Lesson 3 of 7
Set the start and end
7 min read
What if you could hand the tool the very first frame and the very last frame of your clip — and let it invent everything that happens in between? That's exactly how you direct a shot.
The two frames that matter most
A clip has a first frame and a last frame. It turns out those two are the ones you most want to control. Pin the frame the clip starts on and the frame it ends on, and you've decided where the shot begins and where it lands — the tool's job is just to get smoothly from one to the other.
A frame you pin at a chosen moment — usually the first or last — is a keyframe. Set your anchors and the tool generates the motion that flows between them.
The tool fills the middle
Here's the part that feels like magic. Once you've set a start and an end, the tool generates all the frames in between so the motion flows naturally from one to the other. Change the end frame and the whole movement changes — the boat drifts across, or the camera pushes in close, or it pulls back to reveal the scene. You direct by choosing the destination.
You set two keyframes; the tool fills every frame between them. Choose a different end and you get a different motion for free.
Telling the camera what to do
Alongside keyframes, most tools let you steer the camera: push in, pull back, pan across, orbit around. It's the same idea — you say where the shot should go, and the tool moves you there smoothly. Between keyframes and camera moves, you're not just describing a scene any more; you're directing it.
A tidy trick for a clean result: make a strong first image, set it as the start keyframe, then give only a small, simple motion — a slow push-in or a gentle drift. Small moves are where these tools look their best.
The gist
- —A keyframe is a frame you pin at a moment — usually the first and last frame of the clip
- —Set a start and an end and the tool generates the motion between them; change the end and the whole motion changes
- —Most tools also let you direct the camera — push in, pull back, pan — the same 'say where it goes' idea
You set the first frame of your clip and a last frame where the subject is much larger and centred, then let the tool run. What have you told it to do?
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