How to do the Smalltown Boy AI trend
Make ours with photosThere are four ways to do the Smalltown Boy AI trend: a template app that takes two photos, a motion-control tool that copies the dance from a clip, a prompt that invents a new dance, or your photos dropped into the finished clip. Which one fits depends on how long you want the video, how much you want to write, and whether you want the trend's own clip with the song already in it.
- One photo per role, people or pets
- Works in your browser, no app
- The original song, already in the video
4 ways to do the Smalltown Boy AI trend
Each way asks for something different, and gives you a different video. Apps are named only as examples.
| Two-photo template appThe full routine, from two photos | Motion controle.g. Kling Motion Control | Prompt from scratchA new dance each time | The finished clip (this site)You in the trend's own clipUse our photos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You supply | Two photos | Two photos, a dance clip to copy, plus a prompt | Photos, plus a prompt you write | A photo for one role or both, people or pets |
| The moves | The trend's routine, as the app renders it | Copied from the clip you give it, as closely as the tool manages | Whatever the AI invents; different every try | The same close-ups and dancing behind, every time |
| The song | Depends on the app | Depends on the tool; you may have to add it | Depends on the tool; you may have to add it when you post | "Smalltown Boy", already in the video |
| Clip length & format | Depends on the app; often around 20 seconds, 9:16 | Depends on the tool and your clip | Depends on the tool | 10 seconds, 9:16, 720p |
| Effort | Upload and wait | Find a clip, write the prompt, try a few times | Write and rewrite the prompt | Add photos, generate |
| Price | See the app's plans | See the app's plans | See the app's plans | Packs from $9.90 (1 video), one-time |
Want the trend's own clip with you two in it?
No prompt, no dance clip to find, no editing.
Which way fits you?
Two-photo template app: you want the whole routine
Upload a photo for each dancer and the app renders the routine for you, usually close to the full length of the trend video. Length, sound and whether pets work depend on the app.
Motion control: you want to copy a specific dance video
Tools like Kling Motion Control take your images plus a dance clip and copy its moves. Pick it if you want to start from a different dance video, such as one you filmed yourself. Expect to write a prompt and run it a few times.
Prompt from scratch: you want something new
Describe the two dancers, the fence and the moves, and the AI invents its own take. It won't match the trend move for move, and you may have to add the song yourself when you post.
The finished clip here: you want the trend version with the song
The 10-second clip is already made: the first close-up, the second close-up and the dancing behind each one, with "Smalltown Boy" playing. Add a photo for one role or both, a person or a pet, and only the dancers change.
How to write a Smalltown Boy AI prompt
This is how public guides for the trend lay the prompt out. Treat it as a starting point; we have not tested these prompts ourselves.
- 1
Label who is who
Name each photo, for example Image 1 and Image 2. Say which one screams first: Image 1 leans into the camera with both hands on their head while Image 2 dances behind.
- 2
Then trade places
Image 2 steps forward for the second close-up and screams along, while Image 1 dances behind. Short phrases set the scene: "wooden fence, daylight, wide-angle lens".
- 3
For pets, say how they stand
Write "standing on hind legs" and say what the paws do, such as "both front paws on its head". Describe each pet's fur in the same words every time it appears.
- 4
Lock the identities
Guides end with lines like "same identity", "no duplicate" and "no new scenes", so the two dancers keep their own faces and don't turn into copies of each other.
- 5
Say what to leave out
No text or logos, and no likeness of real public figures. Only use photos of yourself, your own pets, or adults who agreed.
Pet tips and common problems
These are fixes that guides for the trend recommend, not results of our own tests.
The two dancers' faces or fur get mixed up
Use one subject per photo, and repeat each dancer's label and description in every beat of the prompt.
Paws fuse or feet slide
Use a photo where the pet is clearly visible, then run it again before you change the photo.
A person next to a pet comes out pet-sized
One guide reports this when a person and a pet share the video. Two people or two pets is the safer pairing.
The wrong one screams first
Put the photos the other way round. Whoever is in the first slot, or labelled Image 1, gets the first close-up.
How to do the Smalltown Boy AI trend on this site in 3 steps
- 1
Decide who screams first
Whoever goes in "Screams first" gets the opening close-up. Want the other order? Put the photos the other way round.
- 2
Add a front-facing photo for each role you fill
One person or one pet per photo, facing the camera, with the whole face visible. A role without a photo keeps the dancer from the clip.
- 3
Generate, then pick it up in My videos
Close the tab if you like. The video shows up in My videos when it's ready and stays there for 30 days to download or share.
Do the Smalltown Boy AI trend with your photos
Add a photo for the one who screams first, the one who screams second, or both. People or pets. No prompt and no editing: the moves and the song stay as in the clip.
Who plays who
Add at least 1 photo
The clip your photos go into
One person or one pet per photo, face clearly visible. JPG, PNG or WebP up to 10 MB.
- No app
- No watermark
- Credits back if a video fails
Doing the Smalltown Boy AI trend: questions
We didn't find one on CapCut's own template pages when we looked on 16 October 2026. Posts on TikTok call various edits "Smalltown Boy templates"; those links come and go, so check that the one you find still works.
Some apps have a free tier, so check each app's plans. On this site it isn't free: each video uses 600 credits from a one-time pack, starting at $9.90 for one video. The small sign-up bonus doesn't cover a video, and failed videos give their credits back.
"Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat, from 1984. The clip on this site keeps the song; with a prompt tool you may have to add it yourself when you post.
Here, put one cat's photo in each role, face toward the camera, and they stand up and do the moves with their paws. With a prompt tool, write "standing on hind legs" and describe each cat's fur the same way every time.
Not on this site: each role takes its own photo with one face, so crop a photo of the two of you into two pictures. Template apps and prompt guides give the same advice: one subject per photo.
The clip here is a 10-second cut that keeps both close-ups, the dancing behind each one and the song. Template apps that follow the whole routine often run around 20 seconds.
It depends on what you want. The whole routine from two photos: a template app. A specific dance video copied: motion control. Something new: a prompt. The trend's own clip with the song and no prompt: add your photos here.