9 Free AI Animation Tools: Bring Images to Life

DatHero
9 min readAug 1, 2023

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There are some really easy ways to make your Midjourney images (You could also use other alternative platforms for AI image generation) more interesting for social media creating AI films or just for fun yu can make them more immersive animate them make them talk (even add their own voice)

All of this can be done completely for free and each of these techniques takes less than 02 minutes. Some of them just a few seconds and ir doesn´t have to be AI image generator or even a real photo if those still exist

Now we will look at 09 AI tools to bring our images to life and share them with the world

We will see step-by-step how to use each of the AI animations

Let’s get started…

1. LeiaPix

I share the direct link:

Step 1: Upload

We will upload the following image as an example:

I share the image prompt with you in case you want to generate it in any AI that transforms text into an image

Prompt:
a comics rendition inspired by the fantasy artist Neil Gaiman, showcasing the majestic gates of heaven, infused with a sense of grandeur amidst cascading rays of light. Cool color temperature adds to the awe-inspiring sci-fi atmosphere. No faces, just the resplendent gates under the broad light, rendering a mystic, intriguing vibe

Step 2: Customize the Animation

Depth Map

Here we can also add depth to the image to give it greater effects

Step 3: Share and Download

Results

Another additional example:

2. Pika Labs

I share the direct link:

For the example, we will use the following image:

Step 1: Unirse a Discord

Step 2: Choose a ‘Generate’ Channel

Step 3: Generate Prompt

Write inside the box: /create prompt

Place the prompt according to the attached image

Prompt: robot typing

Step 4: Upload Image

Results

Ejemplo adicional

3. InstaVerse

The direct link:

We will use the following image as an example:

Step 1: Elegir “2D-3D mode”

Step 2: Upload Image

Results

4. Animated Drawings

The direct link:

We will use the following image as an example:

Here you can use romove bg to take away the background from any image

Step 1: Go to “Get Started”

Step 2: Upload Photo

Step 3: Select the Area of ​​the Character

Step 4: Choose the joint points of your character

Step 5: Animate Your Character

Here you can give it different preset movements, taking into account the joints of your character

Results

5. Genmo

I share the direct link:

We will use the following image:

Option 1

Step 1: Go to “Create a Video”

Step 2: Choose an Option to Animate Video

Here we have 03 options to choose from, which can be through a specific search, the next is by means of a prompt, or finally we can directly upload an image that we want to animate

We will choose the upload option

Step 3: Upload Image and Customize

Results

Option 2:

Step 1: Go to “Chat”

We return to the main page and then go to the chat option

Step 2: Upload Image

Step 3: Generate Prompt

In the chat option, we can directly generate a prompt. One of the advantages is that it can recognize the image that we attach directly, and it asks us what animation we want

Prompt: I want the airship to be flying at a medium speed and to be able to launch fireworks. Make an animation about it

Results

6. D — ID

Direct link below:

We will use the following image for this example:

Step 1: Go to “Start Free Trial”

Step 2: Upload Image

First, we go to the option to Create Videos, and then we attach the image

Step 3: Customize Video

Here we have the option to upload an audio of a specific voice (it could even be our voice) so that the image can take it when we already have the video. Additionally, we also have the option to choose what we would like the character to say through text, where we can also choose preset voice tones

Step 4: Generate and Download

Results

7. Hey Gen

Direct link:

In this example, we will work with the image from example 06 (D — ID)

Step 1: Go to “Try HeyGen”

Step 2: Create Video

Step 3: Upload Image

First, we go to the Avatar option, and the button to upload the image will be enabled

Step 4: Customize Video

Here we also have the option to upload a customized audio. On the other hand, we can write a text for it to later be transformed into the character’s speech.

Step 5: Submit

Results

8. SadTalker

Direct link:

We will work with the following image:

Step 1: Upload Image and Customize Options

Step 2: Generate

Results

9. RunwayML Gen-2

Direct link:

For this example, we will use the following image:

Step 1: Go to “Try Runway for Free”

Step 2: Generate Videos

Inside the ‘Generate Videos’ section, we have 03 options: video to video, Text/Image to Video, or Frame Interpolation

We will choose the second option

Step 3: Upload Image

Step 4: Generate

Results

Another Additional Example:

Summary

  1. AI allows us to create animations quickly, taking into account that we don’t necessarily have experience in animations or editing
  2. The different AI animation options don’t intend to replace specialized professionals; their real impact is focused on saving time on certain animation tasks
  3. The different AI tools we have are available in free versions, but they have limitations regarding the customizations that can be made
  4. The downloads of the animations generated are generally in MP4 format, but I used ChatGPT Code Interpreter to transform them into GIF files. I share a story I wrote related to this

In general terms, there are significant advances in the animations that we can obtain using different AI, but I believe they are still in a phase of constant learning. I invite you to follow the publications I make so that you don’t miss any news related to the world of AI.

A big hug, and see you in the next story!

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DatHero

Content Creator and Passionate about Teaching How to Use Technologies in Our Everyday Life | Data Scientist