digital zoom capability?

Jul 23, 2019

Hi there, 

I have a video of an instructor who is standing in the center of a frame. I would like to slowly zoom in on him as the video plays...

I've tried zoom areas, but the zoom happens so quickly (even though I've adjusted the time). I was looking around in Replay and it doesn't look like this is a feature. Is there anyone who has figured this out? 

Thanks so much for your time!

4 Replies
Jerry Beaucaire

This just isn't an easy or clean thing to do in SL directly.  As part of any eLearning arsenal, in my opinion, everyone should have some sort of video editing or creation software.  Easy, medium or hard, have something...

We use Camtasia, it's affordable and simple to figure out.  There's also probably free sites/tools online to do the same thing.

Anyway, any simple editing software has basic pan-and-zoom tools.   I have done the exact thing you've noted on 100s of video clips.   Load, trim, add a slow pan or zoom, publish, drop into SL.

Jerry Beaucaire

Something that is easy to add in SL is a slow PAN on a picture, not a video.  I do this on almost every slide to insure there is some small movement to keep the mind engaged.

  1. Add a pic
  2. Crop it into a letterbox format
  3. Stretch is so that it is larger than the screen or needed pan area
  4. Apply a BOX motion path that starts when the picture's timeline starts
  5. Change the shape of the BOX to a flat line that's only about 1/2" or 1" max in length
  6. Adjust the effect to 20-30 seconds
  7. Remove the EASING so the pic moves slowly and consistently at all times (easing set to None)
  8. Drop your Text on top.
  9. Voila!

I've done this as a quick way to add movement, then  dropped a small video over it playing in a smaller window.   The movement in the background can almost make up for the video having none.

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