Animate a Lunar New Year Photo with AI (2026)

Drop your Lunar New Year family photo — gathered around a red-decorated table, in front of hanging lanterns, or holding a lucky envelope — describe the celebratory motion, and EditThisPic generates a 6-second MP4 with audio. Lanterns sway, red fabric shimmers, fireworks glow in the background. Animate Fast costs 5 credits (~$2.50 on the 10-credit pack at $4.99). Animate Pro costs 10 credits (~$4.99). There is no free animate tier.

Fast tier · 5 credits · ~$2.50/clip Pro tier · 10 credits · ~$4.99/clip No subscription required · From $4.99 for 10 animations

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Lunar New Year is one of the most photographed celebrations in the world — and the warmth of that moment, the red and gold, the lanterns, the table full of family, deserves more than a still frame.

Example motion prompts

Describe the motion you want. The more specific, the more intentional the clip feels.

Lanterns sway red paper lanterns sway gently overhead, golden tassels drift, warm amber light pulses softly across the family below
Family smiles the family smiles warmly together, soft red and gold light shifts across their faces, festive celebratory glow, gentle ambient audio
Fireworks glow distant fireworks glow and bloom in the sky behind the family, red and gold bursts, celebratory crackle audio
Red decor shimmer red banners and decorations shimmer gently in the breeze, gold calligraphy catches the light, warm festive atmosphere
Dragon dance suggestion subtle dragon-dance color blur passes across the background, red and gold motion, crowd energy, festival ambient audio
Cinematic New Year push slow cinematic push-in toward the family in red-decorated setting, warm golden lantern light, soft Lunar New Year festival audio

How it works

1

Open the animate editor

Click the button above — the editor opens in animate mode with a Lunar New Year motion prompt prefilled.
2

Drop your Lunar New Year photo

JPG, PNG, or WebP up to 8 MB. Family portraits in front of red decorations, lantern-lit scenes, and reunion dinner tables all animate beautifully — the richer the red and gold in your photo, the more vivid the output.
3

Describe the celebration motion (or use a preset)

Be specific about what should move: "the lanterns sway and the red banners ripple" works better than a vague "Lunar New Year feel." Name the elements — lanterns, fireworks, red fabric, faces, background crowd.
4

Pick Fast or Pro and generate

Fast (5 credits, 720p) is perfect for social posts, family group chats, and digital New Year greetings. Pro (10 credits, 1080p) handles fine detail — lantern glow, fabric shimmer, distant fireworks — with sharper motion. Audio is included on both. Renders in 45-120 seconds.

What to upload

A well-lit family portrait or red-decorated scene with clear faces — warm indoor lighting and red/gold tones animate most vividly
Photos featuring Lunar New Year elements in the frame — lanterns, red envelopes, decorative banners, reunion dinner tables give the AI rich cultural detail to work with
Landscape (16:9) or portrait (9:16) orientation — other crops get letterboxed
High-resolution originals from a phone or camera — fine detail on lantern tassels, embroidered fabric, and calligraphy banners animates most naturally at full resolution
Single-family or small-group shots animate most cleanly — large reunion photos with many faces can produce inconsistent motion on figures in the background

If the AI safety filter rejects an upload, your credits are automatically refunded. People-and-clothing photos refuse more often than landscapes, products, or pets.

What you can use this for

Lunar New Year family announcements and greetings

Send animated Lunar New Year greetings to extended family and friends — the whole family smiling in their red outfits, lanterns swaying overhead. Works for Chinese New Year, Vietnamese Tết, Korean Seollal, and any household that celebrates the lunar calendar. A 6-second clip in a WhatsApp family group lands entirely differently than a still photo.

Year of the Zodiac social content

Mark the Year of the Snake, Dragon, Ox — any zodiac year — with an animated portrait that carries the energy of the occasion. Red and gold motion, lantern glow, a hint of fireworks in the background. The kind of post that earns saves from people who feel that same cultural pride.

Cultural celebration cards for diaspora families

For families celebrating across time zones — in the US, UK, Canada, Australia — an animated New Year photo is a way to share the moment across the distance. Drop the clip into an iMessage, email it in a digital card, or post it to a family page. The motion makes it feel live even when you're not in the same room.

Reunion dinner keepsakes

The annual reunion dinner is one photograph a year. Animate it — the table, the red tablecloth, the family gathered around it — and you have a keepsake that moves. Grandparents receive it as a gift; younger family members share it as content. Both are true at the same time.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to animate one Lunar New Year photo?

Animate Fast costs 5 credits — about $2.50 on the 10-credit pack at $4.99. Animate Pro costs 10 credits — about $4.99 on the same pack. There is no free animate tier; the weekly free edit on EditThisPic covers photo edits only, not animations.

How long is the animated clip?

Every animation is a 6-second MP4 with audio. You can re-animate the same photo with a different prompt for additional credits — try a lantern-sway version first, then a fireworks-glow prompt on the same image.

What is the difference between Animate Fast and Animate Pro for Lunar New Year photos?

Fast renders at 720p and works well for family group chat messages, Instagram posts, and digital greeting cards. Pro renders at 1080p with a sharper motion model — it handles fine Lunar New Year detail like lantern-tassel drift, red-fabric shimmer, and distant firework bloom more naturally. Both tiers include ambient audio.

What audio is included with the animation?

The animation engine generates ambient audio matched to the visual scene. For Lunar New Year photos with crowd energy and fireworks, expect festive atmospheric audio. For intimate family portraits, expect warmer, quieter celebratory room tone. Custom audio tracks are not supported at this time.

Will faces in the family photo look the same?

Yes. Your uploaded photo is the first frame of the video — the AI adds motion on top of the original image without regenerating faces or altering appearances. Every person in the photo looks exactly as they do in the still.

Does this work for Vietnamese Tết and Korean Seollal photos, not just Chinese New Year?

Yes — the animation engine works from the visual content in your photo, not a named holiday. Any family photo with lanterns, red and gold decor, festive clothing, or a reunion table setting will animate well. The cultural context in your image is what the AI reads.

Can I animate an older Lunar New Year photo from past years?

Yes. Older family photos and scanned prints animate well — higher-resolution scans produce softer, more natural results. A photo from a decade ago can become a warm, glowing keepsake with the right motion prompt.

Will the safety filter reject a Lunar New Year family photo?

Lunar New Year family portraits and cultural celebration photos almost never trigger the safety filter. If a refusal does occur for any reason, your credits are returned automatically and you can retry with an adjusted prompt.

Can I use the animated clip commercially — for social content, cultural events, or greeting card products?

Yes. Animations you pay credits for are yours to use commercially — social posts, cultural event promotions, digital greeting card products, and community publications all qualify. No attribution to EditThisPic required.

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5 credits ($2.50) for Fast · 10 credits ($4.99) for Pro · Credits never expire within 12 months

Animate a Lunar New Year Photo with AI (2026)

Example motion prompts

How it works

Open the animate editor

Drop your Lunar New Year photo

Describe the celebration motion (or use a preset)

Pick Fast or Pro and generate