You don't need a desk, a keyboard or a saxophone to make a Tiny Desk video. With the ClipsRemake template, a few photos are enough. Here's how to do it, start to finish.
What you need
- One to three photos. One is enough; three fills the whole band.
- Permission. Every person in the photos should know about it and be happy to appear.
- Credits. A Fast video costs 20 credits at 480p. You'll see the exact price before you start.
Step 1: Decide who plays which part
The Tiny Desk template has three photo slots, and each one has a job:
| Photo | Part | Where they appear |
|---|---|---|
| Photo 1 | Lead vocal | Front and center at the keyboard, plus the big close-up |
| Photo 2 | Sax & harmony | Singing at the back left, plus the saxophone solo |
| Photo 3 | Backup vocal | Singing and dancing at the back right, fist in the air at the end |
Any slot you leave empty is played by a stranger, a musician who doesn't look like anyone in your photos. So with just one photo, you're the lead and the rest of the band is cast for you.
Step 2: Pick photos that hold up
The AI can only keep what it can see, so a minute spent choosing photos is worth it:
- One person per photo. Crop out friends, pets and people in the background.
- Face toward the camera. A slight angle is fine; side profiles make the likeness drift.
- Nothing covering the face. No sunglasses, masks or hands across the eyes or jaw.
- Use the original file. Screenshots and heavily filtered copies lose detail.
Glasses, beards and hairstyles follow your photo, not the original clip, so the lead with short hair keeps short hair in the close-up. Photos of celebrities, public figures and minors don't pass the review.
Step 3: Choose Fast or Premium
Both versions use the same photos. The difference is length and sharpness:
- Fast makes the 15-second highlight of the concert at 480p or 720p. It's the cheapest way to see how your band looks.
- Premium makes the full 17-second video, at 480p, 720p or 1080p.
Prices are always shown in the studio before you generate; current rates are on the pricing page. A good habit: try Fast at 480p first, then re-render your favorite in Premium. You don't have to upload the photos again.
Step 4: Generate and wait a few minutes
Press Generate and your photos go through a quick review, usually a few seconds. Once they pass, rendering starts on its own and typically finishes within a few minutes. You can leave the page; the video is saved in My videos.
If a photo is rejected or the render fails for any reason, the credits come back to your balance automatically.
Step 5: Download and post
Your video arrives as a vertical MP4 with the soundtrack already mixed in, ready for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. If you'd rather use a sound from the app's own library, switch the music off before downloading and add the sound when you post.
Quick troubleshooting
- The lead doesn't look like the photo. Try a sharper, front-facing photo with even light.
- Two people look alike. Make sure each photo shows a different person, cropped tightly.
- "Photo didn't pass review." Use an everyday photo of yourself or a friend, not a celebrity, news image or film still.
Curious why this format took off in the first place? Read about the Tiny Desk trend.