--- title: "How to use Dynamic Zoom in DaVinci Resolve for Ken Burns style animations" author: "Cutsio Team" date: "2026-05-15" lastmod: "2026-05-15" category: "DaVinci Resolve Advanced Workflows" excerpt: "DaVinci Resolve Dynamic Zoom creates push-in and pull-out animations on any clip with two draggable boxes. This guide covers setup, keyframing, and how it differs from manual transform animation." tags: ["DaVinci Resolve","Dynamic Zoom","Ken Burns Effect","Animation","Push In","Pull Out","Edit Page"] --- ## How does Dynamic Zoom work in DaVinci Resolve? Dynamic Zoom in DaVinci Resolve creates push-in and pull-out camera animations on any clip without manual keyframing. Select a clip in the timeline, enable Dynamic Zoom in the inspector, and two colored boxes appear in the viewer. The green box sets the start frame position and scale, and the red box sets the end position. Resolve animates between them automatically. ![Dynamic Zoom](https://images.blackmagicdesign.com/images/products/davinciresolve/edit/dynamic/dynamic-strip-lg@2x.jpg?_v=1642654805) Dynamic Zoom is ideal for adding motion to static shots — interview close-ups, product shots, photographs, and archival footage. It is commonly called the Ken Burns effect after the documentary filmmaker who popularized the technique of panning across still images. In DaVinci Resolve, it works on video clips as well as still images. ## How do you set up Dynamic Zoom in DaVinci Resolve? Select a clip in the timeline and open the Inspector panel at the top right of the Edit page. Scroll down to the Dynamic Zoom section and check the Enable box. The viewer displays two colored rectangles — green for the start position and red for the end position. The green box represents the framing at the beginning of the clip. Drag the green box to reposition the start frame. Drag its corners to resize it — smaller means more zoomed in, larger means wider view. The red box represents the framing at the end of the clip. Adjust it the same way. Resolve animates from the green box framing to the red box framing over the clip's duration. For a push-in effect, make the green box larger (wider view) and the red box smaller (tighter crop). The clip appears to zoom in over its duration. For a pull-out effect, reverse the boxes — make the green box smaller and the red box larger. The clip appears to zoom out. For a pan effect, position both boxes at the same size but in different locations. The clip appears to pan from left to right or top to bottom without changing scale. ## How does Dynamic Zoom compare to manual keyframing? | Method | Setup time | Control | Best for | |---|---|---|---| | Dynamic Zoom | Seconds — enable and drag two boxes | Start and end only | Quick push-ins, pull-outs, pans | | Manual keyframing | Minutes — set keyframes for position and scale | Full curve control | Complex motion paths, multi-point animation | | Inspector transform | Moderate — keyframe Scale X/Y and Position | Precise values | Exact pixel positioning | Dynamic Zoom is the fastest option when you need a simple push-in or pan. Manual keyframing gives you more control — you can customize the easing curve, add intermediate keyframes for complex motion, and animate rotation alongside position and scale. For editors who want the simplicity of Dynamic Zoom with more control, enable Dynamic Zoom for the basic animation, then switch to the keyframe editor to refine the easing curve. The Dynamic Zoom creates the initial keyframes, and you can adjust them in the curve editor. ## Can you use Dynamic Zoom on still images in DaVinci Resolve? Yes. Dynamic Zoom is particularly effective on still images. Import a photograph into the media pool, place it on the timeline, and enable Dynamic Zoom. The push-in effect adds cinematic motion to what would otherwise be a static shot. The default still image duration in Resolve is 5 seconds. For documentary-style Ken Burns effects on archival photos, extend the clip duration to 8-12 seconds to give the motion time to feel natural. Faster push-ins feel urgent; slower push-ins feel contemplative. For editors working with archival footage or photo-based content, Cutsio's Visual Intelligence can help find the specific still frames or photo sequences across your library. Search by visual content to locate the exact images you need, export them with an EDL, and apply Dynamic Zoom in Resolve.
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## FAQ ### Is Dynamic Zoom available in the free version of DaVinci Resolve? Yes. Dynamic Zoom is available in both the free and Studio versions of DaVinci Resolve. ### Can I keyframe Dynamic Zoom settings? Dynamic Zoom generates automatic keyframes. Switch to the keyframe editor to adjust the easing curve or add intermediate keyframes for more complex motion. ### Does Dynamic Zoom work with 4K footage on an HD timeline? Yes. Dynamic Zoom works by scaling and repositioning the clip within the frame. Higher-resolution source footage gives you more room to push in without visible quality loss. ### Can I use Dynamic Zoom with speed-ramped clips? Yes. Dynamic Zoom and speed changes are independent. Apply a speed ramp and Dynamic Zoom on the same clip for combined motion effects. ### How do I reset Dynamic Zoom to default? Uncheck the Enable box in the Dynamic Zoom section of the inspector to remove the effect. The clip returns to its original framing.

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