How to Animate a Portrait with Claude
Animate a Portrait with Claude and ToolRouter. Bring a still headshot to life with subtle facial animation for profiles, websites, and social bios.
Tool
Share the portrait and Claude will direct the animation — controlling the intensity, naturalness, and loop duration to match the portrait's tone and intended use. Claude is best when the animation needs to feel subtle and professional rather than theatrical.
Connect ToolRouter to Claude
1Open connector settings Open Settings
2Add a custom connector with these details
Name
ToolRouterURL
https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp3Let Claude set you up Open Claude
Steps
Once connected (see setup above), use the Photo Animation tool:
- Share the portrait photo and describe where it will be used — website, social profile, conference program.
- Ask Claude to use `photo-animation` with `animate_portrait` to generate the animated version.
- Review the motion intensity — ask Claude to dial back the movement if it feels unnatural or theatrical.
- Export the animated portrait for the target platform.
Example Prompt
Try this with Claude using the Photo Animation tool
Use photo-animation with animate_portrait to bring this professional headshot to life. The person should appear to be breathing gently and have subtle eye movement — nothing theatrical, just enough life that it reads as video rather than photo. This will be used on a conference speaker page.
Tips
- Keep motion subtle for professional contexts — breathing and eye movement is enough to feel alive without being distracting.
- Use a well-lit, neutral-background portrait for the cleanest animation results.
- Ask Claude to match the animation loop duration to the platform: short for social, longer for website display.