From Still to Scroll-Stopping: How to Animate Images in Midjourney to Create 5-Second Instagram Reels 

Midjourney’s latest update allows you to animate a still image with a single click, creating a short (approx. 5-second) video that feels alive. Whether you’re starting from a photo, an AI-generated portrait, or a still from your interior design portfolio, the result is convincing, elegant, and eye-catching.

Midjourney is a text-to-image AI tool known for generating high-quality, artistic visuals from written prompts. Originally accessed through Discord - a free chat platform popular with creative and tech communities - most of its functionality is now also available via a web-based interface (here is the website). Midjourney has become a favourite among designers, illustrators, and other creatives for its ability to produce richly detailed, stylised images that far surpass the limitations of traditional stock photography.

With its new ‘Animate’ function, Midjourney moves beyond static images and into video - using artificial intelligence to extrapolate motion from a single frame. If your image shows part of a face, it might render the rest. If it’s a room, it might simulate a cinematic pan or gentle movement: a fire dancing in the grate; a curtain shifting in a breeze.

The result? A seamless 5-second animation that can be saved as a video and uploaded to platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, or used on your website or in digital portfolios to add a touch of dynamic storytelling - with no filming, editing, or face-to-camera work required. With one click a whole new library of video content is now available to you. 

Why Animate Your Images?

If you don't regularly use video on Instagram in 2025, you’re already behind.

Social media platforms - especially Instagram - are prioritising short-form video like never before. This isn’t just a trend; it’s a shift in how human attention works online.

Why video outperforms photography on social media:

• Videos attract 5x more engagement than static posts on Instagram (Meta internal data, 2024).

• Viewers retain 95% of a video message, compared to just 10% when reading it in text (Forbes).

• According to Hootsuite, video generates 1200% more shares than text and image content combined.

• Instagram Reels are currently given maximum algorithmic reach, meaning even small accounts can go viral with the right video.

The Power of a 5-Second Video

You’re not trying to win a BAFTA. You’re trying to stop the scroll.

Here’s why 5-second videos are a goldmine:

• Completion rates are highest under 7 seconds – most users do watch to the end.

• Completion = engagement. Instagram treats this as a sign your content is “sticky” and shows it to more people.

• 5 seconds is enough to showcase mood, movement, and magnetism – especially if you’re animating a beautiful portfolio still.

This is perfect for interior designers and creatives who don’t want to appear on camera all of the time - you know I'm going to tell you you have to do this some of the time! - you can now create Reels without showing your face or filming anything.

Enter Midjourney’s Animate Tool

Midjourney’s latest update allows you to animate a still image with a single click, creating a short (approx. 5-second) video that feels alive.

And here’s the eerie, magical part: even if your image shows just a partial face, Midjourney will infer what the rest looks like and animate the entire portrait.

Yes, it’s weird. Yes, it’s powerful. Yes, it can give your images new life and make your content strategy 10x easier.

Step-by-Step: How to Animate a Still Image in Midjourney

⚠️ You must be a Midjourney subscriber to use this tool. 

1. Choose a Still Image

Find the image on your system that you'd like to animate. It's really fun to be experimental here, so maybe find a few, some with people, others without. 

NB Midjourney will do what it thinks with your image - you don't get to choose exactly which bits will be animated, it's pot luck. 

2. Open Midjourney

Midjourney is a paid service - you’ll need to choose a subscription before you can start generating your own images.

1. Go to https://www.midjourney.com/account

2. Choose a plan (starts from around £8-10/month, depending on usage)

3. Enter your payment details to activate your subscription.

Here's what the Midjourney website looks like: 

3. Click on 'Add Images'

4. Click To Upload Your Chosen Image 

5. Set Some Basic Parameters 

The photo you've uploaded becomes the 'starting frame', you can check the 'loop' box to have the video return to the starting frame at the end of the 5 second video, or uncheck it and the video will end elsewhere.

'Motion' is an interesting button, you should play around with this: set to 'low' the movement will be more subtle, set 'high' and you get more dramatic effects. As I mentioned before, you don't have control over exactly which part of your image will animate. 

6. Click The Arrow To Start The Process

7. You Can Watch The Magic Happen

You can click on the 'create' button to watch the progress of your video as it renders. The 'create' icon is sometimes seen as a paintbrush icon. 

8. Choose Your Preferred Outcome

You'll get a choice of four slightly different videos, if you aren't happy you can return to the main interface and start again. Or, click on the video you like best, and download: 

Save the animated file (MP4 or .mov). It’ll be about 5 seconds long, ideal for Instagram Reels.

9. Upload To Instagram As A Reel

No audio? No problem. Add a trending sound during upload to increase reach.

 Ideas for Using This in Your Business 

• Bring moodboard collages to life.

• Turn past project stills into new Reels without visiting the project site again.

• Combine multiple 5-second animations into a short highlight reel of your work. If you use the new Instagram 'Edits' app to do this (very simple!) it's likely you'll get extra love from Instagram, in terms of how widely it's seen. 

• (See below) use Midjourney to create brand new creative content for your business...

 Now I've Got You Onto Midjourney...

YOU DON'T HAVE TO START WITH A REAL PHOTO OF ONE OF YOUR PROJECTS! 

Midjourney will make photorealistic images of interiors for you. 

The easiest way to access this, is to ask another AI to write the Midjourney instructions (prompt) for you. I use ChatGPT. Here's what to type into your AI assistant if you want to try: 

Hi! I want to create an image of an imaginary interior design scene using Midjourney. Can you help me write a Midjourney prompt for that? I’d like the style to be [e.g. modern rustic / minimalist / art deco / cosy bohemian], the room type to be [e.g. a cosy cottage sitting room / luxury bathroom / open-plan kitchen], and maybe add some specific features like [e.g. a large arched window / velvet armchair / terrazzo flooring]. Please write it in the right format for Midjourney, and explain how I can copy and paste it to generate the image. I’m new to this, so go slow!

Once it's written, you simply cut and paste the prompt and drop it into the 'What will you imagine' field on the Midjourney homepage, and click the arrow. 

In Summary:

In a noisy feed, motion wins. 

Animating your still images gives them a second life - and gives your Instagram strategy a serious lift, without the need for filming or showing your face. 

Midjourney will also deal with your face - I uploaded a still image taken when trying on clothes in a store, it imagined my whole face based on just a side profile. I found the outcome uncanny, not my face, not a face I'd want. But it's a very powerful tool, so please have a go and let me know how you get on!