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 punch-in zoom to input.mp4 How far to punch in: 1.25 Seconds to reach full zoom: 0.15
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 punch-in 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 |
|---|---|---|
ZOOM | 1.25 | How far to punch in. 1.25 is 25% closer. |
SNAP | 0.15 | Seconds to reach full zoom. 0 makes it a hard cut. |
HOLD | 1.0 | When it cuts back to the full frame. |
In other editors
From each editor’s own help pages, in our words. We haven’t run these ourselves.
Closest built-in: Zoom effects · desktop
- Place the playhead where the zoom should start.
- Open Effects, search Zoom, and pick Optical Zoom or Zoom Lens.
- Drag the effect onto the clip.
- Adjust the effect's strength and speed.
Page gives zoom effects with adjustable strength and speed, not a fixed 25% snap, hold and cut back wide.
Source: How to Zoom in on Video: A Step-by-Step Guide (CapCut), checked October 22, 2026.
Closest built-in: Zoom animation · web
- Select the clip on the timeline, then open Video > Animations > Zoom.
- Pick Shallow, Moderate or Deep; Custom sets zoom amount and duration.
- Move the thumbnail view in the preview to set the zoom focal point.
- Drag the zoom track on the timeline to time it; split clips for more zooms.
Page doesn't say whether it snaps or eases, or how to cut back wide; custom amount needs a paid plan.
Source: How to add Zoom to your videos (VEED), 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
In input.mp4, add a punch-in zoom at the start: zoom in to 1.25x over the first 0.15 seconds, hold it until 1 second, then cut back to the full frame. The zoom must stay centered: crop the same amount from all four sides, so the middle of the frame doesn't move. Keep the size, frame rate and audio the same. Use ffmpeg and save it as output.mp4.Watch the frames during the zoom itself. Claude's first versions drifted off-center there, and only the in-between frames showed it. The prompt above now asks for an even crop on all four sides; if yours still drifts, ask Claude to check the crop stays centered.
Run it without Claude
This is the exact command we tested. Save it as punch-in-zoom.sh and run:
sh punch-in-zoom.sh input.mp4 output.mp4Show the command
#!/bin/sh
# Punch-in zoom: snap 25% closer in the first 0.15s, hold, then cut back to the full frame at 1s.
# Usage: sh punch-in-zoom.sh input.mp4 output.mp4
set -e
IN="$1"; OUT="$2"
ZOOM=1.25 # how far to punch in (1.25 = 25% closer)
SNAP=0.15 # seconds to reach full zoom
HOLD=1.0 # second at which it cuts back to the full frame
SIZE=$(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 "$IN")
ffmpeg -y -i "$IN" -vf "zoompan=z='if(lt(it,$SNAP),1+($ZOOM-1)*it/$SNAP,if(lt(it,$HOLD),$ZOOM,1))':d=1:x='iw/2-iw/zoom/2':y='ih/2-ih/zoom/2':s=$SIZE:fps=$FPS" \
-c:v libx264 -crf 18 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a copy "$OUT"
