The Ken Burns Effect: Adding a Touch of Cinema to Your Photo Slideshows

The "Ken Burns effect" refers to a filmmaking technique in which motion is applied to still photographs. The pictures do not only appear on the screen as static images but rather the camera gently pans and zooms over the picture making the viewer's attention focused and the scene lively. This technique got its name from the American documentarian Ken Burns, who, in his films, deftly applied it to make historical photographs lively and fascinating.

For instance, in a group picture, the camera might slowly zoom in on one person's face. In the case of a landscape, the camera might pan from left to right mimicking the way our eyes would naturally go over the horizon. This motion, however small, sets up a narrative as well as a feeling, which a still image is incapable of doing.

The eye of a person is most of the time attracted to something that is moving. The Ken Burns style of presentation makes the viewer more active and less passive. The viewer's eye is led, they are told what to pay attention to, and a feeling of exploration is created as previously unnoticed parts of the picture come into view.

• It Guides Attention

  It gives the artist the opportunity to highlight the critical area of a picture so that the viewer will be able to perceive clearly the key subject or the emotion involved.

• It Gives a Cinematic Effect

  The gradual and even motion looks very sophisticated and finished, thus making a simple slideshow feel like a documentary or film.

• It Increases Interaction

  The picture is always changing which means it is constantly engaging the viewer for a longer period of time. This engagement is vital in social media where the audience has a very short attention span.

Previously, the application of this effect meant one had to have video editing software and manual keyframing done—besides, an individual photographer had to set a start point and an endpoint for m. It was indeed a laborious procedure.

Our Photo Slideshow Creator is programmed to do this entire process at once. We have developed an algorithm that intelligently applies the Ken Burns effect to your images.

1. Upload Your Photos: Upload the pictures you want your slideshow to have.
2. Select the "Ken Burns" Effect: Open the 'Camera Effect' dropdown menu, and select simply “Ken Burns.”
3. Automatic Motion: The tool will automatically alternate the motion for each photo and no manual operation will be required. In the case of one image, it could slowly pan left and zoom in. Then the next could be a right pan and zoom out. There will be no repetition and boringness as this gives a varied and visually interesting rhythm without any manual work.
4. Create Video: Hit "Create Video," then the tool will produce a flawlessly rendered slideshow complete with the effect applied, which will be ready for you to download.