Ken Burns effect API: Timeline stills are static holds

Sume's Timeline does not zoom or pan a photo. A still in video[].source_url is a static hold, and a motion field on it is accepted and ignored, with a motion_ignored warning on the result. A slow Ken Burns move has to come from a clip that already moves.

Opus Clip's Sept 18 Motion Studio note describes turning up to 30 images and plain language into a finished clip. Sume's Timeline is the assembly step, not an animator. Details: Timeline 1.0 docs, read 2026-10-01.

What does Timeline do with a still?

Is the warning a failure?

No. The docs say soft warnings, including ignored still motion, padded or looped short sources and snapped transitions, are not failures. The job completes and bills as usual; you just do not get the move you asked for. Check warnings[] on GET /v1/jobs/:id/result before you ship.

Where does zoompan come in?

The compiler's filter allowlist for the video filter surface includes zoompan, which is ffmpeg's zoom-and-pan filter. Video filter takes a Sume-hosted clip and a filters-only filtergraph with inline options. I have not confirmed from the docs that a still image is accepted there, so the safe reading is: give it a clip, not a bare photo. Confirm against the live catalog and a test run before building on it.

What can I do today for a photo sequence?

Hold each photo for its slot, add transition types such as fade or dissolve between slots, and lay a voice or music spine under it. That is the pattern in image slideshow video API and product photos to a Timeline video. If you need real camera motion on a photo, generate it as video first and put that clip in the slot.