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Overview

Animation transforms static images into dynamic animated videos with smooth motion and camera effects. The API creates engaging stop-motion style animations, adding movement, depth, and visual effects. You can optionally provide an image as a starting point and add audio for synchronized effects.

API Spec

See API details

Product Page

Learn more about Animation

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How It Works

  1. Provide a prompt - Describe the animation you want to create
  2. Optionally add an image - Use a starting image for the animation
  3. Optionally add audio - Include audio for synchronized effects
  4. API generates the animation - AI creates smooth animated video
  5. Download the result - Retrieve your animation video

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Use Cases

  • Music videos - Create visually engaging content for songs
  • Social media content - Eye-catching animated posts and stories
  • B-roll footage - Generate supplementary video content
  • Creative projects - Artistic animations and motion graphics
  • Animated avatars - Moving profile pictures and characters

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Best Practices

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Using Source Images

When providing a starting image:
  • Match the style - The prompt should complement your image
  • High quality - Better images produce better animations
  • Clear subjects - Well-defined subjects animate more smoothly

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Audio Synchronization

When adding audio:
  • Match the mood - Audio should complement the visual style
  • Consider timing - Longer audio = longer video
  • Supported formats - MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC

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Code Examples

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Basic Animation from Prompt

from magic_hour import Client
import os

client = Client(token=os.getenv("MAGIC_HOUR_API_KEY"))

result = client.v1.animation.generate(
    assets={
        "audio_source": "none"
    },
    end_seconds=1.5,
    fps=8,
    height=256,
    width=512,
    style={
        "art_style": "Studio Ghibli Film Still",
        "camera_effect": "Dramatic Zoom In",
        "prompt": "A majestic tiger walking through a misty jungle at sunset, magical atmosphere",
        "prompt_type": "custom",
        "transition_speed": 5
    },
    name="Tiger Animation",
    wait_for_completion=True,
    download_outputs=True,
    download_directory="./outputs/"
)

if result.status == "complete":
    print(f"✅ Animation complete!")
    print(f"Downloaded to: {result.downloaded_paths}")
    print(f"Credits charged: {result.credits_charged}")
else:
    print(f"❌ Job failed with status: {result.status}")
    if hasattr(result, 'error_message'):
        print(f"Error: {result.error_message}")

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Animation from Image

result = client.v1.animation.generate(
    assets={
        "audio_source": "none",
        "image_file_path": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/runshouse/Sample_Assets/main/tomcruise.png"
    },
    end_seconds=1.5,
    fps=8.0,
    height=256,
    width=512,
    style={
        "art_style": "Van Gogh",
        "camera_effect": "Spin Bounce",
        "prompt": "Tom Cruise in an action pose, dramatic lighting, cinematic intensity",
        "prompt_type": "custom",
        "transition_speed": 5
    },
    name="Tom Cruise Animation",
    wait_for_completion=True,
    download_outputs=True,
    download_directory="./outputs/"
)

if result.status == "complete":
    print(f"✅ Animation complete!")
    print(f"Downloaded to: {result.downloaded_paths}")
    print(f"Credits charged: {result.credits_charged}")
else:
    print(f"❌ Job failed with status: {result.status}")
    if hasattr(result, 'error_message'):
        print(f"Error: {result.error_message}")

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Animation with Audio

result = client.v1.animation.generate(
    end_seconds=2.0,
    fps=8.0,
    height=256,
    width=512,
    assets={
        "audio_file_path": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/runshouse/Sample_Assets/main/you-are-just-a-line-of-code.mp3",
        "audio_source": "file"
    },
    style={
        "art_style": "Cyberpunk",
        "camera_effect": "Pulse - Audio Sync",
        "prompt": "Digital code streams and neon circuits pulsing to the rhythm, futuristic tech aesthetic",
        "prompt_type": "custom",
        "transition_speed": 5
    },
    name="Code Audio Animation",
    wait_for_completion=True,
    download_outputs=True,
    download_directory="./outputs/"
)

if result.status == "complete":
    print(f"✅ Animation complete!")
    print(f"Downloaded to: {result.downloaded_paths}")
    print(f"Credits charged: {result.credits_charged}")
else:
    print(f"❌ Job failed with status: {result.status}")
    if hasattr(result, 'error_message'):
        print(f"Error: {result.error_message}")

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Pricing

Animation uses credits based on video duration:
DurationApproximate Credits
5 seconds~150 credits
10 seconds~300 credits

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Resolution Limits

Animation has a maximum resolution of 1472px (either width or height).
Try this in our Google Colab Cookbook: Run this API with sample code. Just add your API key.

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API Reference

Animation API Reference

View full API specification

Image to Video

Convert static images to dynamic videos

Text to Video

Generate videos from text descriptions