- Guides
- How to make an AI video from your own product photos
Guide
How to make an AI video from your own product photos
AI tools use a product photo in two ways: some animate the photo itself, others draw the product into a new scene. GetReelCom draws the product from your written description, and you check the likeness in a still frame.
Two ways AI uses a product photo
AI video tools do one of two things with a product. The right one depends on where the video runs.
| Animate the photo | Build a scene around the product | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | The photo itself starts to move: a turn, a zoom, a splash | The product is drawn into a new scene with people and a setting |
| Input | One product photo | A description of the product and the scene |
| Kind of tool | Image-to-video generators | Scene generators, such as GetReelCom |
| Best for | Webshop listings and short product ads | B2B products that solve a problem for a person |
| What it shows | The product alone, looking exactly like the photo | The product in use, by the person it is for |
| Narration | Usually none | A voice-over of about 25 words per ten-second scene |
The first way suits consumer goods that sell on looks. The second suits machines, devices, business supplies and software. Those sell on what they do for someone.
GetReelCom belongs to the second group, with one point to know in advance. It draws the product from your written description and does not use the product photo as a drawing reference.
What a good product result looks like
Whichever route you take, a good result meets four criteria.
- Recognisable. A customer who knows the product would identify it.
- Consistent. The product has the same shape and colour in every scene.
- In use. The video shows what the product does, not only what it looks like.
- Not misleading. Nothing on screen promises a feature the product lacks.
If you animate the photo: what makes a good photo
For image-to-video tools, the photo decides the result. A good one meets five criteria.
- Sharp and large. Fine features cannot be recovered from a small or blurry picture.
- The whole product. A cropped photo makes the tool guess the missing part.
- A plain background. Clutter around the product can end up in the video.
- The angle you want. Photograph the side that the video should show.
- Even light. Hard shadows and reflections can be read as part of the product.
If you build a scene: how to describe the product
In GetReelCom the description does the work that a photo does elsewhere. The scene is drawn from the product’s name and its In short text. Write that text as if you were briefing an illustrator.
| Weak description | Strong description |
|---|---|
| “Our flagship coffee solution” | “A matte black espresso machine with two silver handles and a wooden tamper” |
| “An innovative platform” | “A planning app, shown on a laptop as a calendar of coloured blocks” |
| “Premium packaging” | “A flat brown cardboard box, about the size of a shoebox, with a green band” |
A strong description names shape, colour, material and size. It leaves out slogans. The Photo URL on a product is still worth adding: it is shown on the product’s card, so your team sees which product is meant.
How to do it in GetReelCom, step by step
- Open Products in the left sidebar. Edit the product, or add it with Add another product.
- Write In short as a visual description: what the product is, and its shape, colour and material.
- Fill in Key benefits, Features and Used for. The narration draws on these.
- Click New video. Select the product under Which product or service is it about? when more than one is saved.
- Write a scene that shows the product in use. Repeat the key visual details in What should happen?.
- Click Save & draw the frame for 1 credit, and compare the product in the frame with the real one.
- If something is off, describe the change under Or change something and click Redraw the frame for 1 credit.
- When the frame is right, click Looks good, make the video for 10 credits.
The product fields are explained in Products and services.
Keeping the product accurate
Accuracy is won at the still frame, not in the finished video. A finished scene cannot be edited, so every check happens before the 10-credit step. Use this list on each frame.
- Shape and proportions. Compare the outline with the real product.
- Colour. Check the main colour and the accent parts.
- Scale. Check the product’s size against the person’s hands or the desk.
- Count. Check that one product did not become two.
- Use. Check that the product is held and operated the way it works.
Give precise feedback when something is wrong. “Make the machine matte black with one silver handle on each side” works better than “fix the product”. The redraw keeps the rest of the frame and changes what you asked for.
Carry the approved look into the next scene. Reuse the same wording for the product in each scene text, so all scenes draw from the same description.
A worked example
The clip above is from a company video for Triagen, which makes return-to-work software. The product appears as a plan on the screen behind the people at the table. It is drawn as cards and check marks, with no readable text. The other two scenes are on the examples page.
A physical product follows the same method. A supplier of espresso machines would save the machine with the strong description from the table above. The scene text would read: “Noor, a café owner, pulls the first espresso of the morning from the matte black machine on her counter.” In the frame, the supplier checks the handles, the colour and the size before generating.
What generated scenes leave out
Two things never appear in a GetReelCom scene, and both matter for products.
Text and logos. Scenes contain no lettering. Labels, packaging print, screens and brand marks are drawn blank or as abstract shapes. Small generated text comes out misspelled, so it is kept out on purpose. Say the product name in the narration, and add your logo in your own editor.
Exact technical detail. A connector layout or a control panel may be simplified, because the product is drawn from words.
When buyers must see the exact product, combine the routes. Film or photograph a short product shot for the detail. Generate the scenes that show the problem, the use and the result. Then cut them together, since every scene downloads as an MP4.
Cost and time
Saving a product and its description costs nothing. Drawing the frame costs 1 credit, and each redraw costs 1 more. The ten-second scene costs 10 credits, so a finished product scene is 11 credits.
Plan for one or two redraws when product detail matters. Three redraws still cost less than one wasted scene. On a paid plan, a scene with two redraws costs about €5 to €6. A new account starts with 40 free credits.
A frame takes about 30 seconds to draw and a scene about a minute.
Common mistakes
- Expecting the photo to be copied. GetReelCom does not paste or trace your product photo. Describe the product in words.
- Writing a slogan as the description. “The smart choice” tells the model nothing about shape or colour.
- Approving the frame too fast. Look closely at the product before you spend 10 credits.
- Changing the wording between scenes. Different descriptions give different products. Reuse one.
- Expecting a label. No text is drawn. Plan the logo and the product name for the edit and the narration.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI make a video from one product photo?
Yes, with an image-to-video tool. It animates the photo itself for a few seconds, which suits webshop listings and short ads. A scene generator such as GetReelCom works from a description instead and puts the product into a scene with people.
Does GetReelCom use my product photo in the video?
No. A product’s Photo URL is shown on its card in the Products tab. The scene is drawn from the product’s name and its In short description. Photos do drive other parts of a scene: a colleague’s photo becomes their avatar, and a location photo becomes the venue.
How do I keep my product accurate in an AI video?
Describe its shape, colour, material and size in the In short field, and check the still frame before generating. In GetReelCom a frame costs 1 credit and can be redrawn with written feedback. The video is only made from a frame you approved.
Why is there no text or logo on my product in the video?
GetReelCom keeps all lettering out of generated scenes, because small generated text comes out misspelled. Labels and brand marks are therefore left blank. Name the product in the narration, and add your logo as an overlay in your own editor.
Can I combine a real product shot with AI scenes?
Yes. Every GetReelCom scene downloads as an MP4, so you can cut a filmed or photographed product shot between generated scenes in your own editor. The product shot carries the exact detail, and the scenes carry the story.
See it on your own website: create your free company video →
Related guides
- How to create an AI product video
- How to use a real location in an AI video
- How to keep an AI video on brand