Ken Burns effect

noun

A filmmaker's technique of panning and zooming over still imagery such as photographs.

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Meanings

nounKen Burns effect (plural Ken Burns effects)

plural Ken Burns effects

  1. broadcastingA filmmaker's technique of panning and zooming over still imagery such as photographs.

Origin

The technique was used extensively by American documentarian Ken Burns.

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Cite this entry
APA

Ken Burns effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ken%20Burns%20effect

MLA

“Ken Burns effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ken%20Burns%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Ken Burns effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ken%20Burns%20effect.

Source: Ken Burns effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.