Using the Cinematic Camera Modifier and Tuning It for Smooth Shots

guide

The Cinematic Camera Modifier in Camera Utils smooths out camera motion so your recorded footage looks deliberate instead of twitchy. You control it through the mod's settings interface and the hotkey you assign to it in the controls menu.

Turning On the Modifier

Assign a key to the Cinematic Camera Modifier action in the controls menu, then press that key while playing. The modifier changes how the camera responds to your input, giving you the smoother, gliding feel associated with cinematic shots. Press the same key again to return to normal camera behaviour.

Because Camera Utils is operated entirely through its interface and hotkeys, there is nothing to craft. Everything below is reached from the mod's settings screen.

Opening the Settings

Open the Camera Utils Settings screen to reach every option described here. From there you can move into the Cinematic Camera Settings section, which is where the modifier's behaviour is tuned.

Movement Smoothness

The key value to adjust is Movement Smoothness. This determines how much the camera's motion is dampened while the modifier is active.

A lower smoothness value keeps the camera closer to your raw input, so movements feel more immediate and direct.
A higher smoothness value spreads each movement over a longer period, producing slower, softer transitions.

For most cinematic work, start somewhere in the middle and raise it gradually until pans and turns stop feeling abrupt. If the camera starts to feel laggy or unresponsive, lower the value. The right amount depends on what you are filming, so test it in the area you plan to record.

Combining With the Third Person Cameras

The modifier pairs well with the custom third person views. Camera Utils provides Custom Third Person Camera 1 and Custom Third Person Camera 2, each with its own settings screen: Custom Third Person Camera 1 Settings and Custom Third Person Camera 2 Settings. General options shared by these views live under Third Person Settings.

Each camera is a Third Person Camera Preset, so you can configure the two views differently and switch between them depending on the shot.

Setting the Third Person Distance

Distance from the player is handled by the Third Person Distance Modifier, measured in Third Person Distance Blocks. The Third Person Distance value sets how far the camera sits from your character. Increasing it pulls the view back for wider establishing shots; decreasing it brings the camera in closer for tighter framing.

Zoom and Scroll Behaviour

If you use zoom alongside the cinematic camera, two scroll options affect how zoom responds:

Zoom Scroll Sensitivity controls how strongly scrolling changes the zoom level.
Scroll Sensitivity Blocks controls the scroll step measured in blocks.

Lower values give finer, more controlled adjustments, which suits slow cinematic zooms. Higher values move the zoom faster when you need a quick change. Zoom transitions themselves are governed by the Zoom Animation Settings section.

Practical Tips

Set the Cinematic Camera Modifier hotkey somewhere comfortable before you start recording.
Raise Movement Smoothness for slow panning shots and lower it when you need to follow fast action.
Push the Third Person Distance out for wide shots and pull it in for close framing.
Tune Zoom Scroll Sensitivity down for gradual zooms.
Save one third person preset for wide cinematic angles and the other for close follow shots.

Work through one setting at a time and watch how the camera reacts, since the settings interact with each other.