Christmas · 10-second elf dance
Elf Video Maker
Become a dancing elf from one photo
Upload a photo of yourself and we dress you as an elf, then you dance in a festive scene: your real face and your whole body, in a portrait video ready for TikTok, Reels or the family chat. Add up to two friends from their own photos at no extra cost: no group photo, prompts or video editing needed.
Adults only. Your photos are deleted when the video is done (within 1 day at most). Privacy
1 · Pick your elf
2 · Who's dancing?
Adults only (18+). One adult in each photo, with their permission. No children, celebrities or public figures.
Pick a scene
3 · Make it
Your first video$7.99$9.90then $9.90 · one-time
Credits never expire · Secure checkout by Stripe
No app · No watermark · Failed videos refunded
Independent fan-made tool, not affiliated with the original creators or anyone in the clip. Source clips are cropped, blurred or recreated so that no identifiable bystanders appear. Celebrities, public figures and minors are not allowed; blocked uploads are refunded automatically. Operated by the Star in the Trend team (hello@starinthetrend.com). Takedown requests
Pick your Christmas scene: solo, duo or a group of three
Your photos become elves dancing along to these reference clips. Every scene costs the same.
Three elves
Two elves
Solo
Coming soon
Pets and groups of four aren't available yet. Tap the ones you want and we'll build the most-wanted first.
At a glance
- You upload
- One photo per adult, full body if you have it. One, two or three adults for the same price.
- You get
- A 10-second MP4 in portrait, upscaled to HD 992×1728: you in an elf suit, dancing in your chosen scene, with music.
- Wait
- About 6 minutes. Your elf photo shows up after the first minute, and we email you when the video is ready.
- Price
- $7.99 for your first video, then $9.9, no subscription.
- Preview
- No free preview. Watch the unedited test videos below first; a failed video gives the credit back.
- Kept
- The video stays in My videos for 7 days. Your photos are deleted as soon as it is made.
Pick your elf: classic or big-head
Classic elf keeps you at your real size. We put you in a green velvet elf suit with a pointed hat, elf ears, red and white striped tights and curled shoes, so it looks like you dressed up for the office party and then got carried away on the dance floor.
Big-head elf is the same dancing elf with your head about three times too big, like a bobblehead. It is the one people send to the group chat to make someone laugh. A sharp, front-facing photo matters more here, because your face fills a lot of the frame.
Both styles offer the same scenes. For a solo video, pick a living room, fireplace and presents, office party, Santa's workshop, snowy street, or one clip that cuts through three scenes. Two elves can dance in a living room, by the fireplace or at an office party; three elves get a living room or the three-scene clip. The cards marked "Scene preview" show the reference scene, before your photo is added. If you can't decide, make one of each style; your photo is deleted after each video, so you upload it again for the second one.
Make yourself an elf in three steps
- Pick classic or big-head in the tool above.
- Add a photo of yourself as Elf 1: one adult, face clear, full body if you have one, since the whole body dances. Add Elf 2 and Elf 3 if you like, then pick a scene when there is a choice.
- Confirm each person is an adult who agreed, then pay. In about a minute you see yourself as an elf; about five minutes later the video is ready to play and download.
Behind the scenes, an AI image model first dresses each photo as an elf. Then a video model puts that elf in the selected scene and makes it follow the reference dance, step for step. Last, the video is upscaled to HD and the music is added.
Dance with someone: two or three elves
Most people make this for two: a couple, two sisters, a parent and a grown-up kid, two friends from the office. With two photos you dance side by side in the same scene, kicking at the same time. Each person keeps their own face and clothes size; nobody gets swapped.
Add a third adult with their own photo to make a trio. Two or three people cost the same as one. Each photo still needs to be one adult; if you only have a group photo, crop each person into their own picture first.
How we tested
The people below are AI-generated, not real people. The videos are unedited output from the same models your video goes through, shown at 480p before the HD upscale that your video gets.
The elf dance, second by second
This is the default living-room clip. Other scenes have their own routine, so check the scene preview for those.
| Seconds | What happens | What it needs from your photo |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 s | A knee-up kick with both arms thrown out and a big laugh. | Leave space around you in the photo; arms and legs reach the edges. |
| 2–4 s | Bouncy side steps with jazz hands, grinning at the camera. | A sharp, front-facing face, since this is the closest look at you. |
| 4–5 s | The high kick: one curled elf shoe goes up past the hip. | A full-body photo, so the legs are not cropped and the kick reads clearly. |
| 5–6 s | A quick spin with the back to the camera, arms out wide. | Nothing extra; the costume covers your back and hair. |
| 6–10 s | Arms wide, a shoulder shimmy and a last swinging pose to finish. | Your build and smile carry the ending, so avoid baggy coats in the photo. |
With two elves, both people do the same kind of moves side by side: the kicks land together at the start and the spin comes a little later, around the 7-second mark.
What this elf video does and does not do
- Does: dress you in a full elf costume and make your whole body dance, with your face kept from your photo.
- Does: put everyone in the selected festive scene, in portrait 9:16. Each group size has several scenes; solo and trio videos also have one clip that cuts between three places.
- Does not: keep your own clothes or background. Everyone ends up in the elf suit, in the selected scene.
- Does not: let you pick the song or the moves within a scene. Each reference clip has its own routine and original track.
- Does not: take photos of children, celebrities or anyone who hasn't agreed.
The dance follows the moves of the selected reference clip, so the scene preview shows the routine your photo will follow. What changes is how much it looks like you, and a clear face makes the biggest difference.
Compared with Elf Yourself
Elf Yourself is the original: since 2006 it has put a face on a cartoon elf body. This page does something different. Here, your whole body is dressed as an elf and dances in a real-looking room, in portrait video, and you pay once in the browser.
| This page | Elf Yourself app | |
|---|---|---|
| Body | Your real face and whole body, dressed as an elf | Your face cut out and placed on a cartoon elf |
| Format | Portrait 9:16, HD | Landscape card |
| Where | Any browser, no app | App |
| People | 1–3 adults, same price | Up to 5 faces, kids included |
| Price | $7.99 for your first video, then $9.9, one-time | A few free dances; more and HD are paid in the app |
If you want a dance with children in it, Elf Yourself is still the better choice. If you want an elf video that actually looks like you, see the full Elf Yourself alternative comparison.
Photo rules and adults only
- One adult per photo. Group photos, photos of children and photos of celebrities or public figures are not accepted.
- Only use a photo of yourself, or of someone who said yes. You confirm this before every video.
- Full body works best because the whole body dances; a half-body photo works, and the legs are then imagined.
- Sharp, front-facing, good light. Sunglasses, heavy filters and faces turned away make the elf look less like you.
- If a photo can't be dressed as an elf, the video stops there and the credit comes back.
Price
One elf video: $7.99 if it is your first, then $9.9, the same for one, two or three people and every scene. Packs are on the pricing page. No subscription and nothing renews.
Last updated · tested on 2 AI-generated people
Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Elf Yourself, Office Depot, OfficeMax, JibJab or the film "Elf". Those names are used only to describe what people search for. The dance in our reference clip is performed by AI-generated people, and the music is an original track.
Elf video maker questions
Is the elf video maker free?
No. Every video is made on paid AI models, so there is no free version and no watermarked preview. It is $7.99 for your first video, then $9.9 per video, or 5 for $37.99, paid once. You can watch our unedited test videos on this page before you pay, and a video that fails gives the credit back.
Do I need to download an app?
No. It runs in the browser on a phone or a computer. You get an MP4 you can save to your camera roll or post straight away.
Can my whole family be in it?
Up to three adults in one video, one photo each, for the same price as one. Everyone dances in the same scene at the same time, and each group size has its own choice of scenes.
Can I use a photo of my kids or grandkids?
No. We only accept photos of adults, and you confirm before every video that each person agreed. That rules out children, celebrities and public figures.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Upload from your camera roll, pay with Apple Pay or a card, and the finished video plays and downloads in the same page. We also email you the link.
How long is the elf video?
10 seconds, portrait 9:16, upscaled to HD 992×1728, which fits TikTok, Reels, Shorts and a family group chat.
What music is in it?
An upbeat original holiday instrumental made for this dance, not a chart song or a Christmas classic.
Classic or big-head: which should I pick?
Classic keeps your real proportions, so it looks like you actually put on an elf suit. Big-head blows your head up to about three times its size on the same dancing body; it is the sillier one and works best with a photo where your face is sharp.