Photo + reference video
Motion Transfer AI
Upload a short video of the moves and one photo. Motion transfer AI makes the person in your photo dance, wave or react exactly like the clip, in your own photo’s setting. No prompt needed.
Your photo performs the moves from the clip.
- 720p output
- One person works best
- Credits back if it fails
Use clips you own and photos of consenting adults.
Your version appears here
Your photo comes to life with the exact moves from the clip.
What is motion transfer AI?
Motion transfer takes the movement from one video and applies it to someone else. The AI tracks the body pose, head turns, hand gestures and facial expression in the reference clip, frame by frame, then animates a still photo so the person in it performs the same motion with the same timing.
On NENE, motion transfer AI needs two files: a 5–10 seconds reference video that shows the moves, and one photo of the person who should perform them. The output is a new 720p MP4. Your photo stays the setting, so the clothes, room and background in the result come from your photo, not from the reference video.
How to use motion transfer AI
- 01
Upload the motion reference
Add a 5–10 seconds MP4 or MOV up to 30 MB that shows one person doing the moves. Film it yourself or use a clip you have permission to use.
- 02
Upload the photo to animate
Add a JPEG, PNG or WebP up to 5 MB: one person, face visible, ideally standing in a pose close to the first frame of the video.
- 03
Generate the motion transfer
Keep Motion Transfer selected and generate for 120 credits. You can leave the page; the video waits in your history.
- 04
Download the MP4
Download the 720p MP4, add music in your editor or the app you post to, and share it.
Result a little soft? Run the finished MP4 through the video upscaler to upscale it to 1080p, 2K or 4K.
Choosing a motion reference video
- One person, fully in frame
- Motion transfer copies the pose it can see. If arms, feet or the head leave the frame, the AI has to guess, and guesses show up as bent limbs or jumps.
- A steady camera
- A fixed or slowly moving camera lets the model separate body motion from camera motion. Whip pans and fast zooms blur the pose it is trying to follow.
- Clear, readable moves
- Dance steps, waves, points, nods and expressions transfer well. Very fast spins, hands crossing in front of the face and people overlapping are the hardest moments.
- Trimmed to 5–10 seconds
- Cut the reference down to the one move or phrase you want. A tight clip spends the whole length on the motion that matters.
Which photo to animate
- Match the framing
- If the reference shows a full body, use a full-body photo. A headshot animated with full-body dance moves forces the AI to invent the missing body.
- Match the shape
- Your photo is resized and center-cropped to the shape of the reference video. For a vertical 9:16 clip, use a vertical photo with the person in the middle.
- Face clear and well lit
- A sharp, front-facing photo in even light keeps the identity stable through the whole clip. Sunglasses, heavy filters and hair over the face make it drift.
- Only people who agreed
- Use a photo of yourself, or of an adult who has said yes to being animated. Do not upload photos of children or of public figures.
Motion transfer vs character swap
Motion transfer and character swap use the same two files, but keep opposite halves. Motion transfer keeps your photo and borrows only the movement. Character swap keeps the whole reference scene and replaces the person in it with you. Both cost the same and run in the same generator above.
| Compare | Motion transfer | Character swap |
|---|---|---|
| What moves | The person in your photo | The original video, with you in it |
| Background | From your photo | From the reference video |
| Camera | Mostly still, framed like your photo | The original camera move |
| File limits | Video up to 30 MB, photo up to 5 MB | Video up to 10 MB, photo up to 10 MB |
Want yourself inside the original scene instead? Use Viral Video Remake with the same two files. Want the photo to speak a script with a voice instead of copying moves? Use AI Talking Photo.
What motion transfer works best for
- Dance motion transfer
- Film yourself or a friend doing a routine once, then transfer the dance to another photo: a costume shot, a mascot, an old portrait of yourself.
- Gestures and reactions
- Waves, shrugs, nods, pointing and surprised faces transfer cleanly because they are slow and clear. Good for reaction clips and greetings.
- Talking and lip movement
- Mouth and facial motion carry over too, so a short talking clip can drive a photo. Add the voice track afterwards; the output is not guaranteed to keep audio.
- Characters and mascots
- A clear, human-shaped character in a photo or render can take the motion of a real performer, which is a quick way to animate a brand character.
Fixing common motion transfer problems
- Limbs bend or melt
- The reference has motion the photo cannot explain, usually a body part hidden in the photo or leaving the video frame. Use a photo that shows the same parts of the body as the video.
- The face changes during the clip
- Start from a sharper, front-facing photo with even light. Faces that are small in the photo lose detail first.
- The person is cut off
- Your photo was cropped to the video’s shape. Re-crop it yourself to the same orientation as the clip with the person centered, then upload again.
- The motion looks jittery
- Jitter usually comes from a shaky or fast-cutting reference. Pick a steadier clip or trim to the section without cuts.
- The upload is rejected
- Checks run before any credits are taken. The message under the upload box names the problem: length, file type or size for the selected mode.
Credits and limits
Every motion transfer costs 120 credits. Credits are taken when the job starts and returned automatically if it fails or has not finished after 2 hours. Files that break a limit are rejected before you are charged.
- Cost per video
- 120 credits
- Output
- 720p MP4
- Reference length
- 5–10 seconds
- Reference video
- MP4 or MOV, up to 30 MB
- Photo
- JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 5 MB
- Packs
- 1 for $3.99 · 3 for $9.99
Use only clips and photos you have the right to use, and only photos of people who agreed. See the Terms of Service and pricing.
Motion transfer AI FAQ
- What is motion transfer AI?
- Motion transfer AI copies the movement from a reference video onto the person in a still photo, so they perform the same moves with the same timing. The photo’s background and clothes stay.
- How do I do motion transfer with my own photo?
- Upload a 5–10 seconds reference video, upload your photo, keep Motion Transfer selected and generate. You get a 720p MP4 to download.
- How long can the reference video be?
- Between 5 and 10 seconds, as an MP4 or MOV up to 30 MB. Trim longer clips before uploading.
- Is motion transfer free?
- No. Each motion transfer costs 120 credits. You can buy 1 video for $3.99 or 3 videos for $9.99, or use credits from any NENE plan.
- How long does it take?
- Usually a few minutes, longer when the queue is busy. You can close the tab; the result stays in your history. A job unfinished after 2 hours is stopped and refunded.
- Does motion transfer keep the audio?
- Do not rely on it. The output is a newly generated video and may have no sound. Add music or voice in your editor or the app you post to.
- What is the difference between motion transfer and character swap?
- Motion transfer animates your photo in its own setting. Character swap puts you into the original video’s scene. Use Viral Video Remake if you want the original scene.
- Can I transfer motion from a TikTok video?
- Only from a video you filmed or have permission to use. Another creator’s clip and its music belong to them. Film your own take of the move and use that as the reference.
- Can I animate two people at once?
- No. Motion transfer follows one person in the video and animates one person in the photo. Use one subject in each file.
- Is there a watermark?
- NENE does not add a watermark to the MP4 you download.
- What happens if the motion transfer fails?
- The 120 credits are returned automatically, including when the safety check blocks an upload. Clips and photos outside the limits are rejected before any charge.