Abstract: PIV is a velocity-measuring technique commonly used in the field of experimental fluid mechanics and geotechnical tests, but no previous report is found on the use of this technique in large-scale shaking table tests. The PIV technology is applied to large-scale shaking table model tests on slope stability, and the failure criterion is also studied. Sony high-definition video camera, MVC3000 camera and Canon EOS 450D digital camera are used to capture images. It is found that Canon digital camera can provide the best quality images and the measured results exhibit good regularity. The results show that the PIV technology is verified to effectively measure the displacement of any point at any time with accuracy within the observation region. Furthermore, one can get more information about the process of deformation development, the formation of strain localization and the whole failure process of slope under earthquakes. The maximum curvature criterion of the displacement-time curve can be used to predict the time of sliding of slopes.