The 6 AI crying templates
Each one below is a template people actually post. The first four are built into our generator — upload a selfie and pick the scene. All six work as DIY prompts: open image-to-video in CapCut, Dreamina or Kling, attach your selfie, paste the prompt.
01 · Night Street Walk-Away — The viral original
Smile → tears → you turn and walk away under warm street lamps. The version that made the trend.
Use my photo as the person — keep my face, hair and outfit exactly the same. Vertical 9:16, one continuous cinematic shot, 10 seconds. A quiet city street at night after rain, warm amber street lamps, wet pavement reflecting the lights, blurred strangers far behind. I look just past the camera with a soft hopeful smile. Slowly the smile breaks: my chin trembles, my eyes turn red and glassy and fill with water, and real tears spill over and run down both cheeks. Then I turn away and walk slowly down the street, back to the camera. Slow push-in, 35mm film look, shallow depth of field, subtle realistic acting, no text.
Rather not prompt? Make the Night Street Walk-Away version from your selfie →
02 · Close-Up Tears Effect — CapCut-style
A tight close-up: the smile fades, eyes redden and glisten, tears roll down. Keeps the focus on your face.
Animate my photo into a close-up crying video, 9:16, 8–10 seconds. Keep my face, hair, outfit and background exactly as in the photo. Start with my soft natural smile. The smile slowly fades, my eyes become red, moist and glistening, and lifelike tears roll down my cheeks one after another. I blink, look down, wipe one cheek with the back of my hand and look back at the camera. Natural, not over the top. Soft light, gentle push-in, photorealistic skin, no text.
Rather not prompt? Make the Close-Up Tears Effect version from your selfie →
03 · Holding Back Tears — Subtle
Glassy eyes, a brave smile, one tear escapes. Popular for the “when you see your crush with someone else” captions.
Use my photo; keep my face, head covering, outfit and background exactly the same. Vertical 9:16, 8 seconds, cinematic close-up. I'm looking at someone just off camera with a gentle smile. My eyes slowly turn red and glassy and fill with tears, but I keep smiling bravely; one tear escapes and rolls slowly down my cheek, and I swallow hard. Moist eyes, subtle redness, natural blinking, soft warm light, emotional and quiet, photorealistic, no text.
Rather not prompt? Make the Holding Back Tears version from your selfie →
04 · Crying in the Rain — Moody
Neon signs, steady rain — tears and raindrops running together as you look up into the sky.
Use my photo as the person — same face, hair and outfit. Vertical 9:16, 10 seconds, one continuous shot. A narrow city street at night in steady rain, pink and teal neon reflecting on the wet ground, hair and clothes getting wet. I look at the camera with a fragile smile, then my eyes fill and real tears run down my face, mixing with the rain. I close my eyes and tilt my face up into the rain, then slowly look back at the camera. Cinematic, 35mm, shallow depth of field, no text.
Rather not prompt? Make the Crying in the Rain version from your selfie →
05 · Car Window at Night — DIY prompt
Sitting in a parked car, city lights sliding across your face, tears you didn't want anyone to see.
Use my photo; keep my face, hair and outfit the same. Vertical 9:16, 8 seconds. I sit in the passenger seat of a parked car at night, city lights and raindrops on the window casting soft moving light across my face. I smile faintly at my phone off screen, then the smile drops, my eyes fill with tears and they run down my cheeks; I turn to look out of the window, breathing shakily. Handheld, intimate, cinematic, photorealistic, no text.
06 · Train Station Goodbye — DIY prompt
A platform, a departing train, a wave that turns into tears. The long-distance heartbreak version.
Use my photo; keep my face, hair and outfit exactly the same. Vertical 9:16, 10 seconds. A train platform at dusk, a train pulling away behind me, warm platform lights. I wave and smile toward the leaving train, then my hand drops, my smile breaks and tears run down both cheeks. I hold my coat tight and walk away along the platform, back to the camera. Cinematic, soft film grain, photorealistic, no text.
The close-up template, rendered
Real, unedited output from the Window Tears scene — the face, hijab and outfit come from one selfie (an AI-generated sample person):
Window Tears · Full tears
Window Tears · Holding it in
Free AI crying prompt builder
Pick a scene, how hard you cry and the ending — the prompt rewrites itself. Copy it into any image-to-video tool and attach your selfie.
Use my photo as the only person — keep my face, hairstyle, skin tone and outfit exactly as in the photo. Vertical 9:16, 10 seconds, one single continuous cinematic shot, slow gentle push-in. Setting: a quiet city street at night after rain, warm amber street lamps, wet pavement reflecting the lights, blurred strangers far behind. At first I look just past the camera with a soft, hopeful smile, as if at someone I love. Slowly my smile breaks: my chin trembles, my eyes turn red and glassy and fill with water, and real tears spill over and run down both cheeks, leaving shiny wet tear tracks. Then I press my lips together, turn away from the camera and walk slowly away, back to the camera. Photorealistic, 35mm film texture, shallow depth of field, natural skin texture, tears catching the light, subtle realistic acting. No text, no captions, no logos, no other people in focus.
Using the CapCut AI crying template
- Update CapCut, open Templates (or the AI effects tab) and search “AI crying”.
- Open a template whose preview matches the look you want — night street, close-up or rain — and tap Use template.
- Add one clear, front-facing selfie. Group photos, sunglasses and side angles make the face drift.
- Wait for it to render, check the face still looks like you, then export without the end-card if your plan allows.
- Post to TikTok or Reels and add a sad piano or heartbreak sound there.
Can't find it? Templates rotate by country and app version. Use Dreamina's image-to-video with a prompt from this page, or make it on aicrying.org — no app.
Prompt tips that make the tears real
- Name the tears. “Real tears spill over and run down both cheeks, leaving shiny wet tear tracks” — otherwise you get a dry frown.
- Order the face. Smile first, then the break. The contrast is the whole effect.
- One continuous shot. Cuts confuse image-to-video models and the face drifts between them.
- Ban the overacting. Add “subtle, realistic acting, no screaming, no wide-open mouth”.
- Keep the details. Mention glasses, a hijab, a nose ring or curls so the model doesn't drop them.
- Generate 2–3 takes. Every take is a new performance; keep the one that still looks like you.
FAQ
Where is the AI crying template in CapCut?
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Open CapCut, go to Templates (or AI effects) and search “AI crying” or “crying AI”. Pick a template with a night-street or close-up preview, tap Use template, add one clear selfie and export. Templates rotate and differ by country, so if none shows up, use image-to-video in Dreamina with one of the prompts on this page.
What is the best prompt for an AI crying video?
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Describe the face in order and name the tears: a soft smile → the smile fades, the chin trembles → eyes turn red and glassy and fill with water → real tears run down both cheeks → an ending (walk away, wipe the tears, look up). Keep it one continuous shot, 8–12 seconds, 9:16.
Why does the AI not make me cry, just frown?
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The prompt is too vague. “Sad” or “emotional” gives a frowning dry face. Spell out the tears — “real tears spill over and run down both cheeks, leaving wet tear tracks” — and generate two or three takes.
Can I keep my own background?
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Yes. Use the “Close-Up Tears Effect” prompt or choose “Keep my background” in the builder: it tells the model to keep the light, background and framing of your photo and only animate your face.
Is there a free AI crying template?
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CapCut's template and Dreamina/Kling's free credits can be enough for one video, and every prompt here is free. Our generator is paid once per video, with no subscription — no app or prompt writing needed.
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