Birthday video message: a short, personal video from your photos
A text saying "happy birthday" gets lost among the others. A short video with your photos together, a few words that only you would say and their favourite song gets watched twice. Attach the photos and this prompt has your todo.is agent write the message, edit the video and send you an MP4 that's small enough for WhatsApp.
The prompt
- Make a [LENGTH]-second birthday video message for [NAME], turning [AGE], from [FROM WHO]. Use the attached photos in order from oldest to newest, with a gentle zoom on each. Add short captions with these memories: [MEMORIES OR INSIDE JOKES]. Open with "Happy birthday" and their name in big text and end with a card saying "[CLOSING MESSAGE]". Voice: [VOICE OPTION]. Music: [MUSIC]. Make it [ASPECT RATIO] MP4 small enough to send easily on WhatsApp.
What to change
- [LENGTH]: 30 to 60. About 3 to 4 seconds per photo, so 45 seconds fits 12 to 14 photos.
- [NAME]: The birthday person's name as you call them, e.g. "Grandpa Joe" or "Sam".
- [AGE]: E.g. "70", or "another year older" if it's a sensitive number.
- [FROM WHO]: E.g. "the whole Patel family", "your team at work", "me".
- [MEMORIES OR INSIDE JOKES]: 3 to 6 short ones, e.g. "the burnt pancakes of 2019", "teaching me to ride a bike".
- [CLOSING MESSAGE]: E.g. "We love you. See you Saturday!"
- [VOICE OPTION]: "my attached voice note", "an AI voice reading a short message you write", or "no voice".
- [MUSIC]: "the attached song" (one you have the rights to), or "no music, I'll add it in WhatsApp status".
- [ASPECT RATIO]: 9:16 for phones and Stories, 16:9 to play on a TV at the party.
Example result
- Birthday video: Grandpa Joe turns 70
- From the whole Patel family · 46 seconds · 12 photos · 9:16 · your voice note + your song
- The edit
- • 0-3 s: big white text on a warm gold background: "Happy birthday, Grandpa Joe!"
- • 3-7 s: photo 1, 1978 wedding photo, slow zoom in. Caption: "70 years. 47 of them with Grandma."
- • 7-14 s: photos 2-3, fishing trips. Caption: "Still telling us about the one that got away"
- • 14-22 s: photos 4-6, the grandkids on his shoulders. Caption: "Best seat in the house"
- • 22-30 s: photos 7-9, the burnt pancakes. Caption: "The pancakes of 2019 (we still ate them)"
- • 30-40 s: photos 10-12, this summer's barbecue, the whole family
- • 40-46 s: end card: "We love you. See you Saturday!" with a slow fade
- Sound
- • Your 20-second voice note starts at 4 s, cleaned up: background noise reduced and volume evened out
- • Your song plays softly under the voice, then rises when the voice ends, and fades out on the end card
- Captions written from your memories
- • Short enough to read in 2 seconds on a phone
- • White text with a soft shadow, placed in the middle third so phone buttons don't cover it
- • Names and dates added as real text after the edit, so they're spelled exactly right
- Files delivered
- • happy_70th_grandpa_joe.mp4: 1080x1920, 11 MB, plays in WhatsApp, iMessage and email
- • happy_70th_grandpa_joe_tv.mp4: a 16:9 version to play on the TV at the party
- Want more people in it?
- Ask family members to send their own short voice notes or selfie videos to you, forward them to your agent, and it adds one clip after another before the end card.
How to do it with todo.is
- Fill in the name, age, who it's from, a few memories and the closing line.
- Attach 8 to 15 photos, plus a voice note and a song if you want them, and send everything on the Today screen or WhatsApp.
- Your agent edits the video and sends the MP4, sized to send on WhatsApp.
- Ask for changes like "swap photo 4 and 5" or "slower", then send it yourself on the morning of the birthday.
Tips for a better result
- Pick sharp photos and mix the decades. A baby photo next to a recent one gets the biggest reaction.
- Record your voice note somewhere quiet and hold the phone close. Your agent cleans it up, but a clear recording sounds warmer.
- Want it to arrive at exactly 8 a.m. on the day? Ask your agent to remind you then, with the video attached, so you can forward it right away.
- Use a song you bought or a royalty-free track. If you plan to post it publicly, popular songs can get muted.
birthday video message: FAQ
- How long should a birthday video message be? 30 to 60 seconds is ideal for a personal message. For a party slideshow on a TV, 2 to 4 minutes with more photos works well.
- How do I make a video small enough for WhatsApp? Your agent compresses the MP4 with ffmpeg to stay under the size limit while keeping it sharp on a phone screen.
- Can I collect videos from several people? Yes. Forward each person's clip or voice note to your agent and it joins them in order with captions showing who's speaking.
- What should I say in a birthday video message? One specific memory, one thing you admire about them, and a wish for the year ahead. Short and personal beats long and general.
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