You know those amazing family holiday slideshows where all the pictures seem to move and zoom in, well, there is actually a name for this effect and its called the Ken Burns effect.

This effect was named after renowned documentary film maker Ken Burns. Burns has become renowned for using this effect in many of his documentary films. The use of this technique in his films such as The Civil War, drew the attention of Steve Jobs when Apple was creating a new movie platform called iMovie. Steve Jobs contacted Ken Burns, asking for his permission to use the term ‘Ken Burns Effect’ for the Apple Software. Initially reluctant to have his name used for commercial purposes, Ken Burns agreed to having his name associated with this effect. Ever since this decision, his name has become a renowned effect used by film makers of all skill levels through editing programs such as iMovie.

Although Ken Burns was inspired and taught by other professional film makers such as Jerome Liebling on how to use this effect. Burns association with Apple and his decision to heavily use this effect in many of his films, has made him a prominent figure, associated with the creation of this effect.

Without this effect we wouldn’t be able to create our animated slideshows featuring our family, whether thats a good thing… I’m not sure, but i’m thankful that Burns shared his knowledge with world, allowing us to animate our photos in the comfort of our home!