When Six Images Became a Mini-Film: Testing Midjourney + ElevenLabs 

How two AI tools turned still pictures into moving art, and why this is just the beginning

This week I tried a small experiment that turned into something surprisingly delightful. I took six still images created in Midjourney and asked it to turn each one into a five-second video. Nothing fancy, no complicated prompting, just a simple “animate this” test to see what it could do.

Once I had the clips, I stitched them together into a short video and uploaded the whole thing to ElevenLabs. With one click, ElevenLabs generated a soundtrack and mixed the audio directly into the video. What started as a handful of static pictures ended up feeling like a tiny cinematic moment.

And the more I watched it, the more I realised: this is only the beginning.

How Midjourney Turns Still Images Into Motion

Midjourney’s new video generation surprised me with how smooth and coherent it was. Each clip added just enough motion, a drifting light, a subtle turn, a moment of atmosphere, to bring the scene to life without losing the style of the original artwork. My favourite has to be the cat on the motorbike!

What struck me most was the feel of it. These weren’t gimmicky animations. They had depth, tone, even mood. It’s the sort of effect that, five years ago, would have needed expensive software and a degree in visual effects. Now you can do it in minutes.

What ElevenLabs Added And Why It Matters

Once I put the animated video into ElevenLabs, the tool analysed it and automatically composed a soundtrack that matched the visuals. The pacing, the tone, the rise and fall, it all flowed together as if someone had scored it with a musician’s eye.

It made me realise something that keeps coming up in my AI experiments:
AI is becoming less about individual tools and more about interlocking creativity.

One tool creates.
Another tool enhances.
A third ties it all together.

We’re not far from a moment where anyone can create a short film, complete with visuals, motion, sound, and narration, simply by imagining it.

The Creative Potential And How Quickly It’s Evolving

Every time I try something new, I can feel the pace of change speeding up.
Today it’s a six-image mini-film. Next year it might be generating a full animated short based on one sentence. These tools aren’t replacing creativity, they’re lowering the barrier so that anyone with an idea can explore it.

For someone like me, who grew up in a world where films were made in studios and music was created on tape, the shift is astonishing. But it’s also liberating. AI rewards curiosity. If you’re willing to ask, “What happens if I try this?” you’ll often be rewarded with something you couldn’t have predicted.

And it will only get better. Sharper visuals. Longer sequences. Richer music. More seamless editing. We’re at the early stage of something extraordinary.

What This Means for My Future Experiments

This little video exercise has sparked all sorts of ideas for the future:

• Short atmospheric videos to accompany my drabbles
• Mood clips for the cosy mysteries
• Visual experiments for the “AI Creativity” part of the blog
• Background loops for the YouTube channel
• Maybe even an AI-generated trailer for a future book

When tools evolve this quickly, the challenge isn’t learning them, it’s keeping up with your own imagination. If you’re curious, have a go yourself. You don’t need skills, just a moment of playfulness.

Final Thought

What do you think we’ll be able to create in a year’s time?
Because if six still images can become a short film today, the creative future looks very exciting indeed.

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