How to make a growing up video from photos, from baby to today
A growing up video takes one person from their earliest baby photo to a photo of them today, each photo melting into the next. To make one, gather a clear photo of the same face from every age, put them in order from youngest to oldest, and choose a style that blends one photo into the next. Some people call it an age morphing or age transformation video. It is the same idea.
Gather one photo from every age
Start with a list of ages, not a pile of photos. Newborn, first birthday, two, three, the first day of school, and then roughly one photo a year until today. You do not need every single year. A missing year or two goes unnoticed, as long as the order is right.
Look in every place photos hide: phone folders, old albums, the grandparents' drawers, the family WhatsApp chat and school photo packs. Printed photos are fine. Lay the print flat by a window and photograph it from straight above, without the flash. For more help choosing, read our guide to choosing photos and videos.
| Stage | Photos to look for |
|---|---|
| Baby, 0 to 2 | 3 to 5: newborn, first smile, first birthday |
| Small child, 3 to 6 | 3 to 5: birthdays, first day of nursery or school |
| School years, 7 to 12 | 5 to 7: one class photo a year |
| Teenager | 4 to 6: holidays, trips, events |
| Today | 1 or 2: a fresh photo, facing the camera |
Ideas that work
- 1Start before the first birthdayA newborn photo in the hospital or the first bath makes the opening of the video unmistakable.
- 2Use the school photosClass photos from each year are taken the same way every time: same angle, same light, face to camera. They melt into each other beautifully.
- 3Ask the grandparentsTheir albums often hold the prints you never scanned. A phone photo of a print, taken straight on, is enough.
- 4Search the family chatYears of family WhatsApp groups hide some of the best everyday faces. Search by year and save the clear ones.
- 5Repeat one poseIf they always posed by the same door or on the same sofa, use those photos. The same place makes the years jump out.
- 6End on todayTake a fresh photo of them now, facing the camera, in good light. It is the last frame, and the one the room is waiting for.
Pick photos that melt well
A growing up video works by turning one face into the next, so the face matters more than anything else in the photo. Choose photos where the face is clear, the eyes are open and they look roughly towards the camera. Similar framing from photo to photo makes the change smoother: a face of about the same size, in about the same place.
Keep the same person from the first photo to the last. If other people are in the frame, fewer than four faces works best, because more faces can get mixed up as one photo becomes the next. Old black and white photos can go in too, and there is an option to bring their colour back before they join the others. A video grows only from photos, so leave home video clips for a Classic film.
In Linof: Choose the Growing style: each photo melts into the next, so one person grows up in front of your eyes. It needs at least two photos and takes photos only. We choose the transition for each pair, and you can change any of them after. The first animation is free, so add one photo, then one from years later, and watch them grow up in one shot. See the styles
Put them in order, then count
Order is everything in a growing up video. Put the youngest photo first and the newest last. When you are not sure of a year, guess from the face, the height or the clothes, and group the photos by stage: baby, small child, school years, teenager, today.
Then count. About twelve photos make a minute of video, so twenty to thirty photos give a video of two or three minutes, a good length for a party or a bar or bat mitzvah. If you have more, you can make it longer. Every pair of photos becomes one short animation, so twelve photos make eleven animations. Our guide on how long the film should be helps you choose.
Add music, an opening and closing words
The music sets how the room feels while the years pass. Choose a song from the library, upload songs of your own, or have a song written for this video, with their name and their story in the words. A song they loved as a child works well too. Read more in picking the music.
Then frame it. An opening title with their name sets the scene, and a few closing words, a wish, a date or a line from the family, end it. See a great opening and closing for ideas.
Where a growing up video shines
A growing up video is short, so it fits almost any moment: a bar or bat mitzvah, an eighteenth birthday, a graduation, the night before a wedding, or a parent's big birthday that runs from their baby photo to today. At a party, play it once the room is quiet, on the biggest screen you have. Our guide to showing the film at the event covers the screen and the sound.
To see what it looks like, watch the examples on the Linof homepage, or compare the two styles and the prices before you start.
Questions
How many photos do I need for a growing up video?
Two photos are enough for one animation. For a full video, twenty to thirty photos from different ages work well: about twelve photos make a minute, and you can add more for a longer video.
Is a growing up video the same as an age morphing video?
Yes, people use both names, along with age transformation video. Ours is made from real photos of the person, not from an app that guesses how a face will look older or younger.
Can I use old black and white photos?
Yes. Old prints can go in, and there is an option to bring their colour back so they sit well next to newer colour photos.
Can I add home videos to a growing up video?
A growing up video in the Growing style takes photos only, because each photo melts into the next. To mix photos and video clips, choose the Classic style instead.
