Top Photo Animation Apps For iOS and Android in 2023
These top apps to animate photos are equipped with the perfect pictures to help you create loop motions and GIFs so you can boost your social media growth.
Are you wondering how to animate a picture or make pictures animated? With the help of 3D animation apps, it's easy to transform static images into dynamic works of art. Many options are available, whether you want to create eye-catching visuals for social media or add excitement to your photo collection.
This article will explore the top animation apps that can bring your pictures to life. You'll learn how to make pictures animated using an app and discover which apps can animate an image. So let's dive in and get started!
Our Top Picks
If you're ready to start animating your pictures, we've got you covered with our top picks of the best apps to animate photos. We've tested and curated a list of the Top apps to animate photos for iOS and Android devices, so you can easily find the perfect app to suit your needs.
Our top picks include apps like PhotoDirector, Werble, ImgPlay, and Motionleap, which offer a range of features for animating your photos.
Best Apps To Animate Photos
In a world where visual content is king, it's no surprise that photo animation has become an increasingly popular trend. Animation is a fantastic way to add a touch of life and excitement to your images, making them stand out from the crowd. With so many photo animation apps available on the market, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one.
To simplify things, we've compiled a list of the best apps to animate photos. These apps offer a range of features and tools to help you bring your pictures to life, whether you want to create a simple GIF or a full-blown animated video. So, let's take a closer look at our top picks and get ready to add some animation to your photos!
Motionleap


Motionleap (formerly Pixaloop) by Lightricks is one of the top apps for animating photos - offering users an intuitive and ultralight 3D picture editor with filters for adding motion to their pictures.
With this photo animator app, you can easily create stunning images using amazing 3D live image filters and effects. It has many features, like the ability to directly post your artwork to Facebook or Instagram, and this app to animate photos offer a plethora of stylish effects and tools to help you bring your photos to life.
As the best photo animation software free, Motionleap can make all the difference in your photo editing process, whether you’re a pro photographer or a casual picture taker. This photo animation maker is designed around simplicity, so it’s easy to use even if you’ve never edited photos before. The apps to animate photos provide fast performance means you can quickly add movement to your photos without lag time.
Notable features of Motionleap, one of the best apps to animate photos:
- Animation creator with intuitive arrows that set the direction and motion of a still image
- Background changer with high-quality filters to customize photos
- Animation effects, including overlays, sparkles, and individual velocity control to customize pictures
- A range of automated sky backgrounds resembling time-lapse to decorate photos with stunning atmospheres
Movepic

Movepic 3D Photo Editor & Video Motion Editor are apps to animate still photos into amazing live photos, live wallpapers, and gifs with animation effects.
With a range of dynamic sky replacements, 230+ live 3d stickers, 140+ popular 3D filters and overlays, particle dispersion, and glitch art options, the moving pictures app allows even the most amateur photographer to create stunning works of art.
Movepic apps to create animated images built for speed and convenience. Select your media from your device, then choose from the wide selection of effects and tools available to animate your image. With the best photo animation software free called Movepic, all you need to get started is already at your fingertips. You can quickly add text, music, or sound effects that sync perfectly with the animation you've created.
Notable features of Movepic, an online photo animator:
- Create unique animated pictures with the Pixeloop photo animation effect by drawing paths and adjusting the speed
- Decorate photos with dynamic skies by replacing the background with colorful pictures from the sky changer
- Add excellent dispersion and 3D picture effects to turn photos into sci-fi movie clips with awesome presets
- Customize particle animations for direction, speed, and motion mode for an extra-dramatic effect
Lumyer


Lumyer - Magic Photo Animator are apps to animate old photos, revolutionizing how we can animate our photos and videos. With an array of realistic effects, this best photo animator app has been developed to help users create unique and magical images.
With its easy-to-use interface, this app to animate old photos is perfect for those who want to transform their memories into something truly special. This ‘animate still photos app’ also allows users to bring old photos back to life by animating them with its feature of animating old photos.
From subtle movements like sparkles and floating objects to more complex elements such as transitions and zooms, Lumyer provides a wide variety of ways to make your pictures come alive. The range of photo effects you can use is vast; from vintage filters to trendy new looks, Lumyer has something for everyone. If you're wondering what app can animate a picture using 3D animation, Lumyer is the answer.
Notable features of Lumyer, photo animation app:
- Over 200 high-resolution animated video and photo filters and effects to express creativity
- Fun photo effects and animation tools to unleash artistic potential
- Transform each picture into a unique work of art with incredible filters and effects
- Create amazing moving and animated photos with Lumyer - Magic Photo Animator, for sharing on social media
Werble

Werble is one of the best free apps to animate photos and give your images a captivating motion-magic touch. This app, that makes pictures move, boasts over 1000 effects, allowing users to craft unique and mesmerizing masterpieces with endless creative possibilities. With only a few simple taps, you can easily blend art and special effects with your images or artwork to create something memorable.
Whether you prefer to use the streamlined tools or just randomize the final look until you’re happy, this moving picture app makes it easy to capture whatever mood you’re going for. The animated photos app also offers an extensive loop library to customize and personalize your creative expression.
Werble takes animation to a whole new level, offering users an intuitive design, high-quality visuals, and plenty of options for customization. So if you’re looking for a great animated photos app to bring motion magic into your photos or artwork, look no further than Werble - it’s fast, easy, and fun!
Notable features of Werble, one of the best free apps to animate photos for iOS:
- Easily create stunning social posts for all popular networks in seconds
- Create animated Facebook profile pictures, cover videos, and animated GIFs
- Streamlined editing tools and infinite artistic possibilities with a vast range of effects
- Constantly updated library of loops and features, plus the chance to be featured when using the #werble hashtag
With our strategically designed marketing solutions
GIPHY


GIPHY's GIF & Sticker Keyboard app is a great way to search, share, and animate all your photos quickly. Offering one of the world’s largest libraries of free GIFs, Clips, and Stickers, learn how to animate pictures app in just a few taps and share them directly with friends or on social media platforms.
This one of the top apps to add animation to photos features easy-to-find GIFs for any occasion by searching through categories such as Movies, Music, TV Shows, Sports Leagues, Celebrity Reactions, and more.
Once users find the perfect GIF they can quickly text, share or save it directly from the app. Users can also explore a wide range of pop culture content from all their favorite celebrities, TV shows, and channels like HBO, Drake, Rihanna, and Comedy Central.
Notable features of GIPHY, an app to produce animated pictures:
- Search an expansive library of animated GIFs and Clips to find the perfect one
- Explore trending pop culture movies, TV shows, music, memes, sports highlights, and awards
- Send amazing GIFs and Stickers to friends via SMS, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, or Email
- Using this one of the top apps to add animation to photos, then copy or save your favorite gifs for later use in your clipboard or favorites
Vimage 3D Live Photo Animation


Looking forward to elevating your photography and storytelling? Vimage is an award-winning animated still photos app. This moving photo app can be your cinemagraph and creator app that can give you captivating motion effects, presets, filters, and overlays for the image.
This image animation app can transform still images to dynamic living pictures and even mesmerizing GIFs. You can be a professional photographer or even a casual storyteller, these apps to make pictures move can help you in your creative journey.
This app to make photos move binds the latest trend in visual storytelling by providing the user with award-winning tools. Vimage animate pics app unleashes its remarkable capabilities that can be easily infused with photos using features such as 3D motion effects, parallax illusions, flowing animations, and stunning overlays.
Additionally, you get up to 10 fully customizable photo effects, filters, presets, or overlays for a single photo. This allows the user using Vimage animate photo app with infinite creative possibilities. Furthermore, you can export your creations in high quality up to 2560p using this animate a photo app. The app that moves pictures allows the user to choose between flow or stretch animator to achieve breathtaking motion photos.
Notable Features of Vimage, the best app that moves pictures:
- Choose from a list of 100 presets to fit your image
- Get up to 10 fully customizable photo effects such as photo effects, presets, filters, etc. to overlay on a single picture
- Create live wallpapers and moving backgrounds using the free filters, preset, and animation effects
- Export images up to the quality of 2560p
- Sky animation for selecting, changing, and animating it within seconds
StoryZ


StoryZ is a compelling app to animate still photos. The apps to animate photos allows users to transform static images into dynamic works of art. Through double exposure, motion effects, and music, StoryZ provides a straightforward way to easily create stunning loops.
The interface of StoryZ moving pictures app is intuitive and user-friendly, making it suitable for beginners and experts. With the simple tools provided, users can quickly produce photo motion art.
Furthermore, they can view their creations in a real-time preview mode before publishing them online or on social media platforms using these apps to animate old photos.
Apart from creating cinemagraphs from still images, the make pictures move app also offers a loop video animation feature that enables users to create mesmerizing animations from their footage or stock footage library. Users can customize the loop length, and playback speed and choose between various effects such as fade-in/out and zoom-in/out for further customization of their projects with this photo animation online free.
Notable features of StoryZ, top apps to animate old photos:
- Ripple: Allows users to turn still images into animated photographs or digital art with motion effects
- Motion: Blend still images with video to create animation effects
- Video Overlay Effects: Supports multiple layers of videos, effects, and overlays
- Cinemagraphs: Create cinemagraphs using video motion effects and overlay effects
Photo Bender

Doing photo animation online is a great way to create dynamic visuals for your projects! With free tools available on the web, you can easily take a static image and turn it into an animated GIF in only a few steps.
In fact, this photo animator app makes it possible to use distorted photos to create an animation that is simple and allows for both technical and creative freedom when creating videos or presentations.
The process starts by selecting your desired image from your own files or finding one through an online image search. Using photo animation online free tools such as Adobe Photoshop or Gimp, you can access various options that let you restructure images, animate them in multiple frames, add colors, textures, and more. With Doing, there is so much one can achieve, and the capability to work with other tools as well makes this best photo animation app incredible.
Notable features of Photo Bender, apps to add animation to photos:
- Photo manipulation: users can distort and change the colors of their photos
- Animation creation: users can create animation by making finger movements and adding frames
- And, you can set the frame duration with this photo animation online for free
- Image quality: images are available in high resolution
- Export options: users can export the result to Animated GIF, JPEG, PNG, or MP4 formats
Zoetropic


Zoetropic is a revolutionary and free picture animating app that makes it easier than ever to create stunning cinemagraph effects, 3D parallax, and camera FX with just one photo. The Zoetropic animate image app is perfect for taking your memories to the next level and transforming them into eye-catching masterpieces.
The user interface is intuitive enough for anyone to use, yet surprisingly powerful and packed with features. In fact, you get access to exclusive overlays in image and video, as well as a huge Audio Library full of soundtracks that will fit any situation with this one of the top animation apps for iPhone.
Additionally, you can subscribe to unlock all tools without limits and receive weekly content updates. If you're looking for an app to animate pictures for free, it has plenty of features to play around with, then Zoetropic is worth checking out.
Notable features of Zoetropic, apps to animate still photos:
- Cinemagraphic motion and image overlays: Create stunning visuals with personalized motion points and exclusive overlays
- Audio Library: Access a vast library of soundtracks to match your creation perfectly
- Subscription: Subscribe and gain access to all tools without limits, as well as weekly content updates
- Easy steps: Transform your picture into a fantastic cinemagraphic masterpiece in just 3 simple steps - set the motion points, stabilize or mask areas, and customize motions with overlays and audio
PhotoDirector


PhotoDirector is one of the most influential and comprehensive photo animation apps for free download available today. This photo animation app allows users to create stunning animated decorations, overlays, and dispersion effects in their images. With dozens of animated elements, including animals, seasonal specials, flowers, moods, and more, this app that animates pictures offers users many possibilities when creating amazing animations for their photos.
Moreover, PhotoDirector’s AI-powered editing tools make it easy for users to add even more life to their images. Features like Sky Replacement, Style Effects, and Object Removal allow users to manipulate particles in their pictures with just a few clicks. This best photo animation app for Android makes it possible to dramatically alter or change any object in an image and entirely re-design it into something new and exciting.
Furthermore, if there is any image that you wish to create with this picture animation app, you can use it to stylize, edit photos, and animate in a few easy steps. PhotoDirector animate photos app provides numerous precision tools that can easily transform your image. With a few clicks on this animated picture app, you can turn the ideas residing in your head to reality.
Notable features of PhotoDirector, a photo animation app free to download:
- Remove unwanted objects from images with a few taps
- Enhance photos with AI-powered effects, such as bokeh and dispersion
- Change any background with a few clicks
- Edit photos with out-of-this-world effects for bolder results
ImgPlay


ImgPlay is the best photo animation app for Android users looking for an easy way to create stunning GIFs. This picture moving app offers a wide variety of features allowing users to turn their photos and videos into high-quality animated images.
The Video to GIF feature allows users to select a portion of a video clip they want to use, while the Photos to GIF feature lets them choose multiple photos and arrange them into a slideshow or GIF.
With this animated photos app, you can easily edit existing GIFs, making it perfect for creating shareable content. ImgPlay is an excellent option for Android users looking for an easy and intuitive way to animate their photos and videos. Its powerful features make producing beautiful animations simple without spending hours editing content.
It’s no wonder that this app that animates pictures has become one of the top-rated photo animation apps on the market. In fact, ‘ImgPlay: Animate a Picture App’ will help you create something that you may have envisioned from the very beginning.
Notable features of ImgPlay, the best photo animation software free:
- Convert videos, photos, and GIFs from Gallery and other apps into GIFs
- Easily create slideshows with multiple photos
- Edit existing GIFs or shoot new videos to make custom GIFs
- Apply more than 30 different filters to make GIFs funnier
Pixamotion


Need a tool to unleash your true creativity? PixaMotion is the ultimate picture to animation app and video maker app that has the capacity to turn your static image into captivating dynamic works of art. By using this best app to animate photos, you can give life to still photos by crafting live photos, mesmerizing wallpapers, and vibrant moving backgrounds with stunning animation effects.
It is a pic animation app that not only can edit pictures but also create dynamic motion images with edits. It will empower the user to create living photos that are fed to the app. In fact, the picture animation app will elevate your visual content with great animations and refreshing filters that helps your images to truly stand out.
With Pixamotion, the user can give life to natural motion creating GIFs that can redefine your visual artistry. The picture animation app also allows you to share visual narrative directly on social media with enticing stories to capture your audience’s heart.
The animated photo app can be your ticket to endless creativity with which you can turn your boring stills to interactive and extraordinary motion pictures that have a lasting impression. Pixamotion animate photos app takes your visual content and stories to the next level.
Notable Features of PixaMotion, the best photo animation app:
- Animate your still images with natural motion to turn it into a brand new moving image
- Get state-of-the-art presets and filters to unfold your creativity
- Capability to create dynamic themes and wallpaper that can used with your lock screen wallpaper
- Create visual stories by creating a loop of the images using cinemagraph
- Capability to create short movie using still images
Canva


Canva is primarily a graphic designing application that can even help you turn your imagination into reality because of its stock images.
However, there are plenty of animation features in the Canva animate photos app. This app that animates pictures can help you create social media posts, help business owners with graphic designing, can be a great tool for content creators, and a lot more.
The animated picture app provides thousands of customizable templates on fingertips. Infact, the apps that make pictures move create eye-catching videos, cards, flyers, photo collages, and a lot more. This free photo animation app can help you stand out with one-tap animations and stock music to create incredible Instagram stories and video collages.
In fact, it is an app to animate photos that doesn’t require any designing expertise and simplifies the process for anyone worldwide. The moving picture app provides you a vast library of assets that includes up to 2 million royalty free images, stock videos, pre-licensed audio tracks, fonts, and graphic design elements. This animated photo app even lets you visualize your designs on multiple products through high-resolution mockups.
Notable Features of Canva, the best animate photos app:
- Offers thousands of designing templates for creating endless creative possibilities
- Get a photo editor that is free to use, with zero ads, and even watermarks
- Capability to edit videos like professional with multiple video editing features
- Get access to a library of over 2 million stock images, videos, audios, etc.
- Collaborate with anyone across devices to work on a single project
Adobe Express


Adobe Express can be your go-to solution for creating effortlessly stunning graphics and visual content. This app that animates pictures on your mobile device or working from the web. The picture animation app gives you a seamless and user-friendly interface providing you a versatile application that has the capability to create eye-catching designs with social graphics, flyers, logos, posters, labels, invitations, business cards, etc.
Another standout feature of this app to animate photos and its AI technology which simplifies the designing process and also enhances creativity. Additionally, the AI can also remove background from photos, provide recommendations with seasonal templates, and even suggest fonts to your perfectly tailored project. You get all this without needing the graphic designing skills.
Additionally, this picture animation app provides a vast library of professional AI-recommended templates. These templates are available for social media platforms, logos, posters, banners, and more. In fact, this moving picture app provides access to millions of royalty-free Adobe stock collections. A collection with photos, Adobe Fonts, and icons that can help bring your ideas to life.
Notable Features of Adobe Express, the best picture animation app:
- AI-recommended templates for stories, social media, Instagram Ads, Snapchat, etc.
- Recommendation from over 20,000+ Adobe font types
- Select from the list of millions of beautiful visual graphic and videos available on the app
- Get features like trimming, resizing, cropping, and many other for video editing
- Unlock more royalty free images, and templates with the premium of Adobe’s Express
That Promote Your Product's USPs
There are a plethora of animated photo apps that are available in the market for animating still images. These picture animation apps export an image from the user’s gallery or provide a stock image to work with. The photo animation app creates anchor points around the places where you want to animate the image. Once done, these photo animation apps can induce a particular movement into the still image. If done effectively, it feels like a proper motion video that is captured and not created.
Some of the best app that makes pictures move are:
- Motionleap: It is a powerful and versatile app that makes pictures move that allows the user to animate a particular part of your photo, add effects, and even create cinemagraphs. The animated picture app offers a wide range of pre-made templates and effects that have the capability to get started quickly
- Plotaverse: Another popular photo animation app that provides a variety of animation tools. This includes the ability to add motions to stationary objects, backgrounds, and even people. The picture animation app has a series of features that makes it a great tool for creating social media content with the ability to add text, music, and voiceovers
- Zoetropic: It is a unique photo animation app that allows you to create animated loops using a photo. The picture animation app has the ability to add multiple layers of motion and even adjust the speed and direction of the animation
Price of a picture animation app - Are these photo animation apps chargeable?
These picture animation apps offer plenty of features which can not always come for free. It is impossible for a good picture animation app to exist without generating any monetary value. On the flipside, there are so many picture animation apps that it is difficult to achieve subscribers right away using a paid model.
Therefore, these photo animation apps use several pricing models in order to capitalize their picture animation app. Therefore, let’s checkout some of the ways:
1. In-app advertisements: This is one of the most common ways of monetizing an animated photos app. In this the app entrepreneur displays ads to the user in order to use the picture animation app. In fact, some app startups even allows the user to watch an advertisement and remove the watermark of the application from the video
2. Paid-subscription model: This is a simple model. In this the user has to pay a subscription fees for using the features of the photo animation app
3. In-app purchases: This can be dealt in several ways. For instance, either the app entrepreneur can charge a particular sum of money for a stock item or they could ask the user to take the premium subscription for stock images and videos provided by photo animation app
Do you need any prior experience in animation in order to use these photo animation apps effectively?
One absolutely doesn’t require any previous animation experience in order to use the picture animation apps. These apps can be used by a complete beginner. Although, if one want to create a great motion image or cinemagraph, there can be several ways of doing that:
1. Find your Tools
To create a motion image or cinemagraph that is truly mesmerizing, one needs to find a suitable animate photos app. There are several options for picture animations apps that we have mentioned above such as Pixaloop, Motion Leap, StoryZ, etc.
2. Select your Image
Pick a suitable image that has a clear focal point and distinct area which can be used for adding motion. Some of the common subjects that can be animated are flowing water, flickering candle flames, or a person with subtle movement.
3. Import Image
Open the photo animation app that you are using and select the image that you want to edit. Once done, you can then start editing the image.
4. Identify Static and Moving Elements
Before starting to edit on the photo animation app, it is essential to identify the elements that will remain static and those which can have motion to it. It is important to note that the majority of parts remain static; they won’t give off that effect.
5. Create a Mask
Use the masking tool that is available with the photo animation app. This will enable you to add motion to the image much more accurately.
6. Generate Motion
With the mask in place, one can create a loop or sequence of motion using the photo animation app. This can be achieved by simply adjusting the positions of the moving element in every frame. However, this process can vary depending upon the photo animation app used.
7. Adjust Speed and Smoothness
This is the step in which we smoothen the speed of the motion so that it looks natural. Determine the right speed on the picture animation app to make the still image visually appealing.
8. Preview and Save
Preview the motion image that you have created using the animated picture app that meets your expectations. The moment you are satisfied with the results, export the result into your favorite format be it GIF, MP4, or any other.
9. Share Your Motion Image
Now, you are all set to share your created results on social media, websites, or with any friends and colleagues you want to share it with. In fact, there are several platforms too that support the motion image.
In conclusion, apps to animate photos offer a wealth of possibilities for adding life and movement to your pictures. Whether you're a professional photographer or simply want to spice up your personal photo collection, the apps we've highlighted in this article are sure to provide you with the tools you need to create stunning animated images. From beginners to experts, these apps offer something for everyone, and the possibilities are endless. So, pick your favorite app and start animating today!
If you are a developer, and a part of one of the top app development companies, or someone with a finished product, send an email to MobileAppDaily, and get your product reviewed by our team of exceptionally talented app experts. Visit our website to see all the new and intriguing content we publish daily. Sign up for our newsletters to learn more about MobileAppsDaily.
General FAQ
- What types of animations can I create using picture animation apps?
- Is it possible to animate existing photos or do we need to capture new ones?
- Are there any in-app purchases or subscriptions required for advanced features or removing watermarks?
- Can I share my animated photos directly on social media platforms through these apps?

She is an avid writer of technology and trending mobile apps. When she is not busy updating you about the tech world, she spends time reading books and playing guitar.
Follow

your Product’s growth