---
title: "How to add a Ken Burns zoom with Claude (tested prompt and ffmpeg command)"
description: "The camera creeps toward the product so a static shot never sits completely still. Install one skill and ask Claude Code, or run the ffmpeg command we tested yourself."
url: https://www.recharm.com/effects/ken-burns-zoom
---

# How to add a Ken Burns zoom with Claude

The camera creeps toward the product so a static shot never sits completely still.

Made by the command on this page, from our own test clip.

## Get this effect

1. ### Switch to Code in your [Claude Desktop App](https://claude.com/download)

2. ### Install the skill (once)

   ```
   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/skills
   ```

3. ### Ask 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

1. Import the clip and add it to the timeline.
2. Set Ratio to 16:9 below the preview, then adjust scale in the Basic tab.
3. Click the diamond icon to add keyframes at the clip's start and end.
4. 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](https://www.capcut.com/resource/ken-burns-effect-in-final-cut-pro) (CapCut), 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.

```
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.mp4
```

```
#!/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"
```

## More product shots

- [Animated feature callouts **Animated feature callouts**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/animated-feature-callouts)
- [Before/after slider **Before/after slider**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/before-after-slider)
- [Best seller badge **Best seller badge**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/best-seller-badge)
- [Callout arrows and circles **Callout arrows and circles**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/callout-arrows-and-circles)
- [Carousel swipe **Carousel swipe**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/carousel-swipe)

## Find 3x _winning ads_

Recharm cuts your ad footage into tagged, searchable clips: hooks, testimonials, product shots. Find the shots that win, add the effect with Claude, and ship 3x more ad edits.

[Start 14-day free trial](https://www.recharm.com/get-started)