AI Tiny Desk Photo Guide: Formats, Cast Roles and Clear Faces

The photo upload controls accept JPG, PNG and WebP. Choose one image for each role you want to cast. The limit applies to each file, so check a large original photo before selecting it.

If your phone saves HEIC photos, export a supported copy with your device's photo tools. Renaming a file from .heic to .jpg does not convert the image. Keep the original and use the exported copy for the upload.

For the export menus and upload steps, see converting an existing HEIC photo on iPhone in the mobile guide.

Start with a photo in which you can recognize the person without zooming into a tiny face. A front-facing or gently turned portrait is a practical starting point. Choose even lighting and visible facial features over a dramatic shadow, heavy filter or motion blur.

If several people appear in the source photo, make a separate crop for each person before uploading. Keep the whole face, hairline and chin visible, with a little room around the head. Avoid a crop so tight that it removes identifying features. These are preparation suggestions, not extra file-validation rules or a promise of an exact face match.

Use the preview to catch the simple mistakes first: the wrong person, a screenshot of the photo picker, or a thumbnail saved instead of the original. The AI output limits still apply even when an input meets every upload requirement.

Put the person you want at the microphone in the lead singer slot. For a two-person version, add a saxophone player. For a larger cast, add the keyboard player and either backing singer. You can use any subset of the four optional roles; you do not need to fill them in order.

Left and right refer to the two singers behind the keyboard player as you view the band shot. The white-jacket singer is on the left; the red-jacket singer is on the right. Read the slot label before choosing the photo, then check every filled preview. An empty optional slot leaves that performer in the template. Removing an optional photo changes your draft; it does not remove that performer from the scene.

You can return to the creation steps once the cast is ready. There is no need to create a collage or supply a group performance video.

Use photos of adults who have agreed to the processing, and make sure you have permission to use the image itself. A photo being visible on social media does not establish that permission. The service's age and photo-permission rules apply to every role, including a joke intended only for a group chat.

Photos you select for a draft stay in this browser until submission uploads them. Uploaded photos are private account files, and generation requires processing by external providers. Review the provider-processing explanation before uploading someone else's photo. Do not include identity documents or unrelated sensitive information in the image.

Before submission, choose the photo slot again to change its image, or use its remove control. If a file is rejected, check the actual file type, size and whether it can open on your device. Re-export a usable copy rather than repeatedly selecting the same damaged file.

Unfinished selections can be saved in this browser for up to 24 hours. If a restored photo is unavailable, choose it again from your device. Drafts saved after Google sign-in are separated by account, and a local draft should not be treated as a cross-device photo backup.

Removing a photo from the draft is different from deleting a file already uploaded to your account. For stored files, use Settings → Files and review the storage and deletion policy. The 24-hour draft window does not mean uploaded files are automatically deleted after 24 hours.

The upload form does not require a full-body photo or a particular outfit. Choose a clear reference for the person assigned to the role. There is no clothing-control field in the generator, so a source outfit is not a promise that every garment will be copied into the result.

If a completed video does not look as you hoped, review the source photo and role assignment before deciding to make another version. A new generation is a separate paid task. A creative result you dislike is different from a confirmed technical failure; see the refund and failed-credit policy.