Google Earth Studio includes a range of advanced features that help users achieve precise control over animations—and two of the most powerful among
Google Earth Studio includes a range of advanced features that help users achieve precise control over animations—and two of the most powerful among them are Camera Target and Multi-View. These tools are essential for crafting smooth, professional-grade animations that focus on specific objects or locations in the 3D environment.
Understanding how to use Camera Target and Multi-View in Google Earth Studio can greatly enhance your storytelling capabilities. These tools provide a way to direct the camera's focus, manage multiple angles, and fine-tune movement across complex scenes.
🎥 What is Camera Target?
The Camera Target feature lets you lock the camera’s focus on a specific point in the scene. Instead of manually adjusting both position and angle, you can move the camera while it automatically stays pointed at your chosen target. This is incredibly helpful for orbiting animations, top-down zooms, or when highlighting key locations from different perspectives.
When you activate Camera Target mode in the Studio interface, a target crosshair appears in the viewer. Any camera motion—whether it's moving forward, rotating, or tilting—will keep the camera locked on this focus point, allowing for smooth and stable cinematic effects.
🖥️ What is Multi-View?
Multi-View enables you to see the animation workspace from more than one angle at once. By default, you animate within a single perspective view, but with Multi-View, you can add additional windows—such as a top-down map view or a side profile of the scene. This helps in aligning camera paths, controlling altitude, and understanding the spatial layout of your animation more clearly.
Multi-View is especially useful when creating complex movements, such as diagonal flyovers or layered vertical climbs. It gives you extra context for the camera’s path, so your animations are not just visually impressive but also spatially accurate.
⚙️ When to Use These Features
Combining Camera Target and Multi-View is ideal for:
- Creating smooth orbiting shots around landmarks or buildings
- Maintaining focus on a location while the camera path moves dynamically
- Aligning camera angles with geographic coordinates
- Designing layered movements (e.g., zoom + tilt + pan in one shot)
✅ Final Tips
Mastering these tools may take a little practice, but once you’re comfortable, your Earth Studio projects will have a noticeably more professional look and feel. They give you control, stability, and accuracy in your motion design—turning basic flyovers into cinematic storytelling tools.
To learn more and try these features yourself, open a new project in Google Earth Studio and explore the camera settings panel. You’ll find the Camera Target and Multi-View controls integrated directly into your animation workspace.
With the right setup, your next project will not only look great—but move with purpose.
