MediaArtTutorials

🕹️ Camera Animation Basics

Time: 1h30m

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🎯 Objective

Use Blender’s Timeline and Dope Sheet to animate one meaningful camera movement and export a short video clips.

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🔧 Tools You’ll Use

Tool / Concept	Shortcut / Location	Purpose
Add Camera	Shift + A → Camera	Place a camera in your scene
Set Camera View	Ctrl + Alt + Numpad 0	Align active camera to your current view
Move / Rotate	G, R (plus X, Y, Z for axis)	Position camera and aim it properly
Insert Keyframe	I in 3D Viewport	Record camera location/rotation over time
Timeline	Bottom window in layout	View and adjust keyframes
Dope Sheet	Switch from Timeline to Dope Sheet	Fine-tune animation timing
Preview Animation	Spacebar	Play your animation

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Learn the basics on how to animate your camera

Watch and apply this basic camera animation in your own scene, then export it as a video file.

Intro to Camera Animation: How To Keyframe Camera

💾 Export Your Animation

• Go to Render Properties → Output
• Set file format: .FFMPEG video
• Set resolution: 1920x1080
• Set frame rate: 24 fps
• File → Render → Render Animation
• Save as `YourName_CameraMove.mp4

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Experiment

Try adding these kinds of motion to your scene:

• 🎥 Zoom In: Move the camera closer over time
• 👀 Pan: Move the camera side to side or up and down

Each animation should have its own camera.

• To add a new one: Shift + A → Camera
• Hide any previous ones in the Outliner (click the 👁️ icon)

💾 Render each preview as a short clip (Render → Render Animation) and save it with a clear filename like:
YourName_CamOrbit.mp4, YourName_CamZoom.mp4, etc.

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Learn more camera animation techniques

Follow these video tutorials to learn the basics of camera animation in Blender.
For each tutorial:

1. Watch the video and follow the steps in your own scene.
2. Add a new camera for each animated movement.
3. Hide any unused cameras by clicking the eye icon in the Outliner.
4. Export a small preview:
   • Render → Render Animation
   • Save as a short .mp4 file to review your work.

Tutorials to Try

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📝 Reflection Prompt

How did your camera motion affect the scene?
Does it make the moment feel slow, fast, intense, peaceful, or cinematic?

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