# Life-Size Cutout video effect

> You, as a life-size cardboard cutout. Turns out you were a life-size cardboard cutout all along: a push from the side and you tip over stiff and land flat on the floor. Full-body photos work best.

- Page: https://pixeldojo.ai/effects/cardboard-cutout
- Category: Transform
- Photos needed: 1
- Output: 5 second HD video with ambient sound, same shape as the photo
- Example video: https://cdn.pixeldojo.ai/pixeldojo/effects/h3/1792166364177-129533.mp4
- Example source photo: https://cdn.pixeldojo.ai/pixeldojo/effects/posters/1792164709854-701631.png

## What it does

You start standing stiff and unmoving on a sunny sidewalk. A hand reaches in from the edge of the frame and gives you a shove, and you tip over rigid and flat, landing on the pavement exactly like a cardboard standee would.

## From our test

We tested it with a woman in a red dress, and she stayed frozen with her hands on her hips until she fell over without bending a single joint. Our early versions kept animating the person, so we rewrote the direction around this tip-over gag, and it took about 3 minutes.

## Tips for the best photo

- Stand straight with your arms at your sides, since a cutout has no natural pose to hold.
- Pick a photo with a plain sidewalk or wall behind you so the fall reads clearly.
- Capture your whole body from head to shoes so the stiff tip-over has room to play out.

## Ideas for using it

- A friend posts it to a group chat as a joke about being left standing at a party.
- A shop owner makes a funny story clip of the staff member who 'never moves from the counter'.
- A birthday host drops it into an invite video as a gag about the stand-in guest.

## You, as a life-size cardboard cutout

Turns out you were a life-size cardboard cutout all along: a push from the side and you tip over stiff and land flat on the floor. Full-body photos work best.

## Still looks like you

The video opens on your exact photo, so the face, hair, outfit and surroundings carry through the whole effect.

## A full transformation in one shot

The change happens on camera in one continuous take, so viewers see the before and the after in the same clip.

## How to make it

1. Upload a photo, or pick one from your library.
2. Press Generate. There is no prompt to write; the effect is already set up.
3. Your 5 second HD video is ready in a minute or two. Save it to your library or download it.

## FAQ

### Does my face stay recognizable?

Yes, the effect keeps your face and outfit from the photo. You simply play it as stiff as a printed standee.

### Do I need a photo with a hand in it?

No. The helping hand comes in from off screen on its own, so a normal standing photo is all you need.

### Do I need to write a prompt for Life-Size Cutout?

No. Life-Size Cutout is a ready-made effect: upload a photo and press Generate. The directions for the motion, camera and lighting are already built in.

### How long is the Life-Size Cutout video, and how long does it take?

Every effect makes a 5 second HD video that matches the shape of your photo, portrait or landscape. Most are ready in one to three minutes, and you can leave the page while it renders.

### Does the video have sound?

Yes. Each clip comes with matching ambient sound effects. It does not add music, so you can lay your own track over it in any editor.

### Can I use a photo of someone else?

Only photos of adults, of yourself or of people who agreed to it. Every upload goes through the same safety checks as the rest of PixelDojo.