Introduction
This guide provides a reference library of camera terminology with corresponding Text to Video prompts and their Gen-4.5 outputs.
Use these examples to see how different camera terms translate into generated footage, find inspiration for your own prompts, or explore new techniques to achieve specific visual effects.
Related links
Shot sizes and framing
| Term | Description | Prompt example | Output |
| Macro | Detailed close up of something small to make it feel large | A macro close-up explores the iridescent facets of a black butterfly wing. Wings gently move | |
| Extreme close up | Shows only a small detail, like just the eyes or a specific feature | A smooth, porcelain-white face fills the frame with emphasis on the closed, featureless eyes and the abstract, multi-colored light pattern projected across the upper face. The projected light pulses and shifts subtly, causing the blue and purple bands to slowly expand and contract, as the camera holds in a static, tight frame. Against a softly blurred coral-red background. Avant-garde portraiture, surreal. | |
| Close up | Focuses tightly on the subject's face or an object | A close-up isolates an elder elephant's face, where white paint patterns resembling ancient script are painted across its leathery surface under a pallid light. | |
| Medium | Shows from the waist up | Medium shot of a cowboy perched on a horse in a dusty environment. The horse rears violently, its body twisting, causing the cowboy to lose his seat and begin to fall off to the left. Backlit, western epic, cinematic, high contrast, golden hour, dusty, warm amber, deep orange, rich brown, atmospheric, dramatic backlighting, rim light, silhouette, soft glow, high contrast shadows. | |
| Full | Shows the entire subject from head to toe | A full shot observes a Victorian woman as she slowly navigates the hedgemaze, beside a small, curious fox. The fox approaches the camera. | |
| Wide | Shows the subject and their surroundings, full body visible | A wide shot captures a lone figure standing atop a vast, windswept mesa, their silhouette sharply defined against a dramatic sunset, emphasizing their smallness within the expansive landscape. | |
| Extreme wide | Shows a vast area, often used for landscapes or to show scale | An extreme wide shot, in black and white, reveals a vast, silent underwater canyon, its ancient rock formations dwarfing a small, barely visible submarine navigating the abyssal plain. | |
| Establishing | Sets the scene by showing the location or environment | A symmetrical establishing shot frames a 1990s school gymnasium bleachers. Faded championship banners hanging motionless from exposed steel rafters. A lone student enters from the left to sit on the bleachers. |
Camera angles
| Term | Description | Prompt example | Output |
| Aerial | Shot from high in the air, typically from a drone or helicopter | An aerial shot looks directly down onto a small, weathered fishing boat, its deck visible and pitching violently as it navigates through towering, frothing waves during a fierce storm, the boat appearing precariously small against the immense power of the ocean. | |
| High angle | Camera looks down on the subject from above | A group of figures wearing heavy, hooded robes, predominantly deep red with a few in grey, hold hands and dance in a circle within a misty valley. The high-angle shot captures the entire formation amidst a field of blooming red wildflowers and jagged grey rocks, with dense fog obscuring the background. Soft, diffused moonlight filters through the haze, casting long, faint shadows across the dirt clearing in the center. The color palette features a stark contrast between the blood-red robes and flowers against the cool, desaturated blue-greys of the mist and stone. | |
| Low angle | Camera looks up at the subject from below | Viewed from a low angle, an ethereal, alien-like opalescent creature with pearlescent intricate skeletal armor appears majestic as it gracefully shifts its posture, causing long, thin tendrils to sway gently. The camera rises steadily, following the upward trajectory of the dynamic natural growth of pink flower blossoms along the figure's shoulders and neck. The palette features shimmering opals, pale pinks, and deep purples nestled in the crevices of the armor. | |
| Bird’s eye view | Looking straight down from above | The central body and primary feathers of a majestic white egret, viewed from a bird's eye view directly from above, are meticulously framed, showcasing the pristine texture and layered structure of its plumage. The egret's body shivers slightly, causing a minute ripple through its feathers, suggesting preening or adjusting, while the camera performs a very slow, controlled push-in, focusing on the feather details. | |
| Worm’s eye view | Looking up from below | A rectangular, hand-dug earthen pit extends downwards, its dark brown soil walls leading to a square opening of bright sky above. The worm's eye view camera is at the bottom of the pit, looking directly upwards, capturing the subtle ambient movement cloud wisps against the bright blue sky. Suddenly, the silhouettes of backlit men peer down into the hole. The composition emphasizes the deep, confining nature of the pit, with its walls converging towards the distant, starkly contrasting sky. | |
| Over the shoulder | Shot from behind someone's shoulder, showing what they're looking at | Over the shoulder of a woman looking out at stormy waves from a cliffside. The camera pulls back and up to emphasize the height of the cliffs. | |
| POV | Point of view - shows exactly what the character sees | POV from the perspective of a bear approaching a hollowed out tree filled with honeycomb. The bear paws reach out from the bottom of the frame and grab a handful of honey. Handheld documentary film style. Natural camera shake. Raw indie film aesthetic. Natural lighting. Unpolished, authentic look. Low budget realism. Observational feel. |
Composition techniques
| Term | Description | Prompt example | Output |
| Leading lines | Using lines in the scene to guide the viewer's eye | Leading line composition of a classic white and orange municipal bus with tinted windows navigating a curve on a coastal road. The bus slowly approaches from the background, smoothly turning the bend and heading towards the foreground. The bright white and orange of the bus pop against the deep purples, oranges, and blues of the sky and distant landscape, imbued with the golden hour light. Anime art style, hand-drawn aesthetic, serene atmosphere. | |
| Frame within frame | Using elements like doorways or windows to create a frame inside the shot | Frame within frame composition of a lone female figure with a distinct bob haircut, wearing a flowing, semi-sheer dress with full sleeves, is silhouetted from behind as she walks away from the viewer. The composition is centered and framing the figure with a vertical light source at the far end of a seemingly endless, watery corridor. Ethereal, dreamscape, surreal, cinematic, low contrast, cool blue-gray. | |
| Symmetrical | Balanced composition with mirrored elements on both sides | Symmetrical scene of a staircase in the center with grand luxurious decor on each side. A woman in a long red dress is walking up the staircase slowly, facing away from the camera. Exact symmetry horizontal symmetry. Raw indie film aesthetic. Heavy grain. Unpolished, authentic, low-budget realism with a surreal, observational feel. |
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| Negative space | Empty space around the subject that draws attention to them | Negative space scene, shot from above of a vast dried salt lake with a dark red jeep driving slowly. The composition frames the jeep extremely small against the environment of the salt lake, emphasizing the negative space. Raw indie film aesthetic. Heavy grain. Unpolished, authentic, low-budget realism with a surreal, observational feel. |
Camera movements
| Term | Description | Prompt example | Output |
| Pan | Camera rotates left or right on a fixed point | A horizontal pan, from a fixed point, sweeps left to right across pine trees and over a lake to end on a single rowboat docked nearby. | |
| Tilt up/down | Camera rotates up or down on a fixed point | A tilt up shot begins on the weathered cobblestones of an ancient city street, slowly rising to showcase the intricate architectural details of centuries-old buildings, then continues upward to reveal a vast, clear blue sky with a single, wispy cloud. | |
| Dolly | Camera moves forward or backward on a track or wheels | A dolly backward shot smoothly follows a lone figure walking purposefully down a dimly lit, narrow alleyway, their silhouette sharply defined against the distant glow of city lights. | |
| Push in | Camera moves closer to the subject | A medium shot of a fish-like alien creature in sleek, black protective gear, observing a console with a single three-fingered hand. The camera slowly pushes in, framing the alien's intricate facial scales and large, bioluminescent eyes, illuminated by natural, ambient light filtering through a porthole, highlighting its focused expression. | |
| Pull back | Camera moves away from the subject | A handheld camera begins on a close shot, tightly framing a single, weathered hand carefully painting intricate details onto a miniature canvas, then slowly pulls backwards to reveal a wider shot of the artist's studio, filled with brushes, paints, and half-finished masterpieces, all from an observational view as if a quiet observer. | |
| Truck | Camera moves left or right, parallel to the subject | The camera trucks right, tracking a woman walking right along a in a field; as she progresses, the flat environment organically transforms and unfolds with a stop motion effect from a flower field to a mountaintop setting, each transformation seamless and continuous. low contrast. art film, muted warm color palette. | |
| Tracking | Camera follows alongside a moving subject | A handheld low angle tracking shot, with low contrast and fast-paced motion, follows a skilled astronaut skateboarder on a moon landscape. their movements blur against the soft glow of the dark lunar environment. Film grain, low contrast, black and white | |
| Pedestal | Camera moves straight up or down vertically | A woman's slender fingers with delicate, polished nails gently grasp the faceted cap of a clear glass perfume bottle, illuminated by soft, prismatic light. The hand lifts the bottle, revealing the faint tattoo on her wrist while the camera executes a gentle pedestal up, following the bottle's ascent. The color palette combines natural skin tones with the opalescent hues of the perfume bottle and the soft cool blue and warm pink background. Commercial beauty photography, ethereal, soft focus, product shot, iridescent, soft pastels | |
| Crane/Jib (boom up/down) | Camera moves up and down on a large mechanical arm | A crane/jib shot moves smoothly downwards, revealing a lone figure hunched over a desk in a dimly lit office, the camera stopping to frame their face as they stare intently at a glowing monitor, the scene bathed in a moody color grade with low contrast, emphasizing their isolation. | |
| Orbit | Camera circles completely around the subject | Camera orbits a meticulously arranged, surreal still life featuring an iridescent albino snake coiled among vibrant yellow lemons, soft pink flowers, and shimmering, glitter-dusted flora against a gentle pastel backdrop. The camera executes a slow, deliberate orbit. | |
| Arc | Camera moves in a curved path around the subject | A figure stands on a precarious cliff edge, overlooking a chasm filled with slow-moving clouds. The camera executes an aggressive, sweeping arc around the subject. Earthy browns, warm ochres, and muted grays for the | |
| Zoom | Lens changes focal length to make the subject appear closer or farther | The camera performs a smooth pull back from a lone explorer, initially focused tightly on their determined face, as they take a deep breath before sprinting to dynamically leap across a chasm. The shot gradually widens to reveal the perilous drop below the ledges they've jumped from and the precarious ledge they landed on, emphasizing their athletic, deliberate movements against the vast, rugged landscape. | |
| Crash zoom | Very fast, dramatic zoom in or out | A medium shot shows a chameleon slowly traversing a moss-covered branch, its body perfectly camouflaged, then a sudden crash zoom closely frames its face, and the independent movement of its pupils as it scans its surroundings. | |
| Whip pan | Extremely fast pan that creates motion blur | A rapid whip pan dramatically connects two distinct claymation characters, starting from a bewildered detective's exaggerated expression, then snapping to a mischievous antagonist's sly grin, capturing their dynamic, expressive claymation movements in a cinematic style. | |
| Handheld | Camera is held by hand, creating natural shakiness | A handheld camera, with extreme shakiness and jitter, rapidly tracks a crumbling urban landscape during an earthquake, the ground visibly fracturing, as the camera struggles to keep the chaotic destruction of buildings in frame. | |
| Steadicam | Stabilized handheld system that creates smooth movement while walking | A steadicam follows closely behind a determined athlete, capturing their dynamic character motion as they sprint through a crowded urban marathon, weaving seamlessly between other runners, their focused expression and rhythmic strides filling the cinematic frame. | |
| Gimbal | Electronic stabilizer that keeps the camera smooth while moving | A gimbal, executing complex and precise camera movement, begins tracking a gardener's path through a lush, overgrown botanical garden, weaving between towering ferns and blooming flowers, before ascending into an overhead angle, showcasing the entire sprawling, verdant labyrinth beneath a canopy of sun-dappled leaves, illuminated by natural daylight. | |
| Static | Camera stays completely still | Static, completely still establishing shot remains motionless, focused on a single apartment building. The apartment building begins to stretch and curve with an elastic-like quality, bending into circular shapes and impossibly stretching and bending into an organic abstract shape. The camera is entirely motionless for the duration of the scene, with movement only occurring from the building moving within the locked perspective. |
Focus techniques
| Term | Description | Prompt example | Output |
| Deep focus | Everything from near to far is in sharp focus | A deep focus shot showcases a bustling antique shop, with every trinket on overflowing shelves in the foreground, the worn wooden floor in the mid-ground, and the distant, dust-mote-filled sunlight streaming through a back window all held in crisp, unwavering clarity. | |
| Soft focus | Intentionally blurred or hazy look for artistic effect | A solitary figure, their form indistinct and shimmering, stands at the edge of an impossibly still, reflective body of water. The entire scene is enveloped in a thick, luminous fog that diffuses all light into a soft, glowing halo around the figure and the water's surface. The aggressive camera movement circles the figure, further blurring the already indistinct surroundings into a painterly haze. Soft, all-encompassing ambient light from the luminous fog, creating a halo effect and dissolving harsh lines, enhancing the ethereal quality. | |
| Rack focus | Shifting focus from one subject to another during a shot | A rack focus shot transitions from a close-up on a chef's hand meticulously garnishing a plate of haute cuisine, with individual herbs sharply defined, to the delighted expression of a diner across the table, their smile becoming crystal clear as the chef's hand gently blurs into the background. | |
| Shallow focus | Only a small area is in focus, the rest is blurred | A shallow focus shot isolates a single, chrome bubble floating impossibly slowly through a dimly lit, silent room, its warping surface reflecting a distorted, blurred reality, while the surrounding furniture and walls dissolve into an impressionistic dreamscape, rendered in a low-contrast, observational style that evokes a sense of surreal tranquility. |
FAQ
Can I combine different terms in my prompt?
Yes—combining terms is encouraged, especially for cinematic sequences. Gen-4.5 Text to Video has excellent prompt adherence, so you can mix complex camera angles, motion, composition, and other elements to create your unique shot.
When prompting for dramatic motion that moves through the frame, describe what's in view or what gets revealed at each phase of the movement.
How do I consistently receive scenes with a true static or motionless camera?
Video models are designed to create immersive, high-fidelity motion, which can make achieving static shots challenging for certain camera angles or scenes, most notably establishing or wide landscape shots.
To more consistently generate static camera shots, describe the motion that should occur within the scene and how elements enter and/or exit the frame.
Additionally, static shots are most consistently achievable when reinforced through natural language. As an example, you can try adding the following to your prompt:
The camera is entirely motionless for the duration of the scene, with movement only occurring from the subject.
For near-perfect generations with subtle unwanted motion, we recommend leveraging stablization features available in most local video editors.