resolve-camera-motion

Resolve Camera Motion & Zoom Keyframing

Use this skill whenever a request involves zooming, camera movement, punch-ins, pull-outs, framing adjustments, or multi-stage camera keyframing on timeline clips in DaVinci Resolve (Free and Studio).

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1. Core Tool: animate_zoom

The animate_zoom tool builds native Fusion transform splines directly on the timeline clip. It supports single-range zooms, automated AI presets, and multi-waypoint keyframe arrays.

Frames count from the clip's first frame (0). Pass timeline_start_frame / timeline_end_frame, or timeline_frame in a keyframe, to use absolute timeline frames. Keyframes must fall inside the clip. The zoom joins the bridge's Fusion chain, so blurs, spotlights and the user's own Fusion nodes stay connected; reset=True removes only the zoom.

A. Single Range Zooms

# Punch in on clip V1.1 from 1.0x to 1.40x with cubic ease-out
animate_zoom(
    item_id="V1.1",
    start_zoom=1.0,
    end_zoom=1.40,
    easing="cubic_out",
    start_frame=0,
    end_frame=24
)

# Pull out / Zoom out from 1.50x close-up to 1.0x full view
animate_zoom(
    item_id="V1.1",
    direction="out",
    start_zoom=1.50,
    end_zoom=1.0,
    easing="cubic_out"
)

B. Multi-Keyframe Waypoint Paths (keyframes)

To create complex multi-stage camera sequences (e.g. fast punch-in to a search bar -> hold close-up while typing -> gradual slow ease-in zoom out on page load):

animate_zoom(
    item_id="V1.1",
    keyframes=[
        {"frame": 0, "zoom": 1.0, "center_x": 0.50, "center_y": 0.50},
        {"frame": 16, "zoom": 2.40, "center_x": 0.50, "center_y": -0.65, "easing": "cubic_out"},
        {"frame": 88, "zoom": 2.42, "center_x": 0.50, "center_y": -0.65, "easing": "linear"},
        {"frame": 208, "zoom": 0.55, "center_x": 0.50, "center_y": 0.50, "easing": "cubic_in"}
    ]
)

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2. 14 Supported Easing Curves

Preset Name	easing Parameter	Motion Profile & Best Use Case
Linear	"linear"	Constant speed throughout. Subtle slow documentary push.
Ease In / Quad In	"ease_in", "quad_in"	Slow start, accelerates forward. Good for building anticipation.
Cubic In	"cubic_in"	Dramatic slow start that ramps up into a cut or transition.
Ease Out / Quad Out	"ease_out", "quad_out"	Fast start with smooth deceleration to a gentle stop.
Cubic Out	"cubic_out"	Snappy, punchy zoom with a smooth landing. Best for punch-ins.
Ease / Quad Ease	"ease", "quad_ease"	Balanced S-curve acceleration and deceleration.
Cubic Ease	"cubic_ease"	Broadcast cinematic glide with zero hard starts or stops.
Circular Ease	"circular_ease"	Circular arc acceleration and deceleration.
Rebound In	"rebound_in"	Pulls backward slightly before launching forward into the zoom.
Rebound Out	"rebound_out"	Overshoots the zoom target slightly and snaps back into place.
Rebound Ease	"rebound_ease"	Rebound on both start and finish.
Elastic Out	"elastic_out"	Springy bounce that settles onto the target.
Step / None	"none"	Instant jump cut to the zoom level.