Which clip type should I choose for my animation?

Should I use Track Following or Point-to-Point?

Choose New Clip Track Following when the camera should travel above and along a prepared track. Set the clip duration; JJ uses the route and duration to calculate its initial camera altitude. If you later change duration, check the framing again: a longer clip can bring the camera closer to the track.

Choose New Clip Point-to-Point when the camera should visit a sequence of places. Prepare the key points and set a stopping altitude for each. The camera makes transitions between those locations rather than following every bend of a track.

Point-to-Point can also include an animated track passing near its key points. If the transitions work but the track does not animate as expected, check its geographic proximity to those points and whether it is active.

For an airplane flight route animation, choose Track Following. The Airplane Flight Animation example explains that use of the clip type. Flight is not a separate item in the New Clip menu, and moving the camera between Point-to-Point stops is a different task.

Compare Track Following along a route with Point-to-Point between selected locations if you need help deciding whether the path or the stops should lead the scene.

Which clip type circles one place?

Choose New Clip Circling Around. You need a point for the camera to orbit, assigned in Key points. A track is not required to make the orbit.

Radius, altitude, and tilt determine the view; direction, starting angle, duration, and rotation amount determine the movement around it. If you also want a route to animate during the orbit, make that track active in the clip. An orbit can otherwise play while the track stays static.

Which clip type zooms into or out of a place?

Choose New Clip Zoom+ for a zoom-in scene or New Clip Zoom- for a zoom-out scene. One use is a transition from a broad world-map view towards a single location.

Compare the two video examples on Map Zoom Animation to see the difference between moving towards a place and pulling back to a wider view.