Add a Slow Push-In to a Static Shot With Keyframes

A slow push-in moves the picture closer over the length of a shot. It adds tension before a reveal and focus on a face during a line. In DepCut you build one with two keyframes in the Framing tab.

Pick the shot

A steady shot of a few seconds works best: a person speaking, an object on a desk, a landscape. A shot that already moves has its own motion, and a second move on top of it competes for attention.

Set the keys

1. Click the clip and open Framing in the right panel.
2. Press the Up or Down arrow until the playhead sits on the clip's first frame.
3. In the Keyframes row, click the diamond, which reads Add a key at the playhead. The row shows a count of 1, and Position and Scale rows appear.
4. Press the Down arrow until the playhead reaches the end of the clip, then press the Left arrow once to land on its last frame.
5. Click the diamond again to add the second key.
6. Click the Scale value, type 115 and press Enter.
7. Play the clip. The picture drifts from 100% to 115% across its length.

The first key records the picture as it is, so nothing changes until the second key is edited. The picture glides between the keys and holds each pose outside them.

Keep the subject in frame

As the picture grows, a subject that sits off center drifts toward an edge. With the playhead on the last key, adjust the X and Y values in the Position row by a few points to keep the subject where you want it. Click a value to type an exact number, or drag across it to scrub.

Tune the move

• Use the arrow buttons beside the diamond to jump to the previous or next key.
• Slide the playhead through the shot to see the in-between frames.
• The bin button removes the key under the playhead.
• A small scale change reads as a slow drift, and a larger one reads as a deliberate move. Keep it subtle under dialogue.
• For a pull-out, put the larger scale on the first key and the smaller on the last.

Keys show as markers on the clip bar, so you can see at a glance which clips carry a move.

Time the move

Use a push-in where attention should gather: toward a face as someone says the line that matters, or toward an object as it is revealed. Start the move with the shot and let it run to the shot's last frame. The pace is constant, with no ease at either end, so the cut arrives while the picture is still moving.

A push-in needs time to build. On a shot of under a couple of seconds the move reads as a twitch, so leave those still. If you split a keyed clip later, each half carries on the move from where the cut falls.

Add a move to your next shot

Pick the quietest shot in your next edit in DepCut, set two keys and raise Scale at the end. Watch it once, then pull the scale back until the move feels invisible.