You can make a video of yourself hugging your younger self from one clear childhood photo, one photo of you today, and a model that can put both of you in the same scene. Keep the action to a brief meeting and one gentle hug, so you have fewer moving parts to judge.
The AI hug video generator supports one photo of both people or one photo of each. If you have separate photos of yourself at each age, use them. Each version of you then starts from its own photo.
Protoface publishes this blog and runs the generator. It also sells access to Seedance 2.0 and Wan 3.0, the two models named below, which belong to ByteDance and Alibaba.
What you need
Choose two photos with clear, easy-to-see faces. A plain or uncluttered background keeps the focus on the two people.
Childhood photo: Choose one where the face, head, and shoulders are visible.
Current photo: Use a portrait with your face facing forward or turned only slightly, in ordinary light and without a heavy filter.
Don't worry about matching clothes or backgrounds between the two photos. Similar angle, distance, and light make the pair easier to place together. Avoid group photos where either face is small, hidden, or near the edge of the frame.
Put the photos side by side before you upload. A big age gap is expected. What matters is whether you can recognize each face without guessing; if not, choose another photo before working on the prompt.
For a faded or black-and-white photo, make a close crop with the face large in frame and keep the original untouched. Use only photos you have the right to use, and get the person's consent before uploading a photo of anyone else.
Protoface shows two separate portraits with clear faces and similar framing as the two-photo hug route.
Make the video in three steps
Add the two photos
Open the generator and add the childhood photo and the current portrait. If you have only one photo of both versions of you, add that one instead.
Pick a model for the length you want
For two separate photos, choose Seedance 2.0 or Wan 3.0. The hug workflow names both for bringing two separate photos together in one video.
Seedance 2.0 videos run up to 15 seconds, while Wan 3.0 videos run up to 30 seconds. Start with Seedance 2.0 for a short meeting and hug. Fifteen seconds gives you room for a look, a step and a hug, and a short clip is quicker to check. Switch to Wan 3.0 only when you want a slower, longer scene. Protoface does not publish a separate duration range for the two-photo hug route, so check the duration available in the tool before you generate.
Describe the hug and check the result
Your photos already show who is in the scene, so describe only the motion: who moves and what they do. Keep it to one short sequence, not a life story.
Try this pattern: “The adult and the child look at each other, step closer, then share a gentle hug.” That one sentence only has to direct the movement. If faces drift, fix them with your photos, as below.
Generate a short version first. Then watch it all the way through and pause at the beginning, middle, and end. Check that both faces still resemble the photos, that the child still looks like a child, and that hands and arms meet in a believable place.
If the child looks too large, try putting the size difference into the motion: “the adult kneels and the child steps into the hug.” If the proportions still look wrong, choose photos taken from a similar distance. If hands merge, try replacing “hug” with “arms around each other’s shoulders.” If a face drifts, try a closer crop from the original photo. If the adult no longer looks like your current photo, choose a version where the face is clearer and larger in frame. If the faces blend badly, change the photos before you change the prompt. Change one detail per new version, so you can tell what improved it. Post only after the first and last frames both look right.
If one photo already shows both versions of you, you can turn one photo into a video instead. Keep the action small there too: a turn toward each other or a hand squeeze is enough for a short clip.
The Protoface hug workflow puts two separate photos into one scene and animates them turning toward each other.
Variations to try
If you only try one variation, choose the school-day scene. A desk or gate gives the pair somewhere to stand and one small turn to make, which makes the movement easy to judge. If your photos use very different angles, start with the quieter version instead.
A birthday message: Use photos in a simple room, then add a short written message after the clip instead of asking the people in the video to speak.
A school-day scene: Use photos taken at a desk or gate, then have the two of you turn toward each other.
A quieter version: Have them sit side by side and hold hands. The workflow advises photos from a similar angle and in similar light, so if your two photos differ a lot, this is the safer scene to start with.
A family album sequence: Make separate, labeled clips from photos you are allowed to use. Do not put people together if they did not agree to appear together.
If you post the result, label it as AI-generated wherever you share it. When anyone else appears, use only photos you have the right to use and have their consent.
Start free: Create your video with Protoface with 50 free credits and no credit card. Until your first payment, free-credit videos are watermarked and for evaluation only, so use them to test the idea, not to post.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a hug my younger self video for free?
Yes. You get 50 free credits and need no credit card, but until your first payment the videos are watermarked and for evaluation only.
What if my childhood photo is blurry or black and white?
If you can't recognize the face at a glance, pick a sharper photo. For a faded or black-and-white photo, crop closer so the face is large in frame, keep the original untouched, and compare the finished video against it before you share.
Which AI model works best for two separate photos?
Start with Seedance 2.0 for a short meeting and hug. Pick Wan 3.0 when you want a longer, slower scene. The hug workflow names both for two separate photos.
How long is the video?
Seedance 2.0 videos run up to 15 seconds, and Wan 3.0 videos run up to 30 seconds. The two-photo hug route has no separately published duration range, so check the setting available before you generate.
