artistic question - pan and zoom on still pictures

eric321 wrote on 10/1/2003, 9:24 PM
This is an artistic or creative question. I've done some slide show projects, mostly with still images, such as weddings, memory videos, etc. With my new found ability to pan and zoom (why didn't I find VF/MS earlier?), I wonder how much pan and zoom to use. How much is too much?

I saw a slide show project that a guy showed me and on each still photo, he zoomed starting from full picture to a spot in the middle. Each picture. Every picture. Over and over. I felt like I was going through a tunnel, it was really repetitive. So since I think I've seen the wrong way to do it, does any one have any good ideas of how to do it correctly?

Just the other day I saw about 5 minutes of a documentary by Ken Burns. Since he's the person that many people associate with pan and zoom, I watched a bit. He didn't zoom on every picture. Some in, others out. Some he just panned from one point of interest to another. He never moved very fast, usually slowly or methodically, trying to tell a story with the picture. I also noticed that the he often would zoom and hold, or pan and hold the picture.

I'm afraid I'm not too creative or artistic, so I need some consultation. Any creative panners or zoomers out there?

Comments

IanG wrote on 10/2/2003, 3:00 AM
I can't claim to be creative or artistic either, but I'm in exactly the same boat as you! I tend to select the music first and then use that to set the pace for whatever follows, usualy a mixture of stills and video. I find the more elaborate transitions work well with stills, but not every time and definitely not the same one every time. With 2 or 3 video tracks you can zoom right out and display multiple pictures at the same time, perhaps moving them round the screen. You can also add sound effects to add a bit of atmosphere, but be careful not to make them too obtrusive - if you've also got video you can take background noise from that and use it as a backdrop.

Review early and review often - if you can find someone to critique things for you so much the better!

Ian G.
Steve Grisetti wrote on 10/2/2003, 9:02 AM
I think the key is to remember form follows content.

In other words, a constant zooming effect from one slide to the next will indeed make you feel like you're going through a tunnel!

How about considering each picture individually and deciding what face or object is the focus, then either move or from it. Yes, you'll still have constant movement (though, hopefully, not so much that it becomes distracting -- subtlety is the key), but at least each movement will help tell the story!
BrianJ wrote on 10/2/2003, 9:55 AM
I think the pan or zoom should be slow enough that viewers don't notice it happening unless they're specifically looking for it. Just like with a camcorder, pans or zooms that are too fast don't work well.
vwcrusher wrote on 10/2/2003, 9:57 AM
Great thread!

As a brand new user, I was trying to use the pan and zoom without success...even when using the help functions.

Is there a guide somewhere that takes you thru it step by step?

Thanks
JohnnyRoy wrote on 10/2/2003, 10:39 AM
You’re on the right track by studying Ken Burns.

I agree with grisetti. I keep my pans and zooms subtle. You want to use it to draw attention to areas of the picture to tell the story. Make them purposeful. If the picture has several people and the story is about one of them, pan towards the person you’re telling the story about but do it slowly and never zoom in too much unless it’s to achieve a particular effect. Sometimes the slowest of zooms (i.e., just 2% or 3%) gives enough motion to make a picture come alive when there is no one subject to zoom on.

~jr
dand9959 wrote on 10/2/2003, 11:21 AM
The key is to do what feels and looks good to you.
I don't pan or zoom on every photo in a montage...too much motion for me. I find that panning/zooming on every 3rd, 4th, or 5th pic usually works well, and usually - as others have pointed out - a very slow pan or very very subtle zoom works best. Instead of a pan/zoom, a nice dissolve between two still photos also adds a feeling of "movement".

Also, the pacing of the piece (in my case, I also choose the music first) dictates the amount and speed of movement.

Finally, if you zoom, be sure your photo has a high enough resolution to allow you to zoom in without losing too much focus.