Get this effect
Switch to Code in your Claude Desktop App
Install the skill (once)
Show the prompt
Install the Recharm video effects skill: download https://recharm-growth-staging.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/website/downloads/recharm-video-effects.zip and unzip it into ~/.claude/skillsAsk for the effect
Add a Ken Burns zoom to input.mp4 Zoom on the last frame: 1.15
Several videos, several effects, one ask
Put your clips in the folder, mention them with @, and ask for everything at once. Claude runs one tested script after another on each clip, then joins them.
Add a ken burns zoom to @clip1.mp4, put a sale badge on @clip2.mp4, give @clip3.mp4 a VHS look, then join all three with crossfades.
Settings you can change
Ask Claude to change any of these, or edit them at the top of the command.
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
END | 1.15 | Zoom on the last frame. 1.15 is 15% closer. |
In other editors
From each editor’s own help pages, in our words. We haven’t run these ourselves.
Built in: Scale keyframes · desktop
- Import the clip and add it to the timeline.
- Set Ratio to 16:9 below the preview, then adjust scale in the Basic tab.
- Click the diamond icon to add keyframes at the clip's start and end.
- Give the end keyframe a zoomed-in scale, and fine-tune keyframe positions if needed.
Source: Transform Your Videos With The Ken Burns Effect In Final Cut Pro (CapCut), checked October 22, 2026.
Closest built-in: Pan and Zoom · desktop browser and mobile app
- Add the still photo to your design and select it.
- Click Animate on the toolbar.
- Try Pan or Zoom from the animation styles until the motion fits.
- For some animations, choose a Slow, Medium or Fast speed preset.
Page covers still photos and doesn't describe Zoom as a slow push-in toward a subject.
Source: Photo Animation: Animate your photos online for free (Canva), checked October 22, 2026.
Built in: Ken Burns · web
- Upload your photos, or click Media in the menu and add them.
- Click a photo on the canvas and open the Animation menu.
- Choose Ken Burns, then pick pan or zoom in or out.
Works on photos and GIFs; the page doesn't say it applies to video clips.
Source: Ken Burns Effect - Video Editor Effects (VEED), checked October 22, 2026.
Built in: scale keyframes · invideo Editor
- Set a keyframe for the clip's starting scale.
- Add a later keyframe with a larger scale for a zoom in.
- Space the keyframes apart for a slower move; change position between them for a pan.
- Preview the full move; Bezier easing changes how it begins and settles.
Source: How do I create a slow zoom or pan with keyframes in invideo Editor? (InVideo), checked October 22, 2026.
Without the skill
Don’t want to install the skill? Paste this prompt into Claude Code and Claude writes the command itself.
Show the prompt
Add a slow Ken Burns zoom to input.mp4: push in on the center steadily from 1x on the first frame to 1.15x on the last frame, with no jitter. Keep the size, frame rate and audio. Use ffmpeg and save it as output.mp4.Run it without Claude
This is the exact command we tested. Save it as ken-burns-zoom.sh and run:
sh ken-burns-zoom.sh input.mp4 output.mp4Show the command
#!/bin/sh
# Ken Burns zoom: a slow, steady push in on the center, 15% closer by the last frame.
# Usage: sh ken-burns-zoom.sh input.mp4 output.mp4
set -e
IN="$1"; OUT="$2"
END=1.15 # zoom on the last frame (1.15 = 15% closer)
SIZE=$(ffprobe -v error -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=width,height -of csv=s=x:p=0 "$IN")
FPS=$(ffprobe -v error -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=r_frame_rate -of csv=p=0 "$IN")
LEN=$(ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration -of csv=p=0 "$IN")
# scaling up 2x first keeps the slow zoom from stepping a pixel at a time
ffmpeg -y -i "$IN" -vf "scale=iw*2:-2,zoompan=z='1+($END-1)*it/$LEN':d=1:x='iw/2-iw/zoom/2':y='ih/2-ih/zoom/2':s=$SIZE:fps=$FPS" \
-c:v libx264 -crf 18 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a copy "$OUT"
