Adding a zoom to your drone footage in post-production is an easy way to make your shots look more dynamic and cinematic. It is ideal to use this technique with 4K footage that is output at 1080p for the final video (make sure to download the 4K example clip included in the project file for this tutorial!)
1. Setting Up
First you will need to make a composition that is smaller than your original shot. In our case we will create a 1080p composition size because our drone footage is 4K. Next, add your 4K footage to the 1080p composition. With the layer selected go to Layer>Transform>Fit to Comp Height. This will resize your shot to fit the composition.
2. Keyframe the Scale
Click on your clip and his “s” on the keyboard to see the scale for your footage. It should be at 50% now. At the beginning of your clip, create a keyframe for scale at 50%. Then move to the end of your shot and increase the scale setting to 100%. An end keyframe should be created automatically. You can preview your shot by pressing 0 on the numeric keypad.
3. Motion Blur
You can also turn on Motion Blur for your clip to add realistic motion blur onto your footage when the scaling occurs. This provides a more natural zoom look on the final shot.