# Animate Any Character with AI

##### Animate any image using the motion from a reference video — upload a motion clip and character image, generate in seconds

## Trusted by teams at

## How AI Motion Control Works

1.  
    ### Upload your reference video
    Upload the video that contains the motion you want to transfer. Use clear footage with visible movement and minimal camera shake for best results. Supports MP4, MOV, and WebM up to 60 seconds.

2.  
    ### Upload your image
    Upload a still image of the person or subject you want to animate. This defines who performs the motion. Supports PNG, JPG, JPEG, HEIC, WebP, AVIF, JP2, TIFF, and BMP.

3.  
    ### Generate and download
    Click generate. Magic Hour applies the motion from the reference video to your image and creates an animated output video. Download and use in your workflow.
    
    [Animate Your First Image](/content/create/character-replace?mode=animate/index.html)

## AI Motion Control Use Cases

### See how Motion Control can be used in different scenarios.

### Animate your AI influencer
Upload your AI influencer or Character as the image and use any reference video as the motion source. Create dancing, walking, or gesturing content without filming anyone.

### Recreate viral dances and trends
Upload a trending dance or challenge as your motion reference and apply it to any portrait or AI-generated persona instantly.

### Create content without being on camera
Generate video content of a person moving without them ever needing to film. Use any reference video for the motion and any still image for the subject.

### Social media and reels
Produce motion-driven content for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts from a single still image and a motion reference clip.

### Product and brand characters
Animate a brand mascot, product character, or illustrated figure using real-world motion references — no rigging or animation software required.

### Music and performance content
Apply performance motion — singing, dancing, instrument playing — from a reference clip to any portrait for music-driven video content.

### Pitch and concept reels
Test how a character or talent looks in motion before committing to a full shoot. Explore different movement styles quickly.

### Training and presentation content
Animate a still headshot or presenter image with motion for walkthroughs, explainer videos, and training content.

## Why Creators Love Motion Control

### Animate any still image with motion from any reference video. No VFX timeline, no rigging, no filming required — just an image and a clip.

### No filming required
Create animated video content of any person or subject without them ever needing to be on camera.

### Motion from any video
Use any reference clip with visible movement — a dance, a walk, a gesture, a performance. Any motion, any subject.

### Works with your saved Characters
Select a Character from your Characters library as the image input and animate them with any reference motion.

### Recreate any movement instantly
Upload a trending dance, a walk cycle, or any motion you want to mirror and apply it to your image in seconds.

### Consistent with your existing content
Pair with Characters to keep the same face and identity across every animated clip you generate.

## Testimonials

### Hear what our users have to say

> _"Magic Hour is the fastest way I've found to go from an idea to a polished image or video. It's simple, the results are consistent, and it's easy to iterate. It feels like a real creator tool."_

**Vishal Sankhat**  
Instagram Creator (534K followers)

> _"Magic Hour is a powerful AI tool for creating video, photo, and even voice content all in one place. Being able to generate videos up to 60 seconds from a single prompt is something most similar platforms still don't offer."_

**Daniel Davidson**  
Youtube Creator (194k subscribers)

> _"Magic Hour is one of the few AI tools I genuinely trust. Most tools are hit or miss, but Magic Hour feels reliable. I know what I'm going to get, which makes it easy to use regularly for social content."_

**Nasion Patriotik**  
Social Media Creator (1.8M followers)

> _"Most AI tools look impressive at first, but they're hard to rely on once you use them regularly. Magic Hour has been different for me. It's easy to use, the results are consistent, and I can get something polished without spending time fixing or redoing things. It fits naturally into how I create, which is why I keep coming back to it."_

**Lisa Li**  
Multimedia Designer at Rakuten Viki

## AI Motion Control Features

### Animate any still image with video motion.

### Transfer motion from any reference video
Use any video with clear movement as your motion source — a trending dance, a performance, a walk cycle, or any clip you own. Supports MP4, MOV, and WebM.

### Works with Characters
Select a saved Character as your image input. The same reference identity used across your other tools carries through into the animated output.

### No VFX workflow needed
Skip rigging, keyframes, and animation timelines. Upload an image and a reference video, generate, and download.

### One image, many motions
Apply different reference videos to the same still image to create multiple animated variations for different content needs.

## Pricing

### Whether your content creation needs are large or small, we're here to help you scale.

#### Creator
For social content and everyday creation  
**$19**  
$12/ month  
$144 billed yearly  
144,000 credits per year  
1.7 hours of video  
28,800 images  
High resolution  
1024px  
Access to all tools  
Watermark-free exports  
Commercial use  
3 generations at once  
Priority queue  
Priority support  
Upload larger files  
2GB  
API Access  
Full

#### Pro
For professional work and frequent production  
**$39**  
$25/ month  
$300 billed yearly  
300,000 credits per year  
3.5 hours of video  
60,000 images  
High resolution  
1472px  
Access to all tools  
Watermark-free exports  
Commercial use  
5 generations at once  
Priority queue  
Priority support  
Upload larger files  
5GB  
API Access  
Full

#### Business
For teams, agencies, and high-volume content  
**$99**  
$66/ month  
$792 billed yearly  
840,000 credits per year  
9.7 hours of video  
168,000 images  
High resolution  
4K  
Access to all tools  
Watermark-free exports  
Commercial use  
Unlimited generations at once  
Priority queue  
Priority support  
Upload larger files  
10GB  
API Access  
Full

## AI Motion Control FAQ

### What does Motion Control do?
Motion Control lets you animate a still image using motion from a reference video. Upload any video with the movement you want — a dance, a walk, a gesture — and a still image of your subject. Magic Hour transfers the motion onto the image and generates an animated output video.

### What reference videos work best?
Videos with clear, visible movement and a single subject work best. Stable camera footage, consistent lighting, and full-body or upper-body visibility produce the cleanest motion transfer. Fast cuts, heavy camera shake, or heavily obscured subjects may reduce quality.

### Can I use a saved Character as my image input?
Yes. You can select any saved Character from your Characters library as the image input and animate them with any motion reference video.

### Do I need to film myself to use Motion Control?
No. The reference video just provides the motion — it can be any video with the movement you want. You do not need to film yourself or your subject.

### Can I use Motion Control to recreate a viral dance?
Yes. Upload the viral video as your motion reference and a portrait or AI influencer as the image. Magic Hour applies the dance movement to your subject.

### What happens to the background in the output?
The background in the output comes from your uploaded image, not the reference video. If you want to keep the original video's background and swap the character instead, use Character Replace.

### What image formats are supported?
PNG, JPG, JPEG, HEIC, WebP, AVIF, JP2, TIFF, and BMP.

### What video formats are supported for the reference video?
MP4, MOV, and WebM.

### How long can the reference video be?
Reference videos can be up to 60 seconds.

### Why do results sometimes look inconsistent between frames?
Frame inconsistency is more common with fast motion, heavy blur, low-quality reference footage, or images with partial face/body visibility. Using clear, well-lit footage and a high-quality image input will improve results.

### Is Motion Control free?
Yes. Motion Control is free to use with daily credits. Paid plans include more generations and higher volume.