Tutorial

Motion swap tutorial: animate a photo with a driver clip

Motion swap turns a still photo into a moving shot by transferring the performance from a separate driver video. Here is the path from photo and driver clip to a reviewed, exported take.

By Video Loom · 2026-07-05

Motion swap tutorial: animate a photo with a driver clip

1. Pick the photo and the driver clip

Choose the still image you want to animate and the video whose motion should drive it — a performance take, reference clip, or previous generated shot.

Choose a character portrait, product shot, or presenter photo.
Select a driver clip with the motion you want to transfer.
Keep both attached to the scene for review.

2. Review the face-map before generating

Check the face-map preview for a repairable, context-aware warning before committing to the full generation, so a bad mapping gets caught early.

Review the face-map warning if one appears.
Adjust the source photo or driver clip if needed.
Retry the mapping without losing the rest of the project.

3. Generate and finish the shot

Route the swap to a configured provider, generate the animated take, then bring it into the timeline with captions, transitions, and export settings.

Generate the motion-swap take.
Assemble alongside other scenes on the timeline.
Export the finished, animated shot.

Try the workflow

Plan your next AI video in Video Loom.

Turn the guide into a project with scene planning, provider routing, continuity, review, and export in one workspace.

Open Video Loom View AI motion swap

Questions

Common questions.

What is a driver clip in motion swap?

The driver clip is the video whose motion, gesture, and timing get transferred onto the still photo you want to animate.

What if the face-map preview looks off?

Video Loom surfaces a repairable, context-aware warning before you commit, so you can adjust the photo or driver clip and retry instead of getting a silently broken take.