Add cinematic pan and zoom animations to your photos — free, in your browser. No software needed. The Ken Burns effect makes every photo feel alive.
Try Ken Burns Effect — FreeThe Ken Burns effect is a panning and zooming technique applied to still images to create a sense of motion. Named after the legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, it slowly zooms into or pans across a photo, making static images feel cinematic and alive.
It's used extensively in documentaries, photo slideshows, wedding videos, and memorial presentations. SlideJam lets you apply it instantly to any photo — no video editing software required.
Go to slidejam.app — works on any browser, no download needed.
Click "Choose a folder" or drag and drop your images.
Open the control panel (press M) and set Transition to "Ken Burns".
Set the slide delay (5-15 seconds works best for Ken Burns). The animation duration matches the delay automatically.
Press F for fullscreen. Each photo gets a unique random pan and zoom — no two slides look the same.
SlideJam generates a random start and end position for each photo — varying the scale (1x to 1.08x) and translation (pan direction). The CSS transform animates smoothly over the slide duration, creating the classic documentary look.
Unlike video editors that render to a file, SlideJam plays the effect live. This means instant preview, zero render time, and no file size overhead.
A panning and zooming technique on still images that creates a sense of motion. Named after documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.
Load your photos, open the control panel, and select "Ken Burns" as the transition type. Each slide gets a randomized animation automatically.
Yes. Add music tracks and optionally enable BPM sync so slides change on the beat while the Ken Burns animation plays over each photo.
The Ken Burns effect is designed for still images. Videos play normally with their own motion.