Travel move·2 min read

How to Make a Truck & Pan Real Estate Video

A truck and pan slides sideways past a feature while keeping it in the centre of the frame. The background moves, the feature stays: it is a quarter of an orbit, and enough to give a fireplace or an island the feel of a film.

By the Villenza team · Updated

What the truck & pan does

The camera slides sideways while turning to keep the feature in the centre. Parallax around a fireplace or island without a full orbit.

See the move

Slides sideways, feature centred. Slide past, feature centred. Inside the app, every move also has a 3D preview of the rig and the exact photo map it asks for.

The direction and feel of truck & pan, drawn on one sample photo — not a rendered clip. Villenza builds the real clip from your own three photos, opening on the first and landing on the last.

Best rooms for a truck & pan

  • Fireplaces and built-ins
  • Kitchen islands
  • A statement staircase seen from the hall
  • Any single feature that deserves a slow look

The 3 photos to take

Take them in one visit, in the same light. The first photo is where the clip opens and the last is where it lands, so shoot them in the order the camera should travel.

123Slides sideways, feature centred
Numbered in the order the camera passes through them. The dark frame is the opening photo.
  1. 1

    From the left

    Stand to the left of the feature, facing it — this is the opening frame.

  2. 2

    Straight on

    Directly in front of the feature, facing it.

  3. 3

    From the right

    Stand to the right of the feature, facing it — where the move finishes.

Tips for a better truck & pan

  • Stand the same distance from the feature for all three photos, on an arc around it.
  • Point the phone at the same spot on the feature every time.
  • Keep the move to a quarter circle — a full orbit is a different shot.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Walking in a straight line while turning, which makes the feature grow and shrink.
  • Letting the feature drift to one side of the frame.
  • Photos at different distances from the feature.

Not sure your photos will work? The AI Listing Planner reads a folder of photos, picks the move each room can support, and says what to re-shoot when a set won't work.

Questions

How many photos does a truck & pan need?

3 photos of the same room: first from the left, then straight on, last from the right. Take them in one visit in the same light — the truck & pan opens on the first and lands on the last.

What is the difference between this and an orbit?

Distance travelled. An orbit goes a half or three-quarter circle and needs three or four photos around the subject. A truck and pan is a short arc — left, front, right — and works in rooms where you cannot get behind the feature at all.

Is the truck & pan included on every Villenza plan?

Yes — the truck & pan, like every travel move, is on every plan at the same 720p HD output; plans differ only in listings per month.

New to listing video? Start with how to make a real estate listing video and what a photo set needs before the move works.

Pairs well with

Make your first truck & pan today.

Create an account without a card, upload the photos from your last shoot, and pick this move on the board.

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