Action library · These move
Expressions
The smallest movements in the library, and the ones that hold a likeness best.
Face actions. A laugh that breaks across a composed expression, a wave, a widening of the eyes. Nothing here travels: the body stays where it was and the change happens between the eyebrows and the mouth. That makes this the shelf to reach for when the point is the person rather than the scene, and it is also the shelf where the invention flag in the app sits lowest.
People animating a portrait rather than a moment. A headshot, a passport style photograph, a school picture, a phone selfie. It is also the shelf most people should try first, because it asks the least of the source photograph and shows most clearly what this kind of generation actually does.
Which of these asks the most of your photograph
The frames on either side of one expression, which is a genuinely modest request. Teeth are the notable exception: a closed mouth opening into a laugh means the model has to produce a set of teeth it has never seen, and that is the part of the result most likely to look like someone else.
- SmallClose to the photograph you already haveLaughingWaving
- ModerateReal movement, still anchored to the frameSurprised
The rest of this shelf carries no invention flag in the app's catalogue, so nothing here places it on the ramp: Anime Gasp, Unguarded Laugh, Quiet Confidence, Wink and Blown Kiss, Deep Breath Calm, Double Thumbs-Up, Sunlit Side-Eye Smirk, Over-the-Shoulder Smize. The flag is set on a preset by the app rather than by this site, and a guess dressed as a rating would be worth less than the gap.
Least invented first. A small rung stays close to the photograph you already have; a large one means the model is building most of what ends up on screen, which is also where a likeness has the most room to drift.
The Expressions actions
01LaughingJoyful hearty laughter with expressionA head and shoulders portrait, front on, well lit, is all this needs.Small invention
02WavingFriendly greeting gestureSmall invention
03SurprisedShocked expression with wide eyesModerate invention
04Anime GaspThe wide-eyed dramatic gasp everyone is doing right nowMotion action
05Unguarded Laughcomposed stillness breaks into a real, unguarded laughMotion action
06Quiet ConfidenceA neutral expression melts into a slow, confident smirk.Motion action
07Wink and Blown KissA playful wink followed by blowing a kiss toward the camera.Motion action
08Deep Breath CalmEyes closed, one slow breath, then a soft open-eyed calm.Motion action
09Double Thumbs-UpBoth thumbs shoot up with a big approving grin and a confident nod.Motion action
10Sunlit Side-Eye SmirkA playful, knowing side-eye glance breaking into a smirk.Motion action
11Over-the-Shoulder SmizeA magazine-style over-the-shoulder glance with a soft smoldering eye connection.Motion action
The photograph this shelf wants
A face fills this kind of clip, so shoot it that way: head and shoulders, roughly front on, eyes open and unobscured. Even, soft light on the face is worth more than resolution. Sunglasses, heavy shadow across one eye and a face turned past three quarters all make the animation drift.
The four things that decide any result are the same here as everywhere else in the library, and they are set out in what makes a photo work. The limits that apply to every action on this site are in what none of these can do.
Where Expressions results vary most
Anything across the face fights this shelf. Sunglasses, a hat brim cutting the eyes, a hand near the mouth, heavy shadow down one side. A face turned past three quarters is the other one: an expression needs both eyes, and a profile leaves the model rebuilding the eye it cannot see. Get soft light on the front of the face and this shelf is the most reliable thing here.
Where to go next
- Sunglasses, hats, and a face half covered: does it still animate?A dark lens takes more out of a face than people expect, and a hat is a different problem entirely. Which occlusions matter, and which actions barely notice them.
- Animating a photo where the face is turned away, or in profilePast a certain angle, the model is not reading a face anymore, it is guessing one. Where that line sits, which actions do not care, and when the honest answer is a different photograph.
This is one shelf of many. The whole catalogue, grouped the way the app groups it, is in the action library.
Common questions
- What is the Expressions shelf for?
- Face actions. A laugh that breaks across a composed expression, a wave, a widening of the eyes. Nothing here travels: the body stays where it was and the change happens between the eyebrows and the mouth. That makes this the shelf to reach for when the point is the person rather than the scene, and it is also the shelf where the invention flag in the app sits lowest.
- How long are the Expressions clips?
- About 5 seconds. That is what the default video model in the app's catalogue is configured to produce, and it is the same for every motion action in the library.
- What kind of photo works best for Expressions?
- A face fills this kind of clip, so shoot it that way: head and shoulders, roughly front on, eyes open and unobscured. Even, soft light on the face is worth more than resolution. Sunglasses, heavy shadow across one eye and a face turned past three quarters all make the animation drift.
- Do I need a subscription for the Expressions actions?
- Nothing on this shelf is marked as a subscription only action in the app's catalogue. Free to download on iPhone and iPad. Credits and subscriptions are bought inside the app.
The right action for the photograph beats the popular one
Every action on the Expressions shelf is written up the same way, so you can check whether the picture in your camera roll actually suits it before you spend a credit on finding out.
