AI Younger Self: Meet the Younger You in a Short Video

The AI younger self effect turns one recent photo into a short clip where a younger version of you steps in beside you and the two of you smile at each other. You make it in the Ginly AI app with Meet Younger Me, and because the AI imagines the younger you, no childhood photo is needed.

In the app: Meet Younger Me
Available on: iPhone, iPad and Android

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

What happens in the video

The Meet Younger Me preview starts with a bearded man in a checked shirt, arms crossed, smiling at the camera in front of a warm, blurred background. A boy in a similar blue checked shirt appears at the left edge and looks up at him. The man turns toward him with a wide grin, and the two keep looking at each other as the man, arms still folded, tilts his head down toward the boy. They stay side by side to the end; nobody hugs in this version. The boy is imagined by the AI from the man's single photo, so how closely your younger self resembles you will vary.

What is the AI younger self trend?

In the younger self trend, people share a picture or clip of their adult self standing next to, or hugging, the child they used to be. Many versions start as a still image made from a typed prompt in an AI chatbot. Ginly AI offers two routes with nothing to type. Meet Younger Me imagines a younger you from one recent photo and shows the two of you meeting and smiling at each other, without a hug. Classic Hug takes 2 separate photos side by side and turns them into a hug; its preview pairs two adults, so a childhood photo next to a recent one may give a result that looks different. For a hug between two people of today, see the AI hug video page, and to meet an older you instead, try the AI aging video.

How to make it with Ginly AI

In Ginly AI, open the Effects tab and find Meet Younger Me under Meet Me Effects, or type its name into the search on the All effects screen.
Add one recent photo of yourself from the camera or your gallery, and crop it so you're seen from about the waist up with some space beside you.
Tap Generate. The clip appears in your Library, where you can download it to your phone or share it.
For the two-photo route, open Hug Effects, choose Classic Hug, switch from Single Photo to 2 separate photos and add a childhood photo of yourself next to a recent one. The two-photo guide explains how the app joins them.

Tips for the best result

Leave empty space on one side of you: in the preview, the younger self steps in from the left and stands right next to the adult.
Waist-up framing, as in the preview, leaves room for a smaller figure beside you; a tight face close-up gives the effect little space to add anyone.
Pick a photo in an outfit you like: in the preview, the younger self also turns up in a checked shirt, echoing the adult's.
For Classic Hug, use only a childhood photo of yourself, ideally one where you face the camera, and pair it with a recent photo framed at a similar distance.

More versions of this effect in the app

Classic Hug — Two adults from two separate photos, one outdoors and one indoors, step together into a warm cheek-to-cheek hug.

Ideas to try

A birthday post: a recent photo of you through Meet Younger Me, captioned with one thing you'd tell your younger self.
A milestone clip for a graduation, a first home or a new job that shows today's you meeting the kid who started out.
A family 'then and now': your own childhood photo next to one from today in Classic Hug, shared with the relatives who remember that kid.

Frequently asked questions

How do you do the AI trend hugging your younger self?

In Ginly AI there are two routes, and neither needs a prompt. Meet Younger Me (in Meet Me Effects) takes one recent photo and shows a younger you stepping in beside you; you smile at each other, but there is no hug. For a hug, Classic Hug (in Hug Effects) takes 2 separate photos, your own childhood photo and a recent one, side by side. Its preview shows two adults, so results with a childhood photo can differ from it.

Which app makes the AI younger self video?

Ginly AI, on iPhone, iPad and Android. Download it from the App Store or Google Play, open Meet Me Effects and choose Meet Younger Me.

Do I need a childhood photo?

Not for Meet Younger Me: you add one recent photo and the AI imagines the younger version, so it won't be an exact copy of how you looked as a child. A childhood photo is only needed for Classic Hug, and it must be a photo of you.

Do I need a prompt for the AI younger self trend?

No. The effect already carries its own instructions, so there is nothing to type: pick Meet Younger Me, add your photo and tap Generate.

Is the AI younger self effect free?

You can download Ginly AI for free and try it with the starter credits new users may get; a daily credit gift may also be available. Each video uses credits, and weekly subscription plans add more. Any of these offers may change.

Why was my childhood photo rejected?

The third-party AI services that make the videos use automated content filters, and these may reject some photos, including some photos of children. If a video fails, you can ask for a credit refund from the Library (limits apply). Only ever use a childhood photo of yourself.