Create a video gift
Create a video gift

No upfront payment

How do you surprise a grandmother who has seen it all? Show her everyone she loves in one video. Her children, grandchildren and old friends each add a photo with her and a few words, and the photos become one professionally made video. The video above is a real example, made for a mother’s 65th birthday.

A frame from the example video: two women sitting together on a sofa in front of a bookshelf, the message “Love you, my dear!”, and a round portrait labelled “Photo from Kate”.

Perfect video gift for Grandma’s birthday

Video gift for Mom’s 65th birthday

Watch on YouTube

Everyone adds photos

What happens when every generation sends a photo?

Grandma sees her whole life on one screen. Her own children, her grandchildren, the little ones and the friends she grew up with, one photo after another, each with a few words and a small round portrait of the person who sent it. Picture her birthday: the family by the TV, and Grandma naming every face.

  • On her TV
  • Every generation
  • Her old friends too
  • A vertical frame from the example video: two women sitting together on a sofa in front of a bookshelf, the message “Love you, my dear!”, and a round portrait labelled “Photo from Kate”.
    Love you, my dear!Kate
  • A vertical frame from the example video: an old color photo of adults and children standing in front of a mountain stadium, the message “Remember how young we were...”, and a round portrait labelled “Photo from Anna”.
    Remember how young we were...Anna
  • A vertical frame from the example video: an old black-and-white photo of a young woman in a dark coat, the message “Your college days, Mom”, and a round portrait labelled “Photo from Alex”.
    Your college days, MomAlex
  • A vertical frame from the example video: an old black-and-white photo of a family group on a hillside, with two children and a baby, the message “Congrats! Miss you!”, and a round portrait labelled “Photo from Emma”.
    Congrats! Miss you!Emma

These frames come from our example, a surprise for a mother’s 65th birthday. Eight people from three countries sent 19 photos in two days, and according to the family she kept stopping the video to remember where each photo was taken.

How do you include Grandma’s old friends and sisters?

Send them the link the way they already talk. The invitation is plain text with a link, so it works in a text message or an email. It opens in any browser and needs no account. If a great-aunt is unsure, a grandchild can sit with her and add the photo together on one phone.

  • A text or an email

    Paste the ready invitation into a text message or an email.

  • A helper next to them

    A grandchild and a great-aunt add the photo together.

  • A photo of a print

    Her sister’s album photo, taken with a phone in daylight.

Her friends often hold the photos the family has never seen: the trip, the dance, the office party decades ago. Those frames are the ones she will talk about all evening.

How do you add photos from Grandma’s old albums?

Borrow the album for an afternoon and photograph a few pages. Do it by a window in daylight, without flash, with the phone held straight above each print. If a print sits under a plastic sleeve, slide it out or tilt the phone a little to avoid glare. That is enough for a video frame.

  • A frame from the example video: an old black-and-white photo of three women and a boy sitting in the grass, the message “Love you, sis!”, and a round portrait labelled “Photo from Lilia”.
    “Love you, sis!” Photo from Lilia
  • A frame from the example video: an old black-and-white family portrait of a woman, a small boy and a man, the message “And here I am!”, and a round portrait labelled “Photo from Leo”.
    “And here I am!” Photo from Leo
  • A frame from the example video: an old sepia family portrait of a mother, a father and two boys, the message “The whole family together”, and a round portrait labelled “Photo from Alex”.
    “The whole family together” Photo from Alex

All three frames above are old family photos from our example. More tips are in How to collect photos from the whole family.

Send a link

Can older relatives manage the link themselves?

Usually yes, because there are only three taps. Open the link, tap to upload a photo, type a few words. There is no app to install, no account and no video to record, so nobody has to be good with technology or comfortable on camera.

  1. Step 1Open the link.
  2. Step 2Tap to upload a photo with Grandma.
  3. Step 3Type a few words. Done.
  • No sign-up
  • No app

Lines that fit the 40-character limit:

  • “Love you, Grandma!”

  • “Your apple pie is still the best.”

  • “Thank you for every summer.”

  • “You taught me to knit.”

  • “Happy birthday, dear friend!”

  • “Remember our trip to the sea?”

Happy tears for everybody, memories forever.

How should Grandma watch it?

On a big screen, with the family around her. Play the 16:9 version on her TV from a laptop or a USB stick and sit next to her, so she can tell you about each photo. Then send the 9:16 version to the relatives who could not come.

  1. On her TV. After payment, download the 16:9 version in HD and play it from a laptop or a USB stick.
  2. With someone next to her. Let her pause and talk. The stories are part of the gift.
  3. On the family’s phones. Send the 9:16 version or the link to everyone who was far away.

Two promises

  • No selfie videosGuests add a photo and a few words. Nobody has to film themselves.
  • No upfront paymentStart free and watch the preview first. You pay once, after you see the video.
Happy tears for everybody, memories forever.

Start Grandma’s video. Add a few photos, post one link for the family and watch the video before you pay.

Create a video gift

Free to start. No upfront payment.

The practical part

What you get, the three steps, when to start and what it costs.

What are the key facts?

You get two videos from the same photos: 16:9 for her TV and 9:16 for phones. Her video holds 10 to 30 photos and is ready in up to 10 hours after you press the button. It costs $39 for up to 15 photos or $49 for up to 30, after a free preview.

  • all generationsGuestschildren, grandchildren, old friends.
  • welcomeOld printsa phone photo of a print works.
  • 16:9For her TVplus a 9:16 version for phones.
  • up to 10 hBuild timeafter you press “Make the video”.

How do you make it? Three steps for the organizer

Add a few photos, send one link, press “Make the video”. With 10 photos or more, the video is built in up to 10 hours. Watch the free preview with the family, and change photos, texts or their order before you pay.

  1. Step 1Add a few photosStart with your own photos of Grandma.
  2. Step 2Send one linkPost the ready message in the family chat and text it to her friends.
  3. Step 3Press “Make the video”It needs 10 photos in all. Watch the free preview, fix anything, pay once.

The app writes the invitation for you, with the name you enter:

  • Hi! 🎁 I’m making a surprise video for Grandma from everyone’s photos, and I’d love you to be in it. Could you add photos with Grandma (and a short line for each), ideally today? Just photos: no selfie video, no sign-up, about a minute. Know anyone else who should be in it? Pass the link on. Shh, it’s a secret!

How early should you start?

About a week before her birthday. Her friends and older relatives may need a day or two longer, so send the link early and remind once. The video is built in up to 10 hours after you press “Make the video”. If it is not ready within 20 hours, you can cancel the order and go back to editing.

How much does it cost?

Grandma’s video costs $39 for up to 15 photos or $49 for up to 30. Starting and watching the preview are free, with no upfront payment. Both versions and the music are included, and anyone who has the gift link can pay, so the family can share the cost.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good birthday gift for Grandma from the whole family?

A video made of photos from everyone who loves her: children, grandchildren, the little ones and her old friends. Each person adds a photo with her and a few words, and the photos become one professionally made video.

How can Grandma’s old friends take part if they are not in the family chat?

Send them the link by text message or email. It opens in any browser and needs no account. A grandchild can also sit with them and add the photo together on one phone.

Can older relatives add a photo without help?

Usually yes. They open the link, tap to upload a photo and type a few words. There is no app, no sign-up and no video to record.

How do we add photos from her old albums?

Take a phone photo of each print in daylight, without flash, with the phone held straight above it. That is enough for a video frame, and the app opens a quick crop when needed.

How should Grandma watch the video?

On her TV with the family around her. Download the 16:9 version and play it from a laptop or a USB stick. Both versions can be downloaded in HD without the watermark by anyone with the link, once the video is paid for.

How many photos does the video need?

At least 10 photos in total and up to 30. Each person can add several photos, so five relatives sending two photos each are enough.

How much does a birthday video for Grandma cost?

Starting and watching the preview are free. Grandma’s video costs $39 for up to 15 photos or $49 for up to 30, paid once after the preview, with the TV and phone versions included.

Ready to make Grandma’s video?

Add a few photos, send one link and watch the video before you pay. Nobody records a selfie video, and nobody needs an app.

Create a video gift

Free to start. No upfront payment.

Sources and how we checked

The FromAll.gift details (photo counts, the 40-character limit, downloads, price, timing) come from our own service. The example video was made by a family for a mother’s birthday and is shown with their permission. What happened when she watched it is the account of the organizer’s family.

Portrait of Jane A., author of the FromAll.gift guides

Who wrote this. Jane A. writes the guides on FromAll.gift. We make one of the services mentioned here, so details about other services show the page and the date we checked.

FromAll.gift is the new version of FromFoto, which has been turning photos into videos for 8 years and has made 112,000 of them. Those videos were made for one customer at a time; FromAll.gift adds new visuals and one shared link, so a whole group can contribute to one video. About FromAll.gift