Trying to get this effect on images...

Hi

I'm quite a newbie when it comes to Final Cut Pro X. I've been using it for the last 6-7 months now and I'm just trying to learn new things as I go. I'm working on a video at the moment and I am compiling various videos and images together over one song. I'm trying to add an effect to an image that I have seen in the Tupac - Changes music video, for example, if you watch the link below you will see it at 17 sec and again at 22 seconds.



Its hard to describe the effect, but its like the screen is moving really fast to different parts of the image. Almost like the picture is being shot with a camera and someone is controlling the movement.

Does anyone know how I would go about to create a similar effect as this on some of my pictures?

Would really appreciate any help you guys can offer.

Thanks!

You want to look in to the Ken Burns Effect, Apple have made a specific tool for doing it in FCPX, so it's easier here than anywhere else.

library.creativecow.net/articles/mcaulif...ffect/video-tutorial

If you want more control you can create keyframes/motion paths of the "Transform" properties in the "Inspector" or take the images into Motion and do it there.

WOW thanks! Didn't realize it was that simple. Is there anyway you can do the similar kind of thing with video clips? For example, the following video at 2:05 the car shot:



Is that trick done on a camera? Or software?

Thanks again

You need to be a bit more careful doing it with video. Forget about digital/post adjustments for the moment.

If you physically move the camera backwards or forwards (dolly) you see a perspective shift in the difference between a background and foreground, but if you change the focal length of the lens (use the zoom) all you are doing is scaling up what the camera sees, but optically so there's no image quality loss.

Look up the "Zolly" shot, it's a combination zoom/dolly and it's a great exercise for anyone who wants to learn about how the lens functions.

If you move a camera sideways you see that same perspective shift, but if you do a digital pan across the footage it isn't there. This is something that is very evident on the Ken Burns effect.

Using the zoom on the camera usually isn't as desirable as moving the camera, but it depends on what you want to remain in your framing, sometimes it's preferable, or at least the best compromise.

With digital pans (or more correctly, tracks) it's a bit different, and doesn't really look great. Other than that you lose on image quality when scaling up video, and you need to scale to give that room to make the adjustments.

Photo's tend to have a much higher resolution than video and allow for this, it's like shooting 5k for 4k gives you extra room for this stuff, or 2k for HD or HD for SD etc. etc.

But it can be made to work really well. If you have a shot where the camera pans and halts while the subject (such as following a car) continues it's action it can be made to look more dramatic by subtly extending the pan digitally. You don't get any perspective shift and this is partly what makes it work. With careful positioning/timing of the digital pan, the foreground action and camera movement remain constant, but the background stops shifting.

It needs to be subtle and ideally being done using a higher resolution source footage than that of the output resolution to allow room for the reframing.