Day of the Dead AI: Turn Your Photo into a Catrina Video
Upload one photo. A swirl of marigold petals sweeps past and you come back as La Catrina or El Catrín, with sugar-skull face paint and marigolds, walking a candlelit path at night, in a 10-second vertical video.
- 1 photo
- 10-second 9:16 video with sound
- 480p or 720p
- Catrina or Catrín
What the Day of the Dead AI video shows, second by second
The video is a before and after in three beats, so people see your everyday look and the Catrina in the same clip.
- 0–3 s
A marigold
You stand in your own room, lift a single orange marigold to your face, breathe it in and look into the camera.
- 3–5 s
The petal swirl
Orange and yellow marigold petals rise from below, spin around you and sweep across the whole screen.
- 5–10 s
La Catrina
The petals part: you are La Catrina at night, with sugar-skull face paint and a crown of marigolds and roses, walking toward the camera along a candlelit path under papel picado. You stop and smile.
Day of the Dead AI examples
Each video below was made with this template from the photo next to it, with no editing: a Catrín and a Catrina.
How to make a Day of the Dead AI video
- 1
Add one photo
A clear photo of one person, facing the camera, from the waist up, with the face uncovered.
- 2
Pick a quality
Standard is 480p and cheaper for a first try; HD is 720p for posting. The price is on the button.
- 3
Generate
Your Catrina video is ready in a few minutes in your Wishmade studio, where you can download it or make another.
Why Catrina videos fill feeds every November
Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican celebration on November 1 and 2 when families welcome back the spirits of the people they have lost. Homes and graves are filled with orange marigolds, whose colour and scent are said to guide the spirits home, along with candles, papel picado banners, sugar skulls and the loved one's favourite food. It is a celebration, not a mourning: music, colour and memories rather than fear.
La Catrina is its most famous face. Painting yourself as a Catrina takes an hour of careful face paint, a flower crown and a dress, which is why a one-photo version spreads so fast. This template keeps the parts people love, the white paint drawn over your own features, the marigolds, the candlelight, and turns them into a short reveal that sits naturally next to Halloween posts while still honouring the day.
Day of the Dead AI video or a Catrina filter?
Most Catrina filters and photo apps paint a still picture: you get a portrait with sugar-skull make-up, and that is it. A CapCut template adds cuts and music, but you still need your own clips, and a convincing Catrina needs real face paint and a costume before you film.
The Day of the Dead AI on Wishmade makes a moving video from one photo you already have. It films both halves itself: your everyday look with a marigold, the petal swirl, and you as La Catrina or El Catrín walking through candlelight. Nothing to paint, film or buy. What it does not add is a song, so you still pick the sound inside TikTok or Instagram when you post.
Which photo works best
The template only has your photo to go on, so the photo decides how much the Catrina still looks like you.
- Use one person only. Group photos blur who becomes La Catrina.
- Face the camera with your face uncovered: no sunglasses, masks or hands over the face, so the face paint follows your features.
- Waist-up framing works best, because the video opens with you holding a flower.
- Good, even light keeps your face recognisable under the white face paint.
- Upload only your own photo, or a photo of an adult who agreed. No photos of children or public figures.
Getting the most out of your Day of the Dead video
Add the sound in the app
Your Day of the Dead video has its own candlelight, breeze and petal sounds, with no music. On TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, pick a song from the app's library before you post.
Post for November 1 and 2
Día de los Muertos is celebrated on November 1 and 2, right after Halloween. Make a Standard version first to check the result, then an HD one for the post.
Say who you remember
Many people post their Catrina video with a line about a grandparent or friend they are remembering. It fits the spirit of the day better than a costume caption.
Pair it with Halloween
Post a Halloween transformation on October 31 and your Catrina on November 1, and the two read as a set.
The Day of the Dead Catrina prompt
This is the shot list Wishmade sends to the video model with your photo. You never need to type it here; it is shared for anyone who wants to adapt it. @Image1 means your photo.
One continuous 10-second vertical video of the person from @Image1. Keep their face shape, eyes, nose, lips, skin tone, hair and build exactly as in the photo in every shot. One person only. 0-3s: A warm, everyday room in soft daylight, matching the photo. The person stands facing the camera, framed from the waist up, holding a single bright orange marigold flower. They lift it close to their face, breathe in its scent, then look up into the lens with a gentle smile. 3-5s: A swirl of orange and yellow marigold petals rises from the bottom of the frame, spins around them and sweeps across the whole lens, filling the frame with petals. 5-10s: The petals part to reveal the same person at night as an elegant Day of the Dead Catrina: white sugar-skull face paint on the face only, keeping their own features visible, fine black linework around the eyes, small painted flowers and dots on the cheeks and forehead, dark lips. A crown of orange marigolds and deep red roses in their hair, a black lace gown with long sleeves. If the person is a man, dress him instead as a Catrín: a black suit with a marigold in the lapel and a black top hat trimmed with marigolds, with the same face paint. They walk slowly toward the camera along a path lined with hundreds of glowing candles, under an arch of marigolds, with colorful papel picado banners strung overhead and petals drifting down. They face the camera the whole time and never turn around or show their back. They stop, look into the lens and smile softly. Slow push-in, warm candlelight against the dark night. Mood: festive, warm and respectful, a celebration of remembrance; not horror, no gore, no skulls on the ground. Sound: soft evening breeze, crackling candles, a rustling whoosh as the petals sweep past, a distant church bell. No music track, no singing, no dialogue. Rules: the person has exactly two arms and two hands. The face paint, crown and gown stay exactly the same from the reveal to the last frame; no skeleton paint on the neck, chest or arms. No extra people in focus, no text, no logos.
Day of the Dead AI questions
More ideas on the Wishmade home page, or describe your own video in the studio.
What is the Day of the Dead AI trend?
People turn one photo into a short video of themselves as La Catrina, the elegant skeleton lady of Día de los Muertos: white sugar-skull face paint, a crown of marigolds and a black gown, in a candlelit, marigold-filled night. The Day of the Dead AI on Wishmade makes that video from one photo, with a before and after in the same clip.
Who is La Catrina?
La Catrina is a skeleton lady in an elegant hat and dress, first drawn by the Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada around 1910 and later painted by Diego Rivera. She is a reminder that death comes to everyone, rich or poor, and she became the face of Día de los Muertos face paint and costumes. The male version is called El Catrín.
Can men use it?
Yes. The same template dresses a man as El Catrín: a black suit with a marigold in the lapel and a top hat trimmed with marigolds, with the same face paint. The second example on this page shows it.
Do I need CapCut or face paint?
No. You upload one photo and Wishmade writes the whole sequence: the marigold, the petal swirl and the Catrina reveal. There is no make-up to buy, no prompt to write and no video to film.
Is the Day of the Dead AI free?
Wishmade is free to use for now: a free account is topped up to 10 credits every day. There is nothing to buy. The Generate button shows how many credits a video uses before you start, and failed videos give their credits back automatically.
What do I get?
A 10-second vertical 9:16 MP4 video with sound, at 480p (Standard) or 720p (HD), ready for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
Will it keep my face?
Your photo is the only reference for the person, and the face paint is drawn over your own features, so you stay recognisable before and after. Results vary with the photo; a clear, well-lit, front-facing photo works best.
Can I use an old photo of someone I miss?
Old and black-and-white photos work if the face is clear and facing the camera; the video comes out in colour. Use a photo you have the right to use, and if the person has passed away, think about how their family would feel before you post it.
Does it add music?
No. The video comes with its own sound of candles, breeze and petals and no copyrighted music. When you post it on TikTok or Instagram, pick a song in the app; the platforms license their music library.
Is my photo kept private?
Your photo is used only to make your video and is not published or shown to other people. Files are stored at long, random links; see the privacy policy for how long they are kept and how to delete them.
Try another transformation
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Tiny Desk AI
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Your Catrina, by candlelight
One photo is all it takes.
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