How to Add Pan And Zoom Effect in Premiere Elements

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Kenneth 'Ken' Burns is a documentary filmmaker, whose name is synonymous with the Pan and Zoom effect. This visual effect is often used in documentaries when a storyteller needs to highlight certain information or draw the viewer's attention to a particular detail in an archive photo. However, the Pan and Zoom effect can be applied in a variety of different contexts and it is perfectly suited for online tutorials or other web-based videos that need to underline important information.

In this article will show you how you can add the 'Ken Burns' effect to your videos in Adobe Premiere Elements. Let's have a look at the simple steps that will enable you to add the Pan and Zoom effect in this Adobe's video editing software.

Part 1: How to Add Pan and Zoom Effect to Videos in Premiere Elements

1. Import video clips

The first step is often the simplest, but it is also the most important one because you can't start editing unless your footage is imported into the software you want to use. Click on the 'Add Media' button in Premiere Elements' main window and select the video clip you'd like to edit, click 'Open' and the file you selected will appear in the 'Project Assets' folder.

2. Drag video clips to the timeline

Simply drag and drop the video clip from the 'Project Assets' folder onto the editor's video track on the timeline. If you would like to have a better overview of your work surface, you can adjust the width of the video track by simply dragging the upper confining line.

3. Pan & Zoom

Now that your video is placed on the timeline position the marker to the point in the video where you'd like the effect to start and make a cut. Afterward, jump to the point at which you'd like the Pan and Zoom effect to stop and make another cut. Select the clip you just created and head over to Tools menu, and look for the Pan and Zoom option.

4. Adjust the settings

After clicking on the Pan&Zoom, the settings window will appear, and you'll be able to create a new focus frame that'll enable you to zoom in on the section of the video you'd like to highlight. Focus frames are rectangles that analyze images and recognize the location of an object you want to pan or zoom into. Applying Pan and Zoom effect to videos that have a lot of movement may not be the best choice since this visual effect works best with shots that don't have a lot of action going on in them.

Part 2: How to Pan and Zoom Images to Create Video-Look Effect

Using the 'Ken Burns' effect on photos is much more effective and Premiere Elements provides its users with a plethora of options. In order to use this effect on a photo, you must first place the photo on the timeline.

1. Import photo and place it on the timeline

The process of importing a photograph or any other kind of a still image into the Premier elements editing software is the same as the process of importing a video file. Click on the 'Add Media' button and select the images you'd like to import, then click open, this action will place all the photos you selected in the 'Project Assets' folder. Drag a photo from the 'Project Assets' folder to the timeline.

2. Pan & Zoom

The next step will require you to select the picture you want to apply the effect to and head over to 'Tools/Pan&Zoom'. The tool will automatically detect faces and focus points, and you can simply adjust the duration of the effect by inserting values into the 'Hold Time' and 'Pan Time' boxes. After you made these changes, click apply and you've successfully added the Pan and Zoom effect to your project.

3. Removing Focus Frames

If you would like to remove the focus frames, simply place a mouse cursor over it and hit the delete key on your keyboard.

An Easier Way to Pan and Zoom Videos With Premiere Elements Effects Alternatives

If applying the Pan and Zoom effect in Adobe Elements sounds complicated to you, consider using an alternative video editing software, such as Filmora. Adding Pan and Zoom to your photos and videos is easy with Wondershare's software and it will take just a few simple steps.

After you placed your videos or photos onto the editor's timeline, select them and click on the 'Crop and Zoom' icon located on the toolbar. In the window that emerges, select the 'Pan and Zoom' option and adjust the positions of the start and end frames of the effect by dragging them to the desired position in the preview window. Save the changes you made, hit the Export button and wait for the video to be exported.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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