Explained: What is DreamActor-M1, the new Chinese AI animation tool?

Imagine you are a massive fan of yesteryear American actress Grace Kelly, and you would like her to sing you Happy Birthday in a melodious tone on your special day. Too nice a dream, eh?

Artificial intelligence (AI), a rapidly evolving technology, has made such feats a reality in today’s world. Thanks to a new feature introduced by Chinese infotainment giant ByteDance (the creators of TikTok), you can now use a new AI tool, DreamActor-M1, to convert still pictures into animated videos.

China continues to expand its presence in the tech world. After the successful launch of DeepSeek AI and Manus AI, another Chinese company has joined their legacy with its new advanced AI tool, which has caught global attention.

ByteDance Ltd., a Chinese internet tech company behind TikTok, has introduced a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool called DreamActor-M1, which focuses on making more advanced videos. 

One can share a simple image of a person with DreamActor-M1, and it will turn the image into a super-realistic video that will move, talk, or even dance, looking very realistic and lifelike. It looks like a puppet that is controlled by a digital mastermind.

In this article, we will explain the new tool DreamActor-M1 and its immense possibility to disrupt the global AI and infotainment industry.

Step-by-step guide to use DreamActor-M1 tool of ByteDance

Start with a photo: You give it a picture of a person, like any selfie or a full-body image.

Add a guide: You can also give it a video of a person moving, dancing, or just audio to copy. Thereafter, the smart AI tool called a diffusion mixes all these faces, heads, and bodies and generates a smooth video. It starts with short clips and links them up so the whole thing flows nicely.

Break Down the Movements:

• Face: It looks at the guide video or audio and figures out how the mouth, eyes, or eyebrows should move—like smiling or blinking—without copying the guide person’s face.
• Head: It tracks how the head turns or tilts and uses a 3D ball to show the AI where the head should go.
• Body: It turns the guide’s movements into a 3D stick figure and adjusts it to fit the person in your photo.

Fill in Missing Parts: If the photo only shows the front of someone but the video shows their back, the AI guesses what the back should look like (like hair or clothes) so it doesn’t look weird when they turn around.

Make the Video: A smart AI tool called a diffusion transformer mixes all these elements together face, head, and body—and guesses to create a smooth video. It starts with short clips and links them up so the whole thing flows nicely.

What Makes DreamActor-M1 Special?

• It uses a mix of gentle controls (like face tracking) and strong ones (like 3D models) to make movements look real.
• It checks a few past frames, not just one, to keep things smooth.
• It’s flexible and suitable for a talking head or a full-on dance scene.

The Tech Behind It:

• The AI tool utilizes the advanced technology to generate the images and videos.
• The tool uses a 3-dimensional system to understand the photo and guide signals, then it combines them with layers of attention, like focusing on the face or body.

Conclusion

DreamActor-M1 has described substantial progress in AI animation. Additionally, it’s effortless to use. It can beat other tools in making lifelike videos from just a photo. It’s a powerful tool for individuals to make movies, games, or virtual characters, as it improves even images to a next level that has never been seen before. While it’s not perfect with rolling cameras yet, it’s already a game-changer. 

Also Read: AI will make short movies by the end of 2025: Elon Musk