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How to make the Outstanding Tiny Desk AI video
The Outstanding Tiny Desk AI video puts your friends, family or coworkers into the last 18 seconds of a 2023 NPR Tiny Desk concert, singing "Outstanding" with the band. You need one photo per person and about ten minutes. Here are the four steps, which photo to use for each seat, and what to do if a face doesn't come out right.
What you need
- A photo of each person you want in the band, up to five. A phone selfie is fine.
- People who are 18 or older and fine with being in it: you, friends, family, coworkers.
- $9.90 for one video, the same for 1 to 5 people (see pricing). No app, no CapCut, no prompt to write.
Step 1: Pick a photo for each person
The photo decides how much the result looks like them. Use one face per photo, looking at the camera, shoulders up, in even light. Window light beats a dark bar. Crop group shots down to one person before you upload.
Skip sunglasses, masks, hands or hair over the face, cartoon filters and AI avatars. The model copies what it sees: the face, the hair and the clothes, so a plain top looks cleaner than a big logo. The best photo guide has examples.
Step 2: Cast the band
The stage on the home page starts with our AI-generated cast in all five seats. Tap a seat and add a photo. On a phone you can also scan the QR code on a computer and send photos from your camera roll.
@dadLead vocalsThe big laugh close-up at 0:05, plus both band shots
@coworkerSaxThe sax solo at 0:12
@grandmaKeysFront and centre in both band shots
@roommateBack leftSinging backup in both band shots
@gymbroBack rightSinging backup in both band shots
Fill one seat or all five, same price. Tap × on your photo to put the cast face back, or drag a face onto another seat to swap them. Any seat you leave keeps its cast face, so nobody from the original clip is left in your video.
Step 3: Make the video
Press make, which confirms it's a parody and everyone in your photos is 18 or older and fine with it. Sign in with Google or email, pick a pack if you don't have credits, and press make. The whole 18-second clip renders in one pass with Kuaishou Kling 4.0 in edit mode, so all five seats change at once.
It usually takes 7 to 10 minutes. You can close the tab: we email you when it is done, and the video waits on the home page when you sign back in.
Step 4: Download and post
- A 9:16 MP4 at 720p, about 18 seconds, with the song and no watermark.
- A silent copy of the same video, for when TikTok or Instagram mutes the song.
Drop the version with the song into the group chat. For TikTok or Reels, this guide shows how to add the sound in the app if your upload gets muted.
If it doesn’t come out right
Most problems come from the photo. What to look for:
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The face doesn’t look like them | Side angle, dark or blurry photo | Use a sharper, front-facing photo |
| A logo or print on their shirt | It was in the photo | Use a photo in plain clothes |
| A seat still shows the cast, or the face appears late | The model missed that seat | Email us within 7 days and we return the credits |
| The render failed | Upstream error or moderation | Credits come back on their own |
More fixes, including muted uploads, are in Tiny Desk AI video came out wrong?.
Questions
What do I need to make an Outstanding Tiny Desk AI video?
A clear photo of each person you want in the band (1 to 5) and about ten minutes. No CapCut, template file, prompt or editing app.
Which AI model makes the Tiny Desk videos?
Kuaishou Kling 4.0 in edit mode, at 720p: the whole clip in one pass, then re-cut to the trend’s timing with the song mixed back in.
How long does it take?
Usually 7 to 10 minutes. We email you when it’s done, so you can close the tab.
Does the lip sync match the song?
Closely, not perfectly. Each mouth follows the original performance, so it moves on the beat. If it’s clearly off, email us within 7 days and we return the credits.
Can I make it myself with Seedance or another AI video model?
Yes, if you can edit video and pay for an AI video model. Expect paid renders for each shot and about an hour of cutting and stitching. See the DIY prompts.
More Tiny Desk AI guides
All guides
What is the Outstanding Tiny Desk AI trend?
Where the meme comes from: a 2023 NPR Tiny Desk concert, a 1982 funk song, and the AI face-swap edits that took over TikTok in October 2026.
Is there a free Tiny Desk AI generator? 8 tools compared
What CapCut and free previews can and can’t do, and eight Tiny Desk AI generators compared on first-video price, people per video, resolution and sound.
The Outstanding Tiny Desk AI template, shot by shot
The 18-second cut second by second: band, big laugh, sax solo, band again. Which seat shows up where, and why the AI version skips the side-profile opening.
The best photo for a Tiny Desk AI video
Which photo makes the face swap look like your friend: angle, light, crop, glasses, filters and clothes, with what to pick for each of the five seats.
Who’s on lead vocals?
Pick one person or the whole chat. Same price for 1 to 5 faces, song included.
Start the band →