Valentine's Day: A test for generating a video for my friend

Last night, I received a Valentine-themed video in Arabic from a colleague. Although I couldn’t understand the lyrics, I caught the words “إيميلي إيميلي” at the end, which means “Emily, Emily.” I was deeply moved, not just by the song but by the warmth of having such a thoughtful colleague and friend. However, this friend has been separated from his wife for nearly two years due to circumstances beyond their control. The thought of their situation brought tears to my eyes as I drifted off to sleep. 😢

When I woke up, an idea came to me: why not create a video for my colleague and his wife? I’m familiar with Adobe Premiere, but I wanted to try some new AI-powered video generation tools.

The Search for the Right AI Video Tool

My goal was to use some pictures of my colleague and his wife, along with a romantic song I downloaded from YouTube, to create a heartwarming video that tells their story. I envisioned a video with a cohesive color palette fitting the Valentine’s theme, rather than just a simple slideshow of pictures.

I tried several well-known AI video tools, including Pictory, AI Studios, and Animoto. Unfortunately, none of them met my expectations. Here’s what I encountered:

1. Limited Creativity: Most tools simply combined the uploaded pictures with the background music and then pulled random videos based on keywords from my description. The selected clips were often irrelevant, with mismatched colors that disrupted the storytelling.
2. Poor Thematic Consistency: Even when the tools found videos, they lacked a consistent aesthetic. The Valentine’s theme I hoped for was nowhere to be seen.
3. Lack of Genuine Storytelling: I expected the AI to generate visuals that evoke emotions and convey a narrative, but most results felt generic and disconnected.

After spending the entire morning experimenting with these tools (yes, I usually stay focused on my research, but this was a special occasion for a friend, right? 🫡), I eventually gave up and switched back to Adobe Premiere. Ironically, the time I had hoped to save by using AI tools was lost in the process.

Reflections on the Current State of AI Video Tools

While I’ve seen some impressive AI-generated content online, my experience today was disappointing. It made me reflect on a few key points:

1. Customization is Key: Personalization should be at the core of any AI tool. If every user ends up with the same generic video style, the tool loses its value.
2. AI and the Future of Interfaces: In the future, we might move away from portal websites altogether. Tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek could become personal digital assistants, helping us book tickets, plan trips, or even create personalized videos directly through natural conversations.
3. Personality in AI Products: Different AI tools seem to have distinct personalities. For instance, while DeepSeek impresses me with its deep knowledge of Chinese history, it often comes across as overly formal. In contrast, ChatGPT feels like a genuine friend—one who encourages me to become a better version of myself. In fact, I often refer to ChatGPT as “she” because of the warmth and support I feel in our interactions.

Final Thoughts

While today’s AI video tools fell short, I remain hopeful that more intuitive and creative solutions will emerge in the near future. Until then, I’ll stick with Adobe Premiere for my special video projects.

And to my friend: Due to time limitation, I finally sent a sentence to my friend but not a video. I hope this small gesture brings a smile to your face and warms your heart, just as your thoughtful Valentine’s video did for me. ❤️