Make a drawing move

The same picture that has been stuck to your fridge for a month can flap its wings, walk across the screen, or wave back. Photograph it, and DoodlyBoo animates it.

A drawing turned into a short animated clip.

Why animation lands differently

A realistic still image gets a delighted gasp. Motion gets something else entirely — children tend to go quiet for a second, then ask to watch it again. Seeing a thing you invented actually move is a different order of experience from seeing it rendered.

It is also the version people share. A still picture gets sent to grandparents; a five-second clip of your daughter's monster stomping across the screen gets sent to everyone.

Describing the motion

You can leave the prompt empty and the AI will choose movement that suits the subject — a bird flies, a car drives, a person walks. If you want something specific, keep the description short and concrete:

  • "the dragon breathes fire and flies to the left"
  • "the cat blinks and licks its paw"
  • "the rocket launches into the clouds"

Long, elaborate prompts tend to produce worse results than short, clear ones. Describe one action, not a whole story.

Getting a clean animation

  • One clear subject. A single character animates far better than a crowded scene.
  • Leave some background. Space around the subject gives it somewhere to move.
  • Bold outlines. The stronger the shapes, the more stable the motion.
  • Photograph it flat and bright. The same rules as photo transformation apply.

Add a voice too

Once a drawing moves, the obvious next step is making it speak. DoodlyBoo can generate an AI voice for a character so it introduces itself in its own words — see talking drawings.

Drawing-to-video questions

How do I animate my child's drawing?
Photograph the drawing in the DoodlyBoo app, choose video instead of photo, and optionally add a short description of what you want to happen. The AI generates a short animated clip of that drawing moving.
How long are the videos?
They are short clips — a few seconds each. That length works well for sharing in a message, posting to social media, or looping on a screen at a party.
Can I tell it what should happen in the video?
Yes. You can add a custom prompt such as "the dragon flaps its wings and flies away". Leave it blank and the AI picks natural movement for the subject on its own.
Can I save the video to my phone?
Yes, you can download any video you generate to your camera roll and share it wherever you like.
How many credits does a video use?
Video animation costs more credits than a still photo because it takes considerably more processing. The exact cost is shown in the app before you confirm.

Ready to see the magic?

Download DoodlyBoo and turn the next drawing on your fridge into something unforgettable.

Free to download — you get 1 free credit to try it out.