How do I make a Cat Tiny Desk AI video?

Upload one photo of your cat, add up to four more if you want a band, choose a resolution and press the button. The video renders in the browser in a few minutes: 19 seconds, vertical, with the original audio. No editing and no app.

My cat will not sit still, is that a problem?

No. Nothing is filmed and your cat does not need to do anything. The performance comes from the original clip, and the photo only decides who is in the seats.

Can I put more than one cat in the video?

Up to five, one photo per seat. Five cats cost exactly the same as one, because pricing is per video and per resolution.

Does it work with a black cat or a long-haired cat?

Yes. Side light helps a black cat keep its face readable, and a long-haired cat keeps its fur length and markings. Very dark, flat photos are the one case that struggles.

Can I mix cats and dogs in one band?

Yes. Any seat takes any animal, or a person. The pet version of this page covers mixed bands in more detail.

Which photo goes where?

The order you upload in is the order of the seats: lead, keyboard, backup left, backup right, sax. Each photo stays in the seat you pick, and an empty seat keeps the original performer.

How long is it, and does it fit TikTok and Reels?

19 seconds, vertical 9:16, MP4, no watermark. The cuts land on the beat of the original audio.

No subscription. Packs start at $6.99 and a video uses 7 credits at 480p, 14 at 720p or 24 at 1080p. A failed render returns the credits automatically.

Is the cat band real?

It is AI. Each of the five shots is rendered from your photos and stitched back onto the original cuts.

Cat Tiny Desk AI

Put your cat in the band

One photo, 19 seconds, the original “Outstanding” sound

Cats do not take direction, which is exactly why this works: there is nothing to film. Upload a photo of your cat and it takes the lead — the opening line and the laughing close-up — with the band already behind it.

19s · 9:16
1–5 cats
480p / 720p / 1080p
Original sound
Nothing to film

A five-cat band, rendered shot by shot from five photos.

One cat, or the whole clowder

Photo 1 is the lead and gets the close-up. Photo 2 plays the sax solo, photo 3 sits at the red keyboard and photos 4 and 5 sing backup. Empty seats keep the original performer, so you can start with one photo and add the others later.

The five photos behind the video above: one cat per photo, all facing the camera.

What the model does with the photo

The three frames that matter: the close-up, the keyboard shot and the solo. Same desk, same lights, same four cuts.

Close-up: your cat, with the same head turn and laugh beat as the original.

Wide: paws on the red keyboard, two backup cats behind.

Sax solo: your cat with the original gold saxophone.

What is Cat Tiny Desk AI?

Cat Tiny Desk AI is the Tiny Desk AI band format with cats in the seats: a 19-second vertical clip of The Gap Band’s “Outstanding” where the performers at five fixed positions are replaced by your cats.

The audio and the edit are the original ones. The four hard cuts, the camera moves and the laugh in the close-up are fixed, so a single still photo is all the model needs. There is no video to record and no cat to persuade.

A cat reads unusually well in this format: the close-up is a held face, and a cat’s face has enough contrast and expression to carry it. One photo gets you the lead and the close-up; five get you a full band for the same price.

How to make a cat Tiny Desk video

Same three steps as every Tiny Desk AI video. The cat version only changes who is in the seats.

1
Add one photo per cat
Start with the cat you want in the close-up. Add up to four more for the sax solo, the keyboard and both backup spots.
2
Pick a resolution
480p, 720p or 1080p. The credit cost sits on the button, and it does not change with the number of cats.
3
Download in a few minutes
The five shots render, stitch back onto the original cuts and arrive with the original audio as a vertical 9:16 MP4.

Five seats for five cats

Each photo stays in the seat you choose. Leave one empty and the original performer keeps it — nothing is cropped out of the shot.

Lead cat

Takes the opening line and the laughing close-up — the seat that carries the video.

Shots 1 and 3

Keyboard cat

Sits front-centre at the red keyboard with paws on the keys, in three of the five shots.

Shots 2, 4 and 5

Backup cat · left

Stands on the left of the band in both wide shots, on the beat.

Shots 2 and 5

Backup cat · right

Stands on the right of the band in both wide shots, clapping with the original vocalist.

Shots 2 and 5

Sax cat

Plays the solo near the end with the original gold saxophone.

Shot 4

What makes a good cat photo

Eyes and ear shape do most of the work. You do not need a studio shot, you need one clear cat.

Works

One cat per photo, eyes open and facing the camera
Head fills the frame, with whiskers and ears inside the crop
Window light or a bright room, no flash
Plain background — a sofa is fine, a cluttered shelf is not

Does not work

Two cats in one photo, which fuse into one animal
A photo where the cat is looking away or mid-blink
Screenshots from a video, with motion blur and banding
Heavy filters, or a painted or stylised portrait

A black cat needs side light rather than direct flash, or the face turns into one dark shape. Tiny Desk AI photo requirements

What a cat band costs

Credit packs start at $6.99 for 7 credits, which is one 480p video. A 720p video uses 14 credits and a 1080p video uses 24.

Cast	480p	720p Best value	1080p
1–5 catsSame price whether one cat or five	7credits	14credits	24credits

Priced per finished video, never per seat. 1080p is an AI upscale of the 720p master.

Credit packs: 7 credits for $6.99, 16 for $14.99, 50 for $44.99. Credits last 12 months. Pricing

Put your cat in the band

One cat, or the whole clowder

What the model does with the photo

What is Cat Tiny Desk AI?

How to make a cat Tiny Desk video

Add one photo per cat

Pick a resolution

Download in a few minutes

Five seats for five cats

What makes a good cat photo

Works

Does not work

What a cat band costs

Cat Tiny Desk AI FAQ

Keep reading

Other pet versions

Your cat, 19 seconds, on stage