ThelifeTikTok users are using an in-app effect called "photo animation" to give life to still images.- When it locks onto a face, the effect makes it smile, blink, and move its eyes.
- Users are applying it to posters, photos of deceased loved ones, and art.
TikTokers are using a new video effect on the app to animate posters, magazine covers, and photos of deceased family and friends.
The in-app effect, called "Photo Animation," has been used in over 80,000 videos and surged in popularity this week, sparking several parallel trends in which users apply it to photos around their homes. Once the effect locks onto a face, it begins to animate its features, making the person in the photo blink, smile, and move their eyes.
@lani.elyse WHAATTTTTTTT
♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod
@jeffgoldblumswife i am so scared ##linmanuelmiranda ##intheheightschallenge ##PrimeDayShowPJParty ##foryou ##foryoupage ##theatrekid ##hamilton ##fypシ
♬ Psycho Theme - Troops Of Tomorrow
In order to use the effect, search "photo animation" on TikTok and click on the effect search result. From there, you can add the effect to your favorites in order to access it in TikTok's video editor, or immediately film a video using it. To access the effect in the video editor itself, click on the effects button to the left of the record button and look for the app in your favorites.
Along with photos of celebrities or other images, many are using the effect to reanimate photos of family members they say are deceased. Some of these videos have inspired an outpouring of support in their comment sections, sometimes prompting users to post further videos remembering the family members in the photos and sharing information about their lives.
"I tried this after seeing yours," one commenter wrote under @rainss.kk video in which she applied the effect to photos of her mother. "I just wanted to say thank you. I got to see my grandmother smile again."
@rainss.kk the second one looks so real..
♬ original sound - ℂ/
@makingmoneylikesweetluv rest easy, i miss you ❤️
♬ original sound - ℂ/
Another trend associated with the effect sees users applying the filter to a reflection of their face in a mirror, leading to an uncanny effect in which the mirror image has a different facial expression than the person themself.
@blonde.girlyy #POV : You start questioning if you’re not looking at your reflection, but rather looking into another dimension... 
♬ original sound - ℂ/
@_the_true_senpai_ #scary #fypp #viral #fypforyou
♬ original sound - ℂ/
And, per some TikTok videos, the effect doesn't just work on photos - some users have successfully applied it to art or collectible figures as well.
@xxti.redxx I’m wheezing so hard #fyp #foryoupage #boburnham #art
♬ original sound - ℂ/
@arisujei #stitch with @itsbailey94 NO NO NO I’M SCARED! HELP!!! #diofigure #diobrando #jojosbizarreadventure #jjba #animefigure #photoanimation
♬ original sound - Ari
This isn't the first time a photo animation effect has taken off on TikTok. PopSugar reported in March that users were previously using a separate app called MyHeritage to animate photos of their loved ones before uploading those results to TikTok.
To read more stories like this, check out Insider's digital culture coverage here.