Crash Zoom is a preset in Camera Movements, part of Workroom's AI workspace for video, image, and voice generation. It takes a single photo and generates a 5-second video. The camera snaps into a fast, tight close-up on your subject — the same sudden push-in filmmakers use to jolt attention or land a reaction. One photo and one line of text, no footage, rig, or editing skills required.
Apps share a monthly pool of 5 free generations on the Free plan — once it's used, each run costs credits, with the exact cost shown on the Generate button.
Open Crash Zoom
Open Apps from the sidebar and click Camera Movements. The Crash Zoom preset is selected in the panel on the right, above the three input steps.
Add your photo
Under Step 1: Your photo, upload a JPG, PNG, or WEBP from your device. Or click Select to pick an image already in your Workroom library — anything you generated or uploaded earlier works. Photos with one clear subject give the push-in a strong target.
Describe the shot
Under Step 2: What is in the shot, write one line in English about what's in the frame — for example, "a young woman with dark hair stands in a bright empty room."
The same line can also carry two more instructions. Name what the camera should zoom into, and the push-in lands there instead of on the main subject: "the camera rushes into the envelope on the table." Add what happens as it moves in — a head turning toward the lens, an expression shifting from calm to surprise. Keep it to a single plain sentence, no camera jargon needed.
If your subject faces away from the camera in the photo, describe the turn ("he turns his head toward the lens") — the movement comes out smoother than leaving the shot description blank.
Generate the video
Under Step 3: Aspect ratio, keep the default 16:9 or pick one of the five available ratios — vertical for social feeds, square for grids. Then click Generate. The result is a 5-second video you can play, download, or reuse in other Workroom tools.
Troubleshooting
The camera cuts to the close-up instead of moving smoothly
This usually happens when the subject faces away from the camera in the source photo. Add the turn to your shot description — "as the camera rushes in, she turns her head toward the lens" — or use a photo where the subject already faces forward.
The zoom targets the wrong part of the image
Without a named target, the push-in goes to the main subject of the photo. Name the element you want instead — "the camera rushes into the red door behind her" — and be specific enough to tell it apart from everything else in frame.