Create Animated Avatars

Update: it appears Grok is no longer free to use for animating pictures. There is an option for 3 day free trial, use it wisely.

Hi all.

After getting several requests to do so, I created a guide on how to create avatars like mine.

This is the exact workflow I use. In this example, I’ll use Goku in the style of 1600's statesportrait, (see result in my avatar) but this works for any character or style.

TL;DR

1. Generate a 1600’s state portrait in ChatGPT.

2. Crop to 1:1 (or crop later in the GIF tool).

3. Animate in Grok → Imagine → Animate Photos.

4. Download video.

5. Upload to Ezgif → Convert “To GIF” at 24fps.

6. Resize to 400x400.

7. Use Optimize GIF (bottom button).

8. Final file should be 400x400 and under 10MB.
   Done.
   

Full Step-By-Step Guide

Generate a 1600’s state portrait in ChatGPT.
Go to ChatGPT and generate an image using a prompt like:

“Create a 1600’s state portrait of Goku.”

With just this short prompt, you should get a classical oil painting style portrait — dramatic lighting, regal posture, detailed clothing, old-master aesthetic.

This is your base image. You can use this method for any character or style, just adjust the prompt.

2. Crop to 1:1 (Make the image square).

WarEra avatars work best in a 1:1 ratio.
The easiest method:

• Open the image in your phone gallery

• Tap "Edit"

• Crop to a (near) perfect square
  
  (We can also use the crop function on the video-to-GIF site later in this tutorial for this, but doing it now keeps things clean and makes the next steps easier.)
  
  Keep in mind that the avatar will finally be in a circle, so keep the face centered for best result:
  
  

  

Now you have your square portrait ready for animation.

3. Animate in Grok

• Open the Grok app.

• Go to "Imagine"

• Tap the “+” at the bottom

• Select “Animate Photos”

• Upload your square portrait

Grok will automatically generate an animated version.

Step 4 – Refine the Animation

After the animation is generated, use the prompt box at the bottom to customize it.
For my example, I'll keep it simple, and just ask:

"Make him go Super Saiyan"

Grok generates:

Regenerate until you're satisfied.
Once happy, download the video.

Step 5 – Convert the Video to GIF

I personally use the Ezgif website, but other tools work too.

• Go to the ezgif website

• Video to Gif

• Upload your video

• Click “To GIF”

• Set framerate to 24 fps (max)

• Click Convert

After processing, it will display:

• The output GIF

• File size

• Width & height

It likely won’t meet Warera requirements yet, the GIF needs to be:

• 400x400 dimension

• Under 10MB filesize

So if needed, do the following (still in Ezgif):

Step 6 – Resize to 400x400

1. Click “Resize”

2. Set:

   • Width: 400

   • Height: 400

3. No need to change anything else

4. Click “Resize Image”

Now your GIF is 400x400.

Step 7 – Optimize the GIF
To reduce file size:

• Click “Optimize GIF”

• Do not change any settings

• Scroll down and click the Optimize GIF button at the bottom of the page

This compresses the GIF while maintaining as much quality as possible.

After this step, your file should:

• Be 400x400

• Be under 10MB

• Be ready for upload to Warera

Final Result (See my avatar)

You now have a fully animated 1600’s state portrait avatar ready for Warera
You can repeat this workflow with:

• Different characters

• Different historical styles

• Whatever you can think of really

Once you get the hang of it, you can create these in minutes.