Stuck In Customs

Another world building exploration with AI… this time a floating bubble city.

I know AI tends to rub a lot of photographers the wrong way. That’s fine—it’s not about me. Maybe it’s about you and your unresolved life issues. But that’s beside the point. I’m here to show you how to make something really cool. 😉

If you’ve been following my @Trairatcliff account, you know I’ve been churning out a lot of fun AI-generated content. And hey, if the Godfather of photography, Rick Sammon, approves, there’s probably something to it. To me, art doesn’t start or stop with a camera. In fact, the camera’s just a tool. True creation happens in the mind of the creator. You don’t need a fancy piece of plastic and glass to make something visceral.

Now, let’s get into the exciting blend of photography and AI. First, here’s one I made earlier…

The Big Picture

If you’re like me, you’ve probably taken thousands—maybe hundreds of thousands—of photos. So, why not use AI to turn them into a fun video?

Before we get too technical, let’s talk about the concept. You took the original photo, and that becomes the foundation for the AI to build upon. At the time of writing this, AI can extrapolate 5+ seconds of video from a single image. With video typically running at 30 frames per second (FPS), that means your photo is the first frame, and the AI generates the remaining 149.

Photos are great, and good videos are great too—no need to pick a side. But there’s something about video that resonates differently, especially when paired with the right music. Humans experience life in a continuous stream of video moments, so video often feels more dynamic and immersive. I like to think of life as a movie, with each scene transitioning into the next, and sometimes a video can move people in ways a single image can’t. Personally, I often find myself watching great films at night, rather than staring at a static photo.

The Tech Stuff

How I Did It
I’ve tried about 4-5 different AI tools, but for this video, I only used one. This isn’t an affiliate link, by the way—I’m not getting paid to promote this. I used Luma for this video, but another option as of now is Runway.

Step 1: Get a Subscription
I opted for the Pro account because my videos are longer and sometimes it takes a few tries to get things looking just right and that requires “credits” which are part of the sub.

Step 2: Develop a concept
This is the fun part! Pick a music track that inspires you—something from Hans Zimmer, your favorite old-school jam, whatever moves you. Don’t sweat copyright too much; YouTube won’t let you monetize it, but if you’re doing this for art’s sake, it’s fine. If you plan to sell the video, use original music or AI-generated tunes. What matters is that the music fits the vibe of the video. For example, I used a song that meant a lot to me from a recent trip to Costa Rica.

Step 3: Upload your photo to Luma
In Luma’s “Create” section, upload your image. There’s a prompt field, but don’t overthink it to begin with. I usually start with something simple like “A slow drone shot” or “Snow is falling in Japan.” The AI will give you 5 seconds of video, and if you like what you see, you can extend it to 10 seconds. Or sometimes the results can be a bit wonky, but that’s not on you — just tweak the prompt to be more specific to what you want for different results. The latest version of Luma even has a dropdown under “Camera” where you can select options like “Pan Left” or “Move in” to give your video a more cinematic feel. This tech evolves quickly, so expect even more features by the time you try it.

Step 4: Edit your video
Once you’ve got your video clips, use your favorite video editing software to combine them with the music. I use Screenflow for Mac—it’s quick and easy. But feel free to use Adobe Premiere, iMovie, or whatever you’re comfortable with.

Have Fun!
And that’s it! This technique works wonders for old family photos, pictures of your kids, vacation snaps, or even that unforgettable fraternity party. The key is to have fun and let your creativity flow. Find joy in the process, and share that joy with the world. 🙂

Here are a few other short vids I made with Luma while experimenting…

This is a fun idea… These scenes began with still photos that I took while in Scotland and then I ran them through a video AI (Luma Dream Machine) and then each photo became a little video. Kind of a weird combo, but I like the way it turned out!

I sat down for a fun chat with Jakub Bors a couple of weeks ago to discuss photography, creativity, my new presets (available here) and more. It’s available to view now…

How cool is this?!

Here we go again!

OpenAI’s new video generation tech…

Here’s this weekend’s stream. Enjoy!

Here’s a little outtake from my trip to Scotland when I was playing around with early 360 videos. Be warned, the wind noise does get a bit much on top of the hill, but the view is nice and the audio recovers when heading back down. This is why we test! 😀

We’ve just gone live for this weekend’s stream…