Recording a good clip

The three rules

AI Animations tracks the body of one person through the clip. Three things decide most of the result, and the dialog lists them under What makes a good clip:

• One person

  The tracker follows a single body. With two people it mixes them into one broken motion. Crop or trim until only your performer is in the picture.

• Head to toe

  When the legs are cut off, the lower body has to be guessed, and guessed legs slide and jitter in game. Keep the feet in frame for the whole clip.

• Steady camera

  Shaking or zooming reads as body movement. Put the phone down or on a tripod. If the camera has to move, choose Premium.

Hover a point in the dialog to see a small drawing of the good and the bad case.

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1. 11. Head to toe

Length, format and size

AI Animations checks the file as soon as you pick it:

• Format

  MP4 or MOV

• Video codec

  H.264 or HEVC. Most phones record one of the two.

• File size

  Up to 160 MB

• Shortest clip

  2 seconds

• Longest clip

  20 seconds, or 60 seconds with a Premium membership

Clips over 20 seconds cost 1,500 credits extra. If your clip is too long, the dialog tells you and does not take it. Cut it to the part you need first.

Movements that work well

AI Animations is made for clear movement of the whole body:

• Dances, from simple steps to fast footwork.
• Gestures such as waving, cheering, clapping or talking with the hands.
• Jumps, spins and fight moves, best with Premium.

Some things come out rough or do not work:

• Two people together, such as a partner dance or a tackle. Only one person can be tracked.
• Very slow or almost still poses, such as a long idle or holding a point. Small movements get lost in the noise.
• Lying or rolling on the floor. The result can end up tilted or flat.

Clips from TikTok or YouTube

AI Animations needs the video file, not a link. Save the clip to your device, cut it to the dance you want, and upload that file. Watermarks and captions do not matter as long as the person stays visible.

An example clip

This is the clip used throughout these docs: one dancer, a fixed camera, head to toe, 10 seconds. The dancer is a rendered GTA character so that no real person is shown here; a phone clip of you works the same way.