How to turn a product photo into a video
Make video: a move, a frame, a size, and a short clip with sound
Quick Answer
Press Make video on the photo, pick a camera move, choose 16:9 or 9:16 and a size, and make the video. A few seconds of video with sound comes back as an MP4 in the same gallery card. 720p is available from Pro, 1080p from Business and 4K from Growth; a six-second clip costs 13, 19 or 38 credits at those sizes. Videos is in Beta on the web.
The six steps
Start from a finished photo
Any photo in your gallery works: a template render, a cut-out you placed in a scene, or an upload. The better the still, the better the clip, so fix the photo first with Refine if it needs it, then make the video from the version you like.
Press Make video
Make video is on the gallery card, in the full-size view and in Refine. It opens Videos with your photo in place, and every move shows a preview so you can see what it does before you spend anything.
Pick a move
Camera moves: Slow Orbit circles the product, Dolly In pushes toward it, Pull Back reveals the scene, Gentle Pan drifts across it, Hero Reveal and Focus Shift do what their names say. Ambient moves leave the camera still and bring the scene to life instead: Rising Steam for a hot drink, Falling Petals, Golden Hour, Candle Glow, Water Light.
Choose the frame
16:9 is wide, for the store page, YouTube and a landscape ad slot. 9:16 is tall, for Reels, TikTok and Stories. The photo is framed for the ratio you pick, so a square shot works for either.
Choose the size
720p from Pro, 1080p from Business, 4K from Growth and Studio. The Make video button shows the price for the size you picked. Start at 720p the first time you try a move.
Make the video, then download the MP4
The clip takes a minute or two to render and lands in the same gallery card as the photo, as its own version. Download gives you an MP4 with the sound included; the file is named after your product.
Where each size is allowed, and what it costs
| Size | Available from | Six-second clip |
|---|---|---|
| 720p | Pro | 13 credits |
| 1080p | Business | 19 credits |
| 4K | Growth | 38 credits |
Free accounts can make photos and use Refine, but not videos. Growth and Studio can pick any of the three sizes. Videos come out of the same credit balance as photos, so a Pro plan's monthly credits cover a handful of 720p clips alongside the stills; Business and above have the headroom for 1080p as a habit.
Choosing the frame
16:9, wide
The store page hero, a YouTube pre-roll, a landscape ad slot, an email header that moves. Camera moves like Slow Orbit and Pull Back have the most room here.
9:16, tall
Reels, TikTok, Stories, Shorts. Dolly In and the ambient moves suit the tall frame, where the product fills the screen and the move is a slow push rather than a sweep.
If you need both, make two videos from the same photo; each clip is its own version and both download from the same card. A square template render works for either frame, because the scene is reframed before the move, not stretched.
Which photos animate best
- A clear subject with depth behind it: a counter that recedes, a wall with light on it, props at different distances. The move has somewhere to go.
- Scenes with something that can move: steam, a flame, water, petals, a curtain. Match the ambient move to it.
- A photo you have already fixed. Erase the stray cable and relight it first; the clip inherits every flaw of the still.
- Text overlays, collages and very busy backgrounds give the move less to work with. Add text in your editor after, on top of the MP4.
Exporting and posting
The download is an MP4 with the sound track inside it, named after the product like every other Lume file. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Shopify's media gallery and most page builders take it as is. "All versions" from the gallery card packs the stills and the clip into one zip when you want the whole set for a listing. Lume does not add a watermark or its name to the file.
Related Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
The still is free to start. The clip is one button away.
Make the photo with 3 free credits, then make a video from it on Pro or above
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