Skip to main content

This 56-minute video was constructed entirely with AI and a single photo

Music for 18 Musicians - Steve Reich ; Video clip made with Machine Learning.
Videos are made up of thousands of still images per minute, but what if all you have is a single image and artificial intelligence? That is the question artist and Google developer Damien Henry asked in his latest project, where, outside of the first frame, the entire nearly hour-long video is constructed by an algorithm designed to predict the next frame. The result? Well, it is not going to make you ditch your camera anytime soon, but considering it was generated almost entirely by AI, the bad-Fantasia-remake-meets-view-from-a-road-trip-window is rather impressive.

Henry says the entire video was generated by an algorithm in one try, with no retries and no editing or post-processing. The only thing Henry did was to feed the system the very first frame. From that single image, the platform predicted the next frame and then the one after that over and over again around 100,000 times. It created a rather abstract-looking footage of clouds that is reminiscent of what you see if you strapped a GoPro to your window during an uneventful road trip, with the computer generating a drive-by view of scenes with trees, power lines, and buildings.

The video is far from perfect — some treetops appear to hang in mid-air, for example — but the project demonstrates what AI is capable of, even when it comes to creative projects. Skipping further into the video (you’re probably not going to watch in its entirety unless you need some help falling asleep) you can see that drive-by view change to a rural drive-by with what looks like cornfields to an urban view more populated with buildings.

The video itself wouldn’t be impressive under the typical standards, but the technological feat of asking a computer to generate an hour of footage from a single photo is either incredibly cool or shows just how long the tech has to go, depending on your view and tolerance of the footage’s oddities.

Henry has worked with Google on several projects, according to his website, including Google Cardboard as well as Arts and Culture VR projects.

Editors' Recommendations

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
How to hide photos on an Android phone or tablet
Google Photos

While today's best Android phones are quite secure as long as they remain locked with a passcode or biometrics like a fingerprint, by default those features only protect the front door. If someone picks up your phone while it's unlocked, there aren't typically any barriers that will keep them out of exploring everything from your contacts and emails to your photos.

This can be particularly challenging when it comes to photos, since those are the things we like to show off the most from our phones. We've likely all had those moments when we want to show a friend or co-worker a funny cat meme, so we hand over our phone and trust that they won't swipe right and see the photo of the hairy mole that we sent to our doctor that morning.

Read more
Best Sony A7 III deals: Save $300 on the full frame mirrorless camera
Sony A7 III

Sony A7 III Daven Mathies/Digital Trends / .

Even if you have one of the best camera phones at the moment, if you're a photography fanatic, you're probably feeling the burn for something new and exciting. For example, the Sony A7 III line is like none other in the world of handheld cameras and you can find several cameras in that line on sale right now at Best Buy. Here, we round up the best deals in the sale, then analyze how buying a Sony Alpha A7 III looks at the moment.
Today's best Sony A7 III deals

Read more
How to use (almost) any camera as a webcam for Zoom and more
how to use any camera as a web cam v2 00 58 01 still007

Cameras, even those in phones, brag about megapixels and lens specifications -- but laptops? Not so much. There’s a reason computer companies don’t say much about the webcams that come built into the bezels of their screens. Most of these cameras are low-quality, with tiny sensors and cheap lenses. Sure, they work for basic videoconferencing, but they aren’t very impressive and certainly leave us wanting something more.

While you could just buy a stand-alone webcam that connects over USB, to really take production value up a notch, you can opt for a DSLR or mirrorless camera. You’ll need a few workarounds to get this type of camera to be recognized as a webcam by your computer, but the trouble is worth it for the higher resolution, much better low-light performance, and cinematic background blur.

Read more