How to Make a Tiny Desk AI Video from Photos

1. Decide who will lead the band

Choose your lead singer before collecting the rest of the photos. Their face anchors the performance, so use someone who understands the idea and wants to participate. The lead photo is the only required input. You can fill the other four positions with consenting adult friends or leave those seats to AI musicians.

Write down the role assignments if you are making a group video: lead, keys, sax, left backing singer and right backing singer. This simple list prevents accidentally swapping two people when you select files. Do not use public figures, minors or someone whose photo you found online without permission. A short personal parody still needs authorized inputs.

2. Prepare one clear portrait for each person

Use a sharp, front-facing image with even lighting and an unobstructed face. A shoulders-up portrait usually gives more useful detail than a full-body photograph with a tiny face. Remove sunglasses, avoid hands covering the mouth and choose an image without extreme filters. One person per file makes it clear which face belongs in each position.

The photo picker accepts JPEG, PNG and WebP files, with an 8 MB maximum per file and a 40 MB total across up to five photos. SVG is not supported. If a file is too large, export a smaller copy rather than changing its extension. Keep the original separately so you can return to it if the resized version loses too much facial detail.

3. Match each photo to a band role

Open the generator on the homepage and select the lead portrait first. Add optional photos to keys, sax and the two backing-singer positions. Check each local thumbnail before moving on. If someone is in the wrong position, remove that selection and choose the right file; do not rely on filenames alone once several uploads look similar.

Empty optional roles are filled by AI musicians, so fewer photos are a valid choice. You are configuring a band template rather than asking for an arbitrary scene. You do not need to write a prompt to describe the microphone, instruments or performance setup. Use the template guide if you want to understand what those role choices mean before submitting.

4. Confirm consent and check the preview

Read the authorization statement and confirm that you have permission for the selected adult portraits. Review the Terms and Acceptable Use links if you are unsure about the purpose of the clip. Consent is not just a checkbox to unlock a button: the people depicted should understand that the result will be an AI-generated performance.

The preview format is 2 seconds at 480p with a watermark. Free preview places come from a shared daily pool with a per-account limit and reset at midnight UTC. Check the remaining places in the generator. If today's free places are used up, wait for the reset or generate a full video with credits; the full-video option does not require a free preview.

5. Review the full-video cost before submitting

The full performance format is 19 seconds. Before submitting a full generation, review the credit cost displayed by the service and check that the selected cast is correct. Credit packs are one-time purchases, not subscriptions. The pricing page lists the current packs, while the submission step establishes the cost of the actual video request.

Do not calculate a guaranteed number of videos from a pack price or borrow another generator’s per-video pricing. Likewise, a local photo thumbnail is not a completed render. Follow the task status supplied by the service after a real submission; if an outcome needs support, provide the task identifier instead of creating repeated requests to guess whether the first one worked.

6. Watch, download and share responsibly

Review the whole video at normal speed, then inspect the lead close-up, the sax moment and the transitions between players. Look for facial drift, strange hands and distracting instrument movement. Compare the result with your intended cast, not just with a promotional still. AI expressions and motion can vary even when the input portraits are clear.

Download a completed video before its retention period ends; stored photos and videos have a 7-day retention policy measured from upload or saving respectively. When sharing, label the performance as AI-generated and obtain any necessary music permissions. If you need help with a saved task, sign in and use the support channel with its identifier rather than sending private photos in a public comment.

Related guides

• Tiny Desk AI Template: A Five-Role Band from Photos
• Tiny Desk Meme: Turn Your Group into an AI Band

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