
  • Put the person's action and the camera's move on separate lines. Mixed in one sentence, it gets confused about who is moving.
  • Most video AIs understand camera terms better in English. You can write the camera in English and the scene description in your own language.
  • When making several shots of the same person, fix a reference image of the person first and change only the camera.

Prompts to copy

5-second single shot

[Scene] A rainy night alley. A woman holding an umbrella walks toward the camera.
[Camera] Slow dolly in, eye level. For the last 2 seconds, stop on a close-up of her face.
[Lighting] Rim light from a single street lamp behind her, reflected on the wet ground.
[Length] 5 seconds, one continuous shot with no cuts.

Source posts: @oroad.ai, @ahmadiesamir, @vivedelotuyo

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