Portraits
A head-and-shoulders photo plus a small motion prompt — a blink, a smile, a slow turn — is usually enough for a believable clip.
Animate photo
Animate Photo: Turn a Still Photo Into Motion
Animate photo in the Animate Image studio: upload a still, describe the motion in one line, and the model returns a short clip you can download. Several video models run in the same workspace, and each run shows its credit cost before you confirm it.
Portraits, product shots, old family photos and social crops all work as the starting frame. The workflow is three steps, so you can see a first result without learning an editing tool first.
Free motion tool: no sign-up needed. Free account: 300 credits at sign-up plus 50 more each day you sign in, no credit card required
How to animate a photo
- 1
Upload the photo
Add a JPG, PNG or WebP still. Portraits, products and old family photos are the most common starting frames.
- 2
Describe the motion
Write one line such as "she turns her head and smiles, hair moving in the breeze", then choose a video model. The credit cost updates before you run the job.
- 3
Generate and download
The studio runs the job and returns a short clip you can preview, revisit in your history or download.
What people animate
Old family photos
Scanned prints work as stills too. Keep the motion subtle so the faces stay recognizable.
Product shots
Give a packshot a slow orbit or a light sweep to use in a listing, an ad or a short social post.
Social crops
Animate a vertical crop for stories and reels without rebuilding the composition.
What each model costs
Every run shows its credit cost before you confirm, so you can compare models without guessing.
| Model | Credits per run | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Flux Kontext | 50 | Cleaning up or restyling the still before you animate it |
| Veo 3 | 300 | The cheapest short clips from a prompt or a reference image |
| Kling | 90 | Character and object motion from a single frame |
| Seedance | 500 | Fast image-to-video drafts |
| Wan 2.5 Image to Video | 300 | Animating a reference still while keeping the subject recognizable |
| Sora 2 | 60 | Longer cinematic clips with strong camera motion |
Animate photo FAQ
- Can I animate a photo for free?
- Yes, with limits. New accounts start on the free tier with 300 credits at sign-up plus 50 credits every day you sign in, and no credit card is required. Image models cost 6-50 credits per run and video runs start at 60, so the sign-up credits are best for testing the image studio before you subscribe.
- Do I need an account to animate a photo?
- Not for the free motion tool: the Motion Control tab on the homepage animates an uploaded photo with an open-weight model and needs no sign-in. The premium models in the studio need a free account and credits. Browsing the studio, the model pages, the template gallery and the pricing page works without an account.
- Which models can animate a still photo?
- Wan 2.5 Image to Video, Seedance, Sora 2, Kling and Veo 3 all accept a reference image. Each model page lists the modes it powers and what it is good at.
- What file should I upload?
- A still image in JPG, PNG or WebP. Portrait crops around 3:4 or 9:16 match most social formats, and the aspect ratio you choose applies to the output clip.
- What happens if a generation fails?
- Runs that fail on the provider or infrastructure side are refunded in credits automatically, and the Refund Policy explains the windows.
Related tools
Start from the studio, compare the image and video models, or read how much each run costs.
Animate your first photo
Open the studio, upload a still and describe the motion you want. The credit cost is shown before the job runs.
Open the studio