How do I make a Studio Ghibli-style video from my own footage?
Updated
Restyle the clip with a video-to-video model and describe the hand-painted Japanese animation look: soft watercolour backgrounds, gentle light, simple expressive characters. On Viralance that is Restyle in the video editor (the Lucy Restyle model), at 10 credits per started minute of source video, so a 20-second clip is 10 credits and a 3-minute clip is 30. It redraws every frame while your movement, camera path and timing stay the same, and the original soundtrack is put back on the finished video. The cost is shown before anything runs, and a job that fails is refunded automatically.
The concrete numbers
- Price: 10 credits per started minute, minimum 10, about $3.00 for a clip under one minute on the $9 Mini pack. One-time credit packs, no subscription.
- Prompt that works: “hand-painted Japanese animation, soft watercolour backgrounds, warm natural light, simple expressive faces, calm nostalgic mood”. Up to 900 characters, but short and concrete beats long.
- Footage with nature, sky, streets, trains or kitchens suits the look best: wide, calm shots with clear subjects redraw more cleanly than fast, shaky action.
- Style strength: lower keeps more of the real scene; higher gives a fuller painted redraw.
- Output is up to 720p. Sources above 720p are converted to 720p first (up to about 5 minutes at 1080p, less for 4K); export longer clips at 720p first. Uploads up to 500 MB.
- For long footage such as a travel vlog, restyle in parts of a few minutes each with the same prompt and strength, so the look stays consistent and you can check it early.
Try this workflow
- 1
Pick a calm clip
Wide shots with nature, streets or interiors and steady camera work give the cleanest painted result. Upload it to Restyle in the video editor.
- 2
Describe the painted look
“Hand-painted Japanese animation, soft watercolour backgrounds, warm natural light, calm nostalgic mood.”
- 3
Check the cost and run
The price from the measured length is shown first. The result comes back at up to 720p with your original soundtrack.
Common follow-ups
Can I just write “Studio Ghibli” in the prompt?
Describe the look instead: hand-painted backgrounds, watercolour textures, soft light, simple expressive characters. Concrete style words give the model something to draw and keep the result your own rather than a copy of a studio’s characters.
Does it keep my music or voice-over?
Yes. Restyle redraws only the picture, and the original soundtrack is put back on the finished video at the same length.
Is this the same as the anime filter?
It is the same Restyle tool; the prompt sets the look. “90s cel-shaded anime, bold outlines” gives a sharper TV-anime result, while hand-painted, watercolour words give the softer film look.
What resolution will it be?
Up to 720p. Larger sources are converted to 720p before restyling, which works up to about 5 minutes at 1080p and less for 4K.
Can I do this on a video of my family or friends?
Yes, for footage you have the right to use. Prompts that name a public figure are refused.
Pay-per-video AI generation. 20+ models, one-time credits from $9, credits never expire.
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