Add Motion to Still Images with Adobe Stock and Photoshop

Image source: Adobe Stock / Konstantin Yuganov / romansu.

Wow your audiences on any screen by incorporating video into a still image. Follow the steps below to create a dynamic visual in no time using Adobe Stock and Adobe Photoshop.

Step 1: Download assets from Adobe Stock

If you’d like to follow along with this tutorial, download the following Preview (watermarked) image assets from Adobe Stock. You can also watch this tutorial as part of the Get More Attention with Motion from Adobe Stock webinar.

Left image: ”Paparazzi” by Konstantin Yuganov. Right image: ”HD Camera Flashes” by romansu.

Step 2: Import your photo

Create a new 1000×525 pixel Photoshop document and import the photo (# 27834894) by choosing Place Linked from the File menu. Duplicate the Linked Smart Object layer and then move the duplicate layer to the top of the Layers panel.

Step 3: Select the main subject and apply a layer mask

Select the top copy of the linked Smart Object layer. Choose the Quick Select tool in the toolbar, and then click the Select Subject button in the Options bar. Adjust your selection as needed, leave the selection active, and add a layer mask using the Add a mask button at the bottom of the Layers panel.

Step 4: Place your video

Choose Place Linked from the File menu and locate your Adobe Stock video. Position the video in between the two Smart Object layers of the previously imported photo.

Next, open the Time panel by clicking Window > Timeline. Click the Create Video Timeline button and extend the duration of the photo’s layers to match the video.

Step 5: Set blend modes and opacity

Select the video layer, set the blend mode to Screen, and set Opacity to 80%. Then add a layer mask and apply a Black to White gradient to the mask

Step 6: Export your project

To create an MP4 to use on the web, social media platforms, or presentations, choose File > Export > Render Video. Then select H.264 (the codec for MP4), choose a file destination, and click Render.

The resulting animation.

Learn more about adding motion to your imagery and graphics

In our step-by-step webinar, Get More Attention with Motion from Adobe Stock, you’ll learn how to find looping video content that you can combine with images directly within Photoshop. We’ll walk through a variety of eye-catching animations and show you how to create assets like these on your own.

Join us to learn the following techniques:

Adobe Creative Cloud e-learning series: Get More Attention with Motion from Adobe Stock