What is Depth Map?

How it works

A depth map is a grayscale image where pixel brightness represents distance from the camera. Bright areas are close, dark areas are far away. In AI video production, depth maps enable several important capabilities: 3D camera movements that parallax correctly (closer objects move more than distant ones), selective focus effects (bokeh/depth of field), and more physically accurate scene generation. Some AI video tools use depth maps as input conditioning to control the spatial arrangement of generated content. Understanding depth maps is essential for advanced camera control and achieving cinematic-quality output.