How Do I Assign a Camera to a Marker in Blender?

Assigning a camera to a marker in Blender allows you to define specific frames on your timeline where a particular camera becomes the active one. This is the standard method for creating animated camera switches for your renders or animations.

The process involves creating a marker at the desired frame, ensuring the target camera is selected, and then binding the selected camera to that marker.

Steps to Link a Camera to a Timeline Marker

Follow these steps to assign a specific camera to a marker in your Blender project:

1. Position Your Timeline Cursor:

   • Go to the exact frame on the timeline where you want the camera assignment (and subsequent switch) to occur. This usually corresponds to the beginning of a new shot.

2. Add a Marker:

   • With your mouse cursor over the timeline header, press the M key. This will create a marker at the current frame.
   • As noted in the provided reference: "Press m to make a marker" at the start of your shot on the timeline.

3. Select the Desired Camera Object:

   • In either the 3D Viewport or the Outliner, select the camera object that you want to assign to this marker. Make sure this camera is the currently active object.
   • As noted in the provided reference: After making the marker, you need to "make sure your camera is selected as the active object".

4. Bind the Selected Camera to the Marker:

   • Ensure that the marker you just created is selected (you can click on it in the timeline header), or simply make sure your timeline cursor is directly on the frame where the marker is located.
   • Press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + B. This command tells Blender to bind the currently active camera (the one you selected in Step 3) to the selected marker.

After completing these steps, when the timeline cursor passes this marker during playback or rendering, Blender will automatically switch to the assigned camera, effectively changing the active view for that point onward until the next camera marker is encountered.

Quick Command Summary

Action	Keyboard Shortcut	Context
Add Marker	M	Timeline Header
Select Camera	N/A	3D Viewport / Outliner
Bind Camera to Marker	Ctrl + B	Timeline (Cursor on Marker or Marker Selected)

Additional Tips

• You can see which camera is bound to a marker by hovering your mouse cursor over the marker on the timeline.
• To clear a camera binding from a marker, select the marker and press Alt + Ctrl + B.
• Markers are valuable not just for camera switching but also for organizing your timeline into different sections or "shots."

This method provides precise control over your camera choreography within Blender.