Does the person have to be by a pool?

It works best that way, but any scene with a pale surface behind the subject can carry the ripple light.

Does the camera move?

No. The camera holds still so the moving light does all the work.

Can I use a different model, or make it longer?

Yes. Five seconds on MiniMax H3 is the default; before you generate you can set up to 15 seconds or 2K on H3, or switch to another model listed for this effect in Studio, such as Wan 3.0 for up to 30 seconds. The Generate button shows the updated price first. Our samples were made on MiniMax H3, so other models may interpret the prompt a little differently.

Will it change what's in my photo?

No. The effect only adds motion, light and atmosphere; everyone in the photo stays exactly as they appear in it. The default model doesn't filter photos. Some models you can switch to in Studio apply their own content filters and may turn a photo down.

Is my result private?

Yes. Your upload and the finished clip stay private to your account and never appear on a public page.

Each effect defaults to a five-second clip priced in US dollars on the Generate button. Before you run it, you can switch to a different model, adjust the length, or change the resolution in Studio, and the price on the Generate button updates to match. An ordinary failed or expired run normally releases the reserved amount. For a content refusal, follow the selected model’s billing policy.

Will this effect change how the person in my photo looks?

Your photo anchors the subject; the effect adds the motion and look described in its prompt. Check the face, hands and clothing in the result. If a gesture distorts them, try a clearer crop or a simpler movement.

Can I upload a photo of someone else?

Only one you have the right to use, and never to make intimate content of a real person without their documented consent. The content policy has the full rule.

Pool Light AI Video Effect

Styles

After Dark

Laser Room

Color Smoke

Silk Drop

Petal Storm

Slow Shutter

Candlelight

Behind the Hair

Call Me

Champagne Toast

Darkroom Red

Doorway Lean

Eyes on You

Join Me

Pool Light

Late-Night Dance

Club Strobe

Romance

Kiss

Camera moves

Tiny Planet

Transform

Molten Gold

Fashion

Mirror Glance

Atmosphere

Lace Shadows

Motion

Groove

Fun

Meltdown

Product

Ingredients Burst

Film looks

Film Burn

Video templates

The Glance Back

Candles Come Alive

Silk Drift

Neon After Hours

Sway Under the Lamp

Mirror Moment

Morning Light

Passing Headlights

Whisper Session

Slow Push-In

Half Orbit

Drone Rise

This effect writes the prompt for you. Add one image.

We never filter your prompt.

Back to the studio

Pool lights switch on and turquoise water ripples of light crawl across the person's face and the wall behind them.

MiniMax H3

Model: MiniMax H3
Length: 5 s
Resolution: 768p
Per run: $0.185
Type: After Dark
Also runs on: Seedance 2.0 Fast, Seedance 2.0, Wan 3.0, Vidu Q3 Turbo, Wan 2.6 Flash, Seedance 2.0 Mini

What this effect sends

This is the full prompt, word for word. Copy it, or open it in the generator and change anything you like.

Within the first second bright underwater light from a swimming pool bursts on, and turquoise water caustics flood the scene. Rippling bands of light dance over the person's face, neck and the background behind them, shifting and flowing constantly. By the third second the whole frame is alive with shimmering water light; they tilt their head, let their gaze drift through the ripples, then meet the lens with a smile and hold it. The camera holds still. The person stays exactly as they appear in the photo.

Customize in the generator

Pictures that work best

A dark, evenly lit starting photo gives the sudden light more contrast.
A light-colored wall behind the person shows the ripple pattern clearly.
Keep the camera angle steady and the subject facing the lens.
Avoid photos where the person is already in the water; the effect is written for the poolside.

Models this effect runs on

The same prompt on different models. Pick by look and by price.

MiniMax H3$0.185 per run
5 s · 768p
Seedance 2.0 Fast$0.484 per run
5 s · 720p
Seedance 2.0$0.76 per run
5 s · 720p
Wan 3.0$0.45 per run
5 s · 720p
Vidu Q3 Turbo$0.33 per run
5 s · 720p
Wan 2.6 Flash$0.113 per run
5 s · 720p
Seedance 2.0 Mini$0.265 per run
5 s · 720p

How it works

01
Add one photo
Choose the photo to match the example: include both people for a shared gesture, and keep the face and any hands involved clearly visible. Upload your own photo or start with a Pool Light sample.
02
Check the price
Pool Light defaults to a 5-second clip for $0.185. Swap the model or change the length and resolution before you run — the price on the button updates to match, and that's the whole cost of the clip.
03
Generate
Your Pool Light clip renders in the background, lands in History and is never published.

Do the move yourself

Pool Light keeps one version of this shot. To give Pool Light your own motion or ending, write it yourself in Image to Video, starting from the prompt above.

Open Image to Video

What it does to your photo

Pool Light turns a quiet night scene into shimmering water. Within the first second bright underwater light bursts on and turquoise water caustics flood the scene. Rippling bands of light dance across the face, neck and the background, shifting and flowing constantly. By the third second the whole frame is alive with shimmering water light. The person tilts their head, lets their gaze drift through the ripples, then meets the lens with a smile and holds it. The camera stays still.

In our test runs on MiniMax H3, a man with short spiky hair in a white linen shirt sitting by a backyard pool at night was flooded with turquoise underwater light within the first second, rippling caustic patterns filling the frame behind him and drifting over his shirt and face as he tilted his head with eyes closed, then by second four he met the lens with a smile.

Night or dusk photos near a pool, with a pale wall or surface behind the person, show the light pattern best. Photos in bright daylight already have strong light, so the change is less visible. Chest-up framing keeps the ripples on the face. The effect leaves the person exactly as they are in your photo and only adds the motion, light and atmosphere.

It runs on MiniMax H3 for five seconds by default, and H3 itself goes up to 15 seconds and 2K if you want more. Studio also lets you move the same prompt to another model before you generate, such as Seedance 2.0 or Wan 3.0, and the price on the Generate button updates with every change. Our samples were all made on MiniMax H3, so other models will read the prompt in their own way.

Works well for summer clips, hotel and travel content and mood portraits.

The prompt says "bright underwater light from a swimming pool bursts on" and "meet the lens with a smile". Try changing the light color to deep blue or green, or end on a calm, serious look.