Photo to video AI: animate a photo you already have

Good photos to start with

• Portraits and family pictures. Gentle movement works best: a smile, a turn of the head, hair moving in the breeze.
• Pets. A clear, front-facing shot gives the best result.
• Landscapes and travel. Water, clouds and trees are among the most natural things to animate.
• Products. Add a slow camera move or some steam, light or water around the item.

Writing the prompt

Keep it small and physical. Try “she looks up from the book and smiles softly, the curtain moves in the breeze, static camera”. Asking a photo of someone standing still to perform a dance will often go wrong, because the model has to invent everything it cannot see.

Old and damaged photos

Old pictures can work well if you scan them at high quality first. A subtle movement usually feels more moving than a big one. Keep in mind that the model is imagining the motion. The result is a new creation, not a record of what happened.

Consent and respect

Only animate pictures you have the right to use. Do not animate someone without their permission, and never use it to make a real person appear to say or do something they did not. Our terms explain what is not allowed.

From one photo to a whole video

You can do more than animate a single moment. Use a photo as a reference and place the same person or pet in new scenes, or use several photos in order to tell a story. Read how in our guide to turning a photo into a video.