How to Create a Super Zoom Effect in Premiere Pro
Blend a close-up into a wide shot using this smooth Super Zoom effect in Premiere Pro. It’s clean, clever, and easier to pull off than it looks. The Super Zoom is one of those effects that looks impressive but comes together quickly once you’re familiar with the trick. It creates the illusion of zooming from a wide shot directly into your subject’s face, or the reverse, without cutting your clip. This kind of move adds energy, focus, and cinematic flow to your edit. And in Premiere Pro, you can do it with just two shots and a few well-placed keyframes.
Use two clips to build the zoom
To pull off the Super Zoom, you’ll need two clips: a wide shot of your scene and a close-up of your subject. Make sure both shots are stable and shot from roughly the same angle—this will make the blend look more seamless.
- Import both clips into your timeline
- Place the close-up clip above the wide shot on the timeline
Match the framing using keyframes
With the close-up clip on top, you’ll scale and position it so that it blends naturally into the background shot. You’ll use keyframes to align the subject in both clips and create a base position before the zoom happens.
- In Effect Controls, add keyframes for Scale and Position on the top clip
- Adjust them until the close-up aligns with the background in the lower clip
Mask the subject to blend both layers
To fully sell the illusion, create a mask around your subject so the background from the wider shot fills the frame around them. This is what gives the effect its 'zoom through space' feeling.
- In the Effect Controls, use the Free Draw Bezier Tool to mask the subject
- Feather the mask to soften the edges
- Tweak Position, Exposure, and Color settings so the two clips match better
Animate the zoom for a smooth transition
Once everything is lined up and masked, you’ll animate the scale to create the zoom movement. This should feel like a natural zoom into (or out of) the scene—smooth and centered on your subject.
- On the top clip, add Scale keyframes where you want the zoom to start and stop
- Right-click keyframes and apply Ease Out for smoother motion
Now you’ve got a clean Super Zoom effect
The result is a punchy zoom transition that feels dynamic and precise. You can use it for emphasis, timing shifts, dramatic intros, or just to add visual rhythm to a scene.
Add branded motion graphics without the hassle
Once you’ve nailed the effect, you can finish your edit with pro-level visuals—like an animated intro, overlay, or logo reveal. With 17,200+ customizable templates on Videobolt, you can skip manual setup and drop in polished motion graphics that match your video. Every template is optimized, editable, and export-ready, no keyframing required.