At the end of September a simple clip started filling short-video feeds: someone smiles at the person in front of them, the smile slowly falls apart, tears run down their face, and they turn and walk away down a lamp-lit street. People call it the AI crying video or the AI crying trend, and the fun is in the caption: a breakup, a failed exam, an empty bank account, or a friend who forgot your birthday.
This template makes that clip from a single photo. The camera looks over the blurred shoulder of someone standing in front of you and slowly pushes in. You start with a small, hopeful smile; your lower lip trembles, your eyes redden and fill, and real tears spill over. Then you close your eyes, lower your head and walk away, getting smaller under the street lamps while a soft piano plays.
The face, hair and clothes come from your photo, so it reads as you. Pick the place it happens: a quiet city street at night, a riverside walkway with the city lights on the water, or a rain-soaked street. The result is a 10-second vertical video with sound and no text on it, ready for your own caption.
It works with pets too: a cat or dog stays a real animal, eyes welling up before it pads away down the street. Use a clear, front-facing photo of yourself, your pet or an adult who is happy to take part, and keep it a joke you are both in on.
For the full walkthrough, with the three beats broken down, which selfie and setting to pick, and the rough edges we hit while building this template, read our guide: How to make the AI crying video trend.