Visual Camera Movement Reference
AI Camera Movement Reference
Find the camera movement name that matches your shot. This visual library shows 24 moves with a motion preview, a short definition, and a starting prompt. Search by name or filter by movement family, then open a detail guide to refine the direction, pace, and framing.
Locked-Off Shot
The camera remains fixed while motion happens inside the frame.
Locked-off camera. The camera remains perfectly still while {subject_action}.
Pan Left
The camera rotates horizontally to the left from a fixed position.
The camera slowly pans left, keeping {subject} clearly framed.
Pan Right
The camera rotates horizontally to the right from a fixed position.
The camera slowly pans right across the scene, settling on {subject}.
Tilt Up
The camera rotates upward from a fixed position.
The camera tilts upward from {start_detail} to reveal {subject}.
Tilt Down
The camera rotates downward from a fixed position.
The camera tilts down from {start_detail} to reveal {subject_or_object}.
Dolly In
The camera physically moves closer to the subject, increasing perspective and intimacy.
The camera slowly dollies in toward {subject}, ending in {end_framing}.
Dolly Out
The camera physically moves away from the subject to reveal more of the environment.
The camera slowly dollies backward from {subject}, revealing {environment}.
Truck Left
The camera physically travels left while maintaining roughly the same viewing direction.
The camera trucks left parallel to {subject_or_scene}, maintaining {framing}.
Truck Right
The camera physically travels right while maintaining roughly the same viewing direction.
The camera trucks right parallel to {subject_or_scene}, maintaining {framing}.
Pedestal Up
The whole camera rises vertically while keeping a similar orientation.
The camera rises vertically while holding {subject} in frame, revealing {upper_context}.
Pedestal Down
The whole camera lowers vertically while preserving its general orientation.
The camera lowers vertically from {start_framing} toward {lower_subject}.
Tracking Shot
The camera moves with a subject to preserve their position in the frame.
A smooth tracking shot follows {subject} as {subject_action}, maintaining {framing}.
Follow Shot
The camera follows behind the subject as they move through the scene.
The camera follows behind {subject} as they move through {environment}, keeping a steady distance.
Leading Shot
The camera travels ahead of a moving subject while facing back toward them.
The camera moves backward ahead of {subject}, keeping them centered as they move forward.
Orbit Left
The camera travels around the subject toward the left, producing changing perspective and background parallax.
The camera slowly orbits left around {subject}, keeping {subject} centered while the background shifts with natural parallax.
Orbit Right
The camera travels around the subject toward the right, changing perspective while maintaining subject focus.
The camera slowly orbits right around {subject}, maintaining consistent subject framing and natural parallax.
Crane Up
The camera rises through space, often revealing more of the environment and changing angle at the same time.
A crane shot rises from {start_subject} to reveal {wide_environment}, finishing in {end_framing}.
Crane Down
The camera descends through space toward a subject or lower part of the scene.
A crane shot descends from {wide_view} toward {subject}, ending in {end_framing}.
Aerial Push In
A high or aerial camera advances toward the scene while preserving a broad spatial view.
An aerial camera steadily pushes toward {subject_or_location}, gradually tightening the composition.
Aerial Pull Back
An aerial camera retreats from the subject to reveal a larger environment and stronger sense of scale.
An aerial camera pulls backward from {subject}, revealing the wider {environment} in one continuous shot.
POV Forward Move
The camera advances from a first-person viewpoint through the environment.
First-person POV camera moves steadily forward through {environment}, with natural depth and continuous motion.
Handheld Tracking
The camera tracks a subject with intentionally organic handheld motion rather than perfectly stabilized travel.
A handheld camera tracks {subject} as {subject_action}, with subtle natural operator movement and continuous framing.
Whip Pan Left
A very fast leftward pan creates strong directional blur and an energetic transition.
The camera performs a rapid whip pan left from {start_subject} to {end_subject}, creating brief directional motion blur.
Whip Pan Right
A very fast rightward pan produces directional blur and a high-energy reframing.
The camera performs a rapid whip pan right from {start_subject} to {end_subject}, creating brief directional motion blur.
How to use the library
Start with one dominant camera movement. Add direction and speed only when they clarify the shot, then state what the camera should follow or reveal.
For image-to-video, the input image already establishes the visual composition. Keep the text focused on motion and separate camera movement from subject action so you can iterate more predictably.
AI Camera Movement Prompts Guide
Compare and copy examples for all 24 moves in the visual guide.
Camera Movement Prompt Generator
Turn a movement into a reusable prompt with subject, framing, and pace.
Image-to-Video Camera Lab
Plan the camera path for a still starting frame.