For openings and reveals that connect one place to the whole planet. The preset prompt pulls the camera back from your photo into orbit. If you want the fall toward the ground instead, reverse the wording.
What this preset does
The move is the shot. Video models read camera language, so naming the movement changes the result more than any extra adjective.
The prompt behind it
The prompt is written in English because models follow English most reliably. You can edit it in any language, but English usually gives the most predictable result.
camera pulls back from the subject into orbit above Earth
More effects
Zoom to Earth runs in AI Camera Motion at 12 credits per second. The preset is filled in for you and the exact cost shows before you generate.
Pull back or fall in: check the direction
The instruction sent with this preset starts close on the subject. It then pulls back through rooftops, city and clouds until the whole planet shows. Your uploaded photo is therefore the first frame, and the planet is generated. That direction suits endings and where-in-the-world reveals.
For the descent described above the prompt box, rewrite it as follows. "Start in orbit with the whole Earth visible. Then fall smoothly through the clouds and over the city, ending close on the subject in the photo. One unbroken move." The photo becomes the landing point.
Photos that anchor the journey
AI Camera Motion takes one image. An outdoor shot taken from above or at an angle gives the model a believable path to the sky. Think of a rooftop, a beach seen from a pier or a square from a balcony. A street-level portrait works too, but the first seconds have to rise past the person. That is where most invention happens. Indoor photos break the move, because the camera would have to leave through a ceiling.
Length, ratio and resolution for a long move
The pull-back covers huge distances, so use the full 8 seconds. At 4 seconds the stages blur into one jump. Choose 16:9 when the planet at the end matters, since a round Earth fits a wide frame better. For social, 9:16 works if the end frame is the cloud layer rather than the whole globe. Test at 720p, keep the final at 1080p.
What to check in the zoom
Look for cuts. The move should be one continuous pull, and a jump from city straight to space is a failed run. Check that the scale steps make sense: streets, then district, then coastline, then planet. Do not rely on the map being accurate. The terrain between your photo and orbit is generated, not looked up. Naming the city in the prompt steers it closer.
Cost of an Earth zoom
At 12 credits per second, the 8-second version this move needs costs 96 credits. That is about $1.02 at the best pack rate. A 6-second test is 72 credits and a 4-second sketch 48. Veo 3.1 Lite is listed for drafting camera moves, with lower detail as its limit. That shows most in the city layer where buildings are tiny.
Will the final be shown large? Kling 3.0 at 27 credits per second is the step up among the listed alternatives. Seedance 2.5 Draft (480p) charges 15 per second, more than Lite, and its 480p output is not for publishing.
What Zoom to Earth actually changes
Starts far above the planet and falls continuously toward one point on the ground.
When it works and when it does not
Works when the destination is recognizable from above: a coastline, a stadium, a city grid.
Fails on interiors, because there is nothing for the descent to aim at.
Getting a better result
Name the endpoint precisely. The model needs to know where the fall stops.
Questions about Zoom to Earth
Does this preset zoom in to Earth or out to space?
As sent, it pulls out: it starts on your photo and ends in orbit. To fall from space onto your location, edit the prompt. Make it start in orbit and end on the subject.
Can I name a real city to get the right map?
You can name the place in the prompt, which steers the coastline and skyline toward it. The views are still generated, so treat them as an impression of the place, not an accurate map.
How long should a zoom to Earth clip be?
Use 8 seconds where possible. The move passes through several stages, and shorter clips compress them into an abrupt jump. That length costs 96 credits on Veo 3.1 Lite.
