How to Transform Old Images into Dynamic Videos with AI

Here at Club Backdrops, we know how much effort goes into capturing the perfect product shot. From sourcing props and finessing the lighting, to (of course) choosing the ideal backdrop; it’s all part of a time-consuming creative process. But what happens to your carefully constructed images after a product launch or campaign?

Often, they sit in archives, gathering digital dust. With current content trends reflecting a preference for motion, narrative and dynamic content, it may feel like your stills back-catalogue has less potential for engagement these days. But what if we told you that there’s a simple way to bring old images back to life; refreshed and reformatted for the demands of modern marketing? Thanks to AI tools like Kling AI and Hailuo AI, you can easily turn static shots into engaging and eye-catching videos - no reshoot required.

Why Breathe New Life into Old Images?

Evolution happens quickly in our digital age, and the last few years have seen major social platforms focus increasingly on the short-form video format. Though still images remain undeniably relevant and valuable for e-commerce and other forms of digital marketing, this shift in the way that social media is consumed sees photography, at times, taking a back seat to moving content.

Because video marketing grabs attention, prolongs engagement, and works wonders in storytelling, we can’t see this algorithm-friendly development reversing itself any time soon. So, with this in mind, we’d like to show you how AI image-to-video generation can update and animate your archived images; creating new opportunities to increase your online visibility and reach.

Utilizing this new software will:

• Maximize the creative efforts of past photoshoots

• Keep your marketing fresh and relevant 

• Tell immersive stories by pairing generated movement with text and music

• Save time and money compared to reshooting

Additionally, due to the fact that the final video takes its source from your own original creation, it should be free to use commercially. By making a brand new piece of moving content, photographers gain a valuable option to remonetize past shoots. Check out the last section of this article: ‘Why Photography (and Backdrops!) Still Matter’ for additional info on licensing AI content. 

Note: In this post we’ve picked extreme examples of action for illustration purposes! You’ll likely want to keep things a little bit subtler. See ‘Enough is Enough’ later in the post 😎

A Step-by-Step Guide to Transforming Your Photos

Whether you’ve dabbled with AI images before; or you’re a first-timer with fresh inspiration to get stills moving; we’ve put together this quick guide to the Kling AI image-to-video tool. You’ll see how simple it is to take an archive image (we used a messy food shot on our Sacramento Vinyl Backdrop) and generate new content that’s ideal for social storytelling.  

1. Choose Your Image

First, you’ll need to select a high-quality image in PNG or JPG format. Keep file sizes below 10MB, but ensure that the dimensions exceed 300 pixels on both sides. 

2. Access Kling AI
   

Visit the Kling AI web app on either desktop or mobile browser.  Select ‘Sign In’ and choose ‘Sign up for free’. After you have created your account and logged in, you will receive complimentary credits (which are exchanged for each AI image or video you generate). The amount of credits you need will vary depending on the chosen length and complexity of the output.  

New users also get trial access to some of the advanced ‘Professional’ features of the app, which offer greater control, faster processing time and higher quality results.  

3. Upload Your Image

Select ‘AI Videos’ from the menu. This will take you to the ‘Kling Creative Space’, where you can click in the ‘Start / End Frame’ box to upload your prepared image. 

4. Add a prompt (optional)

Once your image is uploaded, you can enter a text description for your video in the prompt box below. The prompt can describe the desired motion, action, or style for the video. This is where you can get creative with narrative ideas, or keep things subtle with simple moving elements and lighting effects. 

For our dramatic take on the Sacramento food shot, we wrote:

“Red chilies fall from above as noodle dish is engulfed in flames” 

5. Generate Video

When you are happy with your image and prompt, press the ‘Generate’ Button and wait for the video to process. 

6. Review and Download

Your generated video will now be available to review. Pretty neat huh? If it’s all looking good, click on the download button to save to your computer or device. Or, if you still fancy experimenting, try uploading a new image or editing the prompt to produce a new clip.

👀 AI Spy: Keep Your Eyes Peeled for Weird 

Revolutionary as generative AI is, the technology behind it is still in development. As such, you might find an assortment of quirks and idiosyncrasies showing up in your image-to-video output. For best results, here are a few things to watch out for:

1.  The Glitch in the Matrix

AI-generated motion sometimes creates strange and unnatural effects. Warped edges, odd lighting transitions and unrealistic shadows are some of the usual culprits. Always preview your work and fine-tune settings to minimize these issues. 

2. Enough is Enough

Too many animated elements, or extreme animated effects, may overwhelm the viewer and distract from your thought-out composition. Strike a balance to complement the visuals, and use effects sparingly so the original image remains centre stage.

3. Going ‘Off-Brand’

The ultimate marketing faux-pas! With AI video offering so many options to the budding ‘cinematographer’, it’s crucial to bear in mind the existing aesthetic of your brand. For example, if you do monochromatic and luxe, make use of isolated moving elements and avoid dramatic zooms or flashy effects.

4. Trial and Error

AI ain’t perfect. Sometimes, your desired effect won’t work well with a particular image due to the lighting or composition. Be prepared for a good few failures, but don’t give up!  Keep on experimenting with settings and editing your prompt ‘til you find a look you love.

5. Be Honestly Artificial

Transparency matters. And, as generative AI does raise some ethical concerns for the creative industries, we believe it’s important to be upfront about where it is used. So if you’ve produced a great piece of content for your audience using image-to-video tools, be authentic and let them know 😌

Why the Photograph (and the Backdrop!) Still Matters

With all these incredible possibilities for generating, enhancing and animating visuals at our fingertips, some might be wondering if the photographer’s work is even necessary these days? Furthermore, are we at Club Backdrops actually promoting a brave new world where photography backdrops become functionally obsolete?

Well, the answer is ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. 

Yes, skilful photography is still the vital foundation for producing quality content. And, no, the backdrop isn’t about to write itself out of history any time soon!

Because, while AI offers mind-boggling new tools to edit and iterate creatively, in the world of commercial photography, it is still the ability to work faithfully to a brief that really matters. And, in the product photographer’s mission to convey the physical reality of an object, it’s the details of hyper-realistic textures and real-world lighting that will be sure to give their work the edge.

Looking back to the beginning of this article, we touched very briefly upon the commercial use of AI image-to-video output. As stated earlier, because the final clips are based on your original work, there shouldn’t be a problem with using them in this context. But, we would always say to check AI software’s T&Cs and consult with your legal professional before using AI-produced content commercially. At this point in time, the copyright and licensing considerations around AI remain a bit of a minefield. That’s why we suggest that, wherever possible, producing your own content from scratch is still the best way forward. 

So, have fun with image-to-video generation, and enjoy remixing archive shots to get fresh eyes on your socials. But don’t forget: every stunning animation you create with this technique begins with a deliberately composed, hard-won and personally curated still photograph 👌

Until next time folks,

Happy snapping! 🙂📸