How to Make Your Outstanding Tiny Desk AI Video From One Photo

The Outstanding Tiny Desk trend recasts Charlie Wilson’s 2023 NPR Tiny Desk performance of “Outstanding”: one singer at the mic, a band grooving behind the desk and a song everyone knows. With Outstanding Tiny Desk AI you can take the lead from a single photo, without filming anything or singing a note.

What you get

• A short video of you as the lead singer of the clip, in time with the performance.
• The original scene around you: the same band, the same desk and the same camera moves. Only the lead changes.
• The song included, timed to the performance, so the video is ready to post.
• Standard 720p or Pro 1080p, whichever you pick.

Step 1: Pick your photo

Choose a clear photo of just you, with your face visible and you in frame from head to waist. A phone photo is fine. You don't need a mic or a stage outfit: the video keeps the microphone from the original clip.

Not sure which photo to use? Read which photo works best.

Step 2: Generate

Sign in, add your photo in the studio on the home page and pick a quality. The number of credits the video costs is shown on the Generate button before you start. Tick the consent box to confirm that everyone in the photo is an adult who agreed to appear, then press Generate.

Step 3: Wait 5–30 minutes

The video usually takes 5–30 minutes, a little longer when it's busy. You don't need to keep the page open. When it's ready, it appears in My videos. If a video fails, its credits go back to your balance automatically.

Step 4: Download and post

Open My videos and download the video. Videos are kept for 7 days and then deleted, together with the photo you used, so download yours before then. It already has the song, so you can post it straight to TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube. Many platforms also let you switch to the trend's own sound when you upload.

The video is AI-generated, so follow your platform's rules for labelling AI content.

Costs

Videos are paid for with credits from one-time packs, with no subscription. A Standard video costs 100 credits and a Pro 1080p video 600. Credits last 12 months. See Pricing for the packs.