The best step-by-step tutorial to using Magic Motion in PhotoVibrance
Adding movement to your photos, images and AI art
Ahoy, Image Magicians! 🎩
Okay, gather ‘round folks — because today, we’re going from zero to hero with PhotoVibrance’s Magic Motion effects! Who needs a magic wand when you have a mouse, am I right? 🐭✨ (Or better yet, your handy Wacom Intuos!)
Boost your visual content for better engagement ✨
Why do you want to make images move? To move your readers, of course! Or should I say: to STOP them from moving. You need to stop the scroll with memorable images that capture the attention. That’s true whether it’s marketing content, social media posts, or just for writing on Medium.
Especially now that the Medium Partner Program introduced a 30 Second Read rule. You only earn if members stay on your article for 30 seconds.
And guess what? Thanks to vibrant images, it seems to be working for me:
That’s why I’m encouraging everyone to improve their visual content. And I’m going to explain exactly how do it! Here’s my top workflow for success, all thanks to the absurdly user-friendly wizardry of PhotoVibrance! 🧙♂️✨
STEP 1: Selecting Your Image 🖼️
When you open PhotoVibrance, you’ll see a screen with two options.
You can either:
- Drag and drop an image from your desktop
- Browse for an image using pixels or pixabay
Choosing the Perfect Image for Animation 📸✨
1. Your Subject is the Star of the Show 🌟
- Clear & Focused: Make sure your subject is in sharp focus. Blurry Bigfoot photos are better left to conspiracy theorists!
- Simple: A subject that’s easily distinguishable from the background makes animation smoother. Think soaring eagle against a blue sky.
2. Keep Background Buzz at a Minimum 🏞️
- Consistency: Look for backgrounds with a consistent pattern or texture, like flowing water, a windy field, or drifting clouds. This helps with a natural animation flow.
- Space: If there’s too much happening in the background, it might distract from your main subject.
3. Movement Potential: Can It Groove? 💃
- Natural Movement: Opt for images where you can envision a natural flow of movement. A waterfall, fluttering leaves, or flowing hair are all excellent choices.
- Avoid Overcrowding: Too many moving parts can lead to a chaotic animation. If there’s a dancing bear, a jumping fish, and a flying saucer in your image… maybe reconsider? Unless that’s your jam, of course. 🛸
4. Quality is Key 🔑
- High Resolution: Like watching a movie in HD vs. on a VHS tape, a high-resolution image makes a world of difference. For an easy-to-use upscaler that does it on autopilot, I recommend Topaz Photo AI:
5. Tells a Story 📖
- Images that evoke emotions or tell a story are engaging. A lonely boat on a vast sea, a child reaching for a balloon, a cat eyeing a fishbowl 🐱🐟
Remember: Go With Your Gut
Choosing an image that will pop is half art, half science. What moves you will move others. So trust your instincts, and don’t be afraid to experiment!
You can use the above advice to generate the perfect image on Midjourney. Or just find a dynamic image for inspiration, and reverse prompt engineer:
STEP 2: Choose Your Image Size 📏
Great! You’ve got your image and you’re ready to start. Once your image is in, you’ll get to tweak the resolution. What’s it gonna be?
- Original size
- Custom dimensions.
- Social media presets. Because if it’s not on Insta, did it even happen? 📸
Choose your size and click “Next.” Boom, you’re in!
STEP 3: Time for Digital Sorcery in the Editor 🧙♀️🧙♂️
Inside the editor, you can add text, your logo, effects, shapes etc. These are all simple click and drag. There are special effects and overlays like bokeh, fireworks, confetti, $$$ signs, glitter, rain, leaves, lens flare, neon borders.
There are even built in skies. I’m going to let you explore those yourself.
Let’s Get Animated! 🎬
Ready to make your photo move like Jagger? First, zoom into your image. Now, Anchor parts of your image where you don’t want any movement ⚓
Think of it like pinning down a rug so it doesn’t slip. You can either use the Single tool or Path for anchors. Single gives you more control, and is great for isolating a single spot (like a star in a cloudy night sky) that you want to stay in place. For Paths, just click, click, click, and hit enter. The software fills in all the rest, and you’ve frozen the area faster than Elsa in “Frozen”.
Anchors appear as orange dots on your canvas. If you mess up, don’t worry, you can drag and move them later. You’ll probably want to adjust and make some improvements once you see the animation in action. Trial and error.
You’re going to need to be pretty dexterous here, so if you fumble with a mouse—or are a clumsy left-hander with ten thumbs like me!—I strongly recommend investing in a drawing tablet with a pressure-sensitive stylus.
Lead the Way, Arrows! 🏹
Ready to make your background move like it’s in the groove? Use the Single Arrow tool and draw small arrows where you want motion. The longer the Arrow, the more it moves. Careful now, we’re not trying to start a hurricane!
Arrows add up, so you can flow one part into another. Practice with placing.
You don’t want to end up with “rips” (weird straight lines where the currents hit each other). Just like Anchors, you can use the Path tool. I prefer a path, which shows Green, because you can draw more fluid, natural movements.
Jim’s Advanced Method 🏆
PhotoVibrance also allows you to add images, so here’s a cheeky pro tip:
Using Photoshop, isolate your subject and save it as a layer. Now either upload your image on Adobe Firefly and use generative fill to replace everything behind the subject, or if you used Midjourney to create the image, use “Region (Vary)” to generate a background sans the subject:
You now have a crisp fresh background with no subject to Anchor around!
Use Arrows to your heart’s delight, then drop the subject back in as an image. It will be unaffected by the Arrows, and as an added bonus, the animation will seem to move seamlessly behind and around the subject.
Add a Dash of Special Effects 🌫️
Want to add some fog, just cos? Head over to effects and choose one. Just drag, drop, and adjust the speed. Look at you, you’re a regular Spielberg.
STEP 4: Hit That Play Button 🎶
Press Play to see how everything works together. Don’t be surprised if your first attempt is rough. It takes a little practice! And every image is different.
Basic troubleshooting:
- If you find things are moving that you want to stay still, adjust Anchors.
- If it’s not flowing smoothly, try removing or repositioning Arrows.
- And if you find the scene is too boring: add more Arrows to it!
With a little experimenting, you’ll find the sweet spot for every image.
Did you do it? Is your image moving like it just can’t stop? Yes? High five! 🙌
STEP 5: Publishing: Roll the Credits 🎥
Satisfied with your mini-movie? Time to publish. Choose your format:
- MP4
- GIF
You can choose the number of loops, image width, and FPS (I like 15).
Voila! Your masterpiece is now ready to make waves on the internet 🌊
And That’s a Wrap! 🎬
So, how did it go? Did you manage to bring your images to life or are you stuck at the “I can’t even draw a stick figure” phase? No worries, Rome wasn’t built in a day — and neither is digital artistry. Give it another go!
If you’re stuck, ask for suggestions. We’re here to help each other 🤗
Now, go make some PhotoVibrance magic happen! 🌌 🚀
Happy animating, and may the photo forces be ever in your favor!
Let me know how your animated adventures go! Drop links to your articles using PhotoVibrance art in the comments, and I’ll be sure to check them out!
Who is Jim the AI Whisperer?
Jim the AI Whisperer offers private coaching on how to write original and compelling content, as well as how to use AI generators to create stunning visuals. If you’re interested in discovering more, feel free to contact me.
I’m also available for podcasts, interviews, fine-tuning AI prompts, and creating prompt libraries and professional AI artistry for companies.
You might enjoy these related articles from Jim the AI Whisperer:
