> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zoice.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How to Animate Old Family Photos Using AI > Learn how to animate old family photos using AI with Zoice. Turn vintage family portraits of your great-grandfather and ancestors into realistic talking AI avatar videos. How to Animate Old Family Photos Using AI Preserving family history and honoring ancestors has entered the digital age. Instead of letting vintage photo albums collect dust in attics or drawers, artificial intelligence now allows you to bring old family photos to life. By animating static black-and-white portraits or vintage family pictures with natural facial expressions and synchronized voiceovers, you can create emotional family archives, anniversary tributes, and storytelling videos. With Zoice, animating old family photos requires no technical animation skills or expensive video production software. Simply upload a clear portrait of your family member, write a script or upload an old audio recording, and select a matching AI voice. Zoice automatically generates natural lip-syncing, eye movements, and head gestures to bring your family memories to life. In this tutorial, we will use an old portrait of my great-grandfather to demonstrate how to animate a vintage photo and convert it into a realistic talking video step by step. ## What is AI Family Photo Animation? AI family photo animation is the process of using deep learning neural networks to transform static family portraits into realistic talking avatar videos. The AI model detects facial landmarks (such as eyes, nose, mouth, and jawline) in vintage photographs and applies natural micro-expressions, head tilts, and lip movement. Key capabilities of AI family photo animation include: * **Vintage Portrait Restoration & Morphs**: Animating both colored and black-and-white family portraits. * **Lip-Sync Accuracy**: Matching spoken family stories or historical letters to mouth movements. * **Natural Facial Expressions**: Adding gentle head sways, eye blinks, and warm smiles with Action Prompts. * **Voice Matching**: Pairing vintage photos with custom voice clones or realistic AI voice presets across various age groups and regional accents. ## Key Benefits of Animating Old Family Photos Animating old family pictures offers unique emotional and creative benefits: * **Preserve Family History**: Hear ancestral stories and historical family accounts spoken directly by the subjects in vintage photos. * **Engage Younger Generations**: Share dynamic video family trees on social media, family reunions, or digital archives. * **Emotional Tributes**: Create touching tribute videos for birthdays, anniversaries, or memorial celebrations. * **Easy & Fast Creation**: Generate high-definition talking avatar videos in just a few clicks without manual video editing. ## How to Animate Old Family Photos Using AI with Zoice Follow the detailed step-by-step instructions below to animate your old family photos using your great-grandfather's portrait as an example. ### Step 1: Open the Zoice Homepage Launch your web browser, navigate to [Zoice.com](https://zoice.com), and click **Sign In** in the top-right corner. Zoice Homepage ### Step 2: Sign In to Your Dashboard Account Enter your email and password, then click **Sign In**. Or select the **Sign in with Google** button for quick dashboard access. Sign In ### Step 3: Set Up a Free Creator Profile If you are a first-time user, select **Sign Up** on the page to register your free workspace. Sign Up ### Step 4: Click Avatar Characters Locate the left sidebar on the main dashboard page and select the **Avatar Characters** menu. Avatar Characters Dashboard ### Step 5: Click Create New On the presenter library page, click the **Create New** button to set up your great-grandfather's avatar card. Create New Avatar ### Step 6: Upload Your Great-Grandfather's Portrait Photo and Generate Avatar Select the **Upload Image** option on the creation page. Enter a name for your great-grandfather in the **Avatar Name** field (e.g., 'Old Photo Talking'), upload or drag-and-drop the face portrait in the **Upload Base Image** box, and click **Generate Avatar** at the bottom to build his AI profile. Upload Image * We used this image for the great-grandfather's portrait: Great-Grandfather Portrait ### Step 7: Select Your Great-Grandfather's Avatar from Avatar Characters List Go back to the Avatar Characters menu. Your new card will appear in your library. Click on the card to select it. Select Avatar ### Step 8: Configure Avatar Settings Click **Avatar Setting** next to Generate Video. Under the **General** settings, add the Name, Gender, Age, and Ethnicity of your great-grandfather to help the AI map natural expressions. Click Save when finished. Avatar Settings ### Step 9: Click Generate Video With your character card active, click the **Generate Video** button to launch the avatar advance configuration. Generate Video ### Step 10: Click on the Script Field In the editor timeline, click on the **Script** tab to open the text editing panel. Click on Script box to add Script ### Step 11: Write Your Script Type the exact message, family legacy story, or wisdom you want your great-grandfather to speak. Add Script *Tip: For old family photos, write warm reflections on family origins, life advice, or historical memories.* ### Step 12: Select a Voice Model Click on **Select Voice**. Select a voice preset that matches the gender, age, and accent of your great-grandfather, or upload a custom voice sample. Select Voice * We used the below voice for the great-grandfather in the example: Choose Voice You can select a public AI voice model, record live audio, or upload a pre-recorded voice file. ### Step 13: Choose Output Formats Under **Output Settings**, choose the aspect ratio: * **Aspect Ratio**: Select 9:16 for mobile phone sharing (WhatsApp, Reels, Shorts) or 16:9 for widescreen archives. * **Resolution**: Choose 1080p or 4K to preserve the fine details of the original photo. Update Output Settings ### Step 14: Select Action Prompt Click on **Action Prompt** to control the physical behaviors. Write custom instructions (e.g., *"Gentle speaking style, nodding head slightly, warm gaze, smiling softly"*). Click on Action Prompt * We used the below action prompt for the great-grandfather in the example: Action Prompt ### Step 15: Click on Generate for Video Generation Verify your text script and configurations, and click **Generate** to start processing. Generate Video ### Step 16: Confirm the Audio Preview Listen to the audio preview to check speech tone and pacing. If everything sounds correct, click **Generate Avatar Video** to compile the video clip. Generated Audio Preview ### Step 17: Download the Video Once processing is complete, check the animations. Click the **Download** button to save the MP4 video to your device. Download Video ## Example Inputs & Result Here is an example setup showing how you can animate an old photo of your great-grandfather: ### Used Photo Great-Grandfather Vintage Portrait ### Used Script ```text theme={null} Hello my dear family. Looking at this old photograph, I am reminded of how far our journey has come. When I was young, life was simple yet full of hard work, courage, and hope for tomorrow. Always remember to cherish one another, hold on to your roots, and walk forward with kindness and integrity in everything you do. Our family story lives on through you. ``` ### Used Action Prompt ```text theme={null} Wise and gentle great-grandfather speaking with warm, nostalgic micro-expressions. Soft smile, subtle head tilts, gentle eye blinking, and calm posture. 4K quality, natural black-and-white portrait animation. ``` ### Output Result Video Below is the rendered animated video of the great-grandfather: