Kling AI Camera Control

Overview

Add controlled camera movements to text-to-video and image-to-video generation using the camera_control parameter. Supports pan, tilt, zoom, roll, and dolly. Available on v1.6+ models.

Supports: POST /v1/videos/text2video and POST /v1/videos/image2video

Camera Control Parameters

"camera_control": {
    "type": "simple",     # "simple" = one movement axis
    "config": {
        "horizontal": 0,  # Pan: -10 (left) to 10 (right)
        "vertical": 0,    # Tilt: -10 (down) to 10 (up)
        "zoom": 0,         # Zoom: -10 (out) to 10 (in)
        "roll": 0,         # Roll: -10 (CCW) to 10 (CW)
        "pan": 0,          # Dolly: -10 (left) to 10 (right)
        "tilt": 0,         # Dolly: -10 (down) to 10 (up)
    }
}

Rule: For type: "simple", only ONE field in config can be non-zero.

Cinematic Shot Examples

Slow Pan Right

response = requests.post(f"{BASE}/videos/text2video", headers=get_headers(), json={
    "model_name": "kling-v2-6",
    "prompt": "A medieval castle on a cliff at sunrise, fog in the valley below",
    "duration": "5",
    "mode": "professional",
    "camera_control": {
        "type": "simple",
        "config": {"horizontal": 5, "vertical": 0, "zoom": 0, "roll": 0, "pan": 0, "tilt": 0}
    },
})

Dramatic Zoom In

response = requests.post(f"{BASE}/videos/text2video", headers=get_headers(), json={
    "model_name": "kling-v2-6",
    "prompt": "Close-up of a tiger's face, intense eyes, jungle background",
    "duration": "5",
    "mode": "professional",
    "camera_control": {
        "type": "simple",
        "config": {"horizontal": 0, "vertical": 0, "zoom": 7, "roll": 0, "pan": 0, "tilt": 0}
    },
})

Tilt Up Reveal

response = requests.post(f"{BASE}/videos/text2video", headers=get_headers(), json={
    "model_name": "kling-v2-6",
    "prompt": "A skyscraper, starting from the base looking up, glass and steel",
    "duration": "5",
    "mode": "standard",
    "camera_control": {
        "type": "simple",
        "config": {"horizontal": 0, "vertical": 8, "zoom": 0, "roll": 0, "pan": 0, "tilt": 0}
    },
})

Dolly Forward

response = requests.post(f"{BASE}/videos/text2video", headers=get_headers(), json={
    "model_name": "kling-v2-master",
    "prompt": "Walking through a dark forest, trees on both sides, moonlight filtering through",
    "duration": "5",
    "mode": "standard",
    "camera_control": {
        "type": "simple",
        "config": {"horizontal": 0, "vertical": 0, "zoom": 0, "roll": 0, "pan": 0, "tilt": 5}
    },
})

Camera Control with Image-to-Video

# Animate a landscape photo with a slow zoom out
response = requests.post(f"{BASE}/videos/image2video", headers=get_headers(), json={
    "model_name": "kling-v2-1",
    "image": "https://example.com/landscape.jpg",
    "prompt": "Gentle wind, clouds moving slowly",
    "duration": "5",
    "camera_control": {
        "type": "simple",
        "config": {"horizontal": 0, "vertical": 0, "zoom": -5, "roll": 0, "pan": 0, "tilt": 0}
    },
})

Important: For image-to-video, camera_control is mutually exclusive with image_tail, dynamic_masks, and static_mask.

Shot Type Quick Reference

Shot Type	Config Field	Value	Description
Pan right	horizontal	5-8	Slow pan, good for landscapes
Pan left	horizontal	-5 to -8	Reveal from right to left
Tilt up	vertical	5-8	Upward reveal (buildings, trees)
Tilt down	vertical	-5 to -8	Downward motion
Zoom in	zoom	5-10	Focus on subject, dramatic
Zoom out	zoom	-5 to -10	Reveal, establishing shot
Dutch tilt	roll	3-5	Unsettling, artistic angle
Push in	tilt	3-5	Dolly forward (depth effect)
Pull back	tilt	-3 to -5	Dolly backward (reveal)

Intensity Guidelines

Value Range	Effect
1-3	Subtle, barely perceptible
4-6	Moderate, natural-feeling
7-8	Strong, dramatic
9-10	Maximum, may feel unnatural

Recommendation: Start at 4-6 for most cinematic shots. Go higher for dramatic reveals or action sequences.

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Fix
400 invalid camera config	Multiple non-zero values in simple mode	Set only one field to non-zero
Jerky motion	Value too high	Reduce to 4-6 range
No visible movement	Value too low (1-2)	Increase to 3+
Mutual exclusivity error	Combined with masks/image_tail	Use only camera_control OR masks

Prerequisites

• An approved visual brief, rights-cleared or synthetic source material, sandbox workspace, content-policy review, credit cap, draft-only destination, and removal owner.

Instructions

1. Test one camera preset on a watermarked sandbox draft; do not use private or unlicensed source material.
2. Verify motion settings, policy and rights outcome, duration, credit estimate, and draft destination before submission.
3. Review the canary for unwanted movement or prohibited content, then halt and remove it on any policy, rights, or budget concern.
4. Promote only after owner approval and retain a redacted receipt with the asset removed at the agreed boundary.

Output

Produce a camera-control receipt with brief classification, preset values, mode/duration, credit estimate, policy/rights outcome, draft status, approver, and retention/removal reference. Exclude prompts, identities, and asset URLs.

Examples

brief=synthetic-product-shot; pan=4; tilt=0; mode=standard; policy=pass; destination=draft-only; cleanup=24h is safe for review.

Resources

• Camera Control Guide
• Motion Control Guide
• Developer Portal