MyHeritage, the online genealogy platform that offers DNA tests for ancestry, has released deep nostalgia, a new feature that animates faces in still photos. complete with AI technologies, the new feature gives family history a fresh new perspective by producing realistic depictions of how a person could have moved and looked if they were captured on video. 

 

 

 

 

deep nostalgia by MyHeritage uses a technology that animates faces by D-ID, a company that specializes in video reenactment using deep learning. it employs several pre-recorded driver videos which direct the movements in the animation and consist of sequences of real human gestures. a preferred driver is automatically selected for each face based on its orientation, and then seamlessly applied to the photo. the result is a short, high-quality video animation of an individual face that can smile, blink and move.

 

 

 

‘you’ll have a ‘wow moment’ when you see a treasured family photo come to life with deep nostalgia,’ said gilad japhet, founder and CEO of MyHeritage. ‘seeing our beloved ancestors’ faces come to life in a video simulation lets us imagine how they might have been in reality, and provides a profound new way of connecting to our family history.’

 

 

 

‘this new product integration is an exciting collaboration between two innovative companies,’ said gil perry, co-founder and CEO of D-ID. ‘we’re thrilled that our technology will be accessible to millions of people on MyHeritage and hope many of them will enjoy the impact of video reenactment for historical photos.’

 

 

 

project info:

 

name: deep nostalgia

company: MyHeritage

in collaboration with: D-ID