There are times when we would like to capture within a photo a moment in motion, and not just a static pose. Using smartphones with cameras we can cut a video to do just that to create a GIF, a type of 'moving photo' that is basically an animated image of a specific moment captured and repeated in a loop. But digital still photos remain static in time.

Wouldn't it be great to animate those photos like the ones from the world of Harry Potter - the ones in the Daily Prophet newspaper? Well, you can with the latest AI photo app to go viral: Deep Nostalgia from genealogy site MyHeritage.

Animate photos with Deep Nostalgia app

Created by MyHeritage, an online genealogy service, Deep Nostalgia is a deep learning tool that is part of a mobile app capable of adding facial animations to old photos, bringing old portrait photos to life by adding animations such as:

The application is available on both Google Play store and Apple App store.

How to use Deep Nostalgia to animate your old photos

You can download the app on your smartphone or go to the MyHeritage official website first. If it doesn't open it's probably crashed, due to the huge increase of visitors it's having these days.

Don't use Deep Nostalgia to create deepfakes: It’s illegal

While people on social media are busy creating animated photos using Deep Nostalgia, MyHeritage has warned against "using the technology to create deepfake videos of public figures or anyone else without their permission," as it constitutes a crime.

Currently, the platform can only animate one face in a photo at a time and not various in a group photo. Users have the option to crop a face from a group photo and animate it using Deep Nostalgia.

You have the option to sign up for a free account or a subscription to use Deep Nostalgia. The free account option is limited to a small number of animations. If you choose to sign up for a subscription plan, there are other animation options available.

Where to get the MyHeritage Deep Nostalgia app: