Animated Drawings and Sketch Metademolab: What to Know Before You Try It
The difference between Meta's Animated Drawings research and the independent AnimatedDrawings.co app, with original research links and the current product steps.
Animated Drawings, Sketch Metademolab and Meta AI can refer readers to different projects. Meta's research demo and AnimatedDrawings.co are separate products.
This note links the original research, explains the independent app, and helps you choose the right starting point for your task.
Where the Meta research fits
Meta's April 13, 2023 research article describes a demo launched in late 2021, followed by shared animation code and a dataset. At that time, Meta reported more than 3.2 million people had visited the demo and 6.7 million images had been uploaded. Those historical figures describe Meta's demo, not this app or current search demand.
The official AnimatedDrawings code repository accompanies the research paper. Its owner archived it on September 3, 2025, so check its documentation and maintenance status if you are looking for code.
What the Meta research demo did
The research describes detecting a humanlike figure, separating it from the background, estimating its pose and animating it. In that demo, a person could correct the detected outline and joint positions and choose an action.
Those instructions belong to the research demo. The preparation steps and controls in AnimatedDrawings.co are different.
How AnimatedDrawings.co is different
AnimatedDrawings.co is an independent web app. It is not Meta, not FAIR, and not an official Meta product.
The current app accepts a single image you choose, such as:
- a finished drawing
- a pet photo
- an anime or game character
- a painting
- a photograph from your camera roll
It creates one five-second, 1080p video with generated sound. You do not place joint markers, write a prompt or choose a preset action. The movement and sound are an interpretation, and details can change; it does not recover the original scene or a person's real voice.
If you came from Meta AI or Sketch Metademolab
Here is the easiest way to decide where to start:
| You have | What to try |
|---|---|
| A research or coding task | Use Meta's official article and repository above. |
| A finished drawing or painting | Read the drawing preparation guide before choosing the image. |
| A photo or character image for a short video | Check the current app's capabilities, including its limits. |
| A Moment you already created here | Open it in Moments to watch, download or share it. |
An account or purchase here belongs to AnimatedDrawings.co, not to Meta's research project. Current signup does not include free generation credits.
Before you create here
If you are comparing tools, start small.
Choose one image you already care enough to open again. It does not need to be perfect. It only needs a clear subject and a reason to be tried.
Check the credit cost and confirm generation when you are ready. A successful Moment is saved automatically, and you can decide whether to download or share it. There is no separate paid Keep step or new-direction control on the saved result.
For the full sequence, read the current walkthrough.