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Times Square Billboard AI Video: See Yourself on the Giant Screen

Watch your portrait shine as the centerpiece of a fashion poster displayed on a towering Times Square screen, captured on a rainy night. The shot begins with your face and zooms out across the glistening pavement, yellow taxis and umbrellas below. Upload a single photo of yourself, or your pet.

Original reel
  • 1 photo you add
  • 10 s clip with sound
  • 9:16 for TikTok, Reels, Shorts
  • No watermark

No prompt to write: Add your photo and tap once

Create your own

Ready in a few minutes · From 56 credits

The Times Square billboard AI trend places you on New York's most famous screens without the rental fee: you appear as the centerpiece of a fashion poster on a towering display after dark, while the camera zooms out over rain-soaked streets. All you need is one good photo of yourself, or your pet.

Also called AI billboard · Fashion billboard Times Square · Billboard surprise

Step by step

Steps to create the Times Square Billboard video on Smew AI

The entire process happens in your browser. No editing software needed, no prompt writing required, no watermark added.

  1. Upload your photo

    Click "Create your own" and upload a clear face shot. Capture it with your camera or select from your gallery.

  2. Click Generate

    The button displays the cost. Seedance 2.5 creates the Times Square Billboard scene directly from your photo, skipping intermediate images, producing 10 seconds with original audio. No prompt needed.

  3. Save or post

    Your video renders in minutes as a 9:16 MP4. Save it, post from your device, or retrieve it later from your Library.

What kind of photo works best?

Upload one photo: yourself for You, or your pet for Pet.

  • Direct camera view, in focus and properly lit, without sunglasses. The video begins with a close-up of the massive screen, putting your face front and center: use a clear shot.
  • Head and shoulders or waist up produces the best results. The poster dresses you in a glittering evening look with pink feathered wings; your facial features and hair remain authentic.
  • One subject per photo, ensuring the AI features the correct face on the display.
  • For pets: entire head in focus, eyes visible, photographed in natural light. Furry animals look especially striking with the pink wings.
  • Upload your own image, or one from a friend with permission. Never use celebrities or strangers.

Origins of the Times Square Billboard trend

Displaying yourself on a Times Square billboard is an actual service people purchase. Multiple screens offer brief time slots, and couples, families and small businesses record the experience for TikTok. The most popular Times Square billboard surprise post we located, featuring a woman who surprised her boyfriend on his birthday, reached 713,800 views (24 October 2024). Pet owners participate too: Doug the Pug shared his Times Square billboard in December 2024.

AI brought down the cost. Starting in September 2025, AI template platforms offered "your photo on a billboard" effects, and in January 2026 a CapCut post introduced a "Fashion billboard Times Square" AI filter: transforming your photo into a fashion advertisement on a tower, set on a wet street with yellow cabs. In September 2026 guides for a social media billboard AI effect (placing your profile on a massive roadside display) exceeded a million views. Then on 19 October 2026, one day following a major fashion show, an AI video application launched ads for the animated version: a single selfie transforms into the focal point of a "Fashion Show 2026" poster on a Times Square screen, at night in the rain. On TikTok, #timessquarebillboard contains 555 videos and 13.2 million views (21 October 2026).

  1. A TikTok creator shares how she surprised her boyfriend with a birthday billboard in Times Square; the post reaches 713,800 views by October 2026. TikTok

  2. Doug the Pug posts gratitude to Santa for his Times Square billboard appearance, among many pet billboard posts. TikTok

  3. A CapCut post demonstrates a "Fashion billboard Times Square" AI filter: converting one photo into a fashion advertisement on a tower screen overlooking a wet street with yellow cabs. TikTok

  4. A guide for a social media billboard AI effect, displaying your profile on a massive roadside screen, is shared; it reaches 1.1 million views by October 2026. TikTok

  5. An AI video application begins advertising the animated version: transforming one selfie into the star of a fashion show poster on a massive Times Square screen at night, in the rain.

  6. On TikTok, #timessquarebillboard contains 555 videos and 13.2 million views, and #aibillboard holds 49 videos.

Copy and paste

The Times Square Billboard prompts

You don't need this: the single-tap workflow handles it for you. [Image 1] is your photo: the video model uses it as reference and creates the scene directly from it, skipping the photo generation step.

You

1 photo: you, face clearSeedance 2.5 Video Edit10 s · 720p · 9:16126 credits
Video prompt

Edit [Video 1]. Replace only the explicitly mapped source subjects in place: [Image 1] replaces the performer shown inside the billboard content, never a passer-by below; photo slot: You, face clear, in every shot where that subject appears. [Image 1]: Copy the uploaded person's face, facial structure, eyes, skin tone, age, hair and facial hair or absence of facial hair. Remove source facial hair or hairstyles that the upload does not have. Keep identity consistent across every shot. Keep the source outfit unless the selected variant explicitly changes it or requires a body/species change. Selected variant: You / main. Apply only the requested cast, wardrobe, setting or effect changes for this variant; preserve the source action and shot timing instead of inventing a new scene sequence. Use the complete preview as the source for the Times Square Billboard / You variant. Preserve its actual action, effect progression, camera moves, shot sequence, physical interactions and mouth/jaw timing. Photo-role labels determine the intended identity assignment; never assign uploaded faces to unrelated background people or props. Track each source subject through front, profile, back and occluded views. Keep all non-target subjects unchanged. Never duplicate an uploaded identity, merge subjects, swap their roles or transfer an identity to a prop or background subject. Preserve the complete source video from its first frame to its last: source duration, frame order, every shot boundary, playback speed, camera movement, framing, lighting and original performance; keep background/props unless the selected variant explicitly changes them. Preserve each subject's original head, gaze, body, hand/paw gestures, expression, mouth and jaw opening/closing and their exact source timing. Do not create a new dance, scene, shot list, dialogue or lyrics. Do not add, remove, reorder, shorten, extend or retime shots or actions. Produce silent video. The matching unmodified original soundtrack is restored separately after this edit. Do not generate speech, singing or music. Do not add new captions, subtitles, logos or a watermark.

2143 characters
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Pet

1 photo: your pet, face clearSeedance 2.5 Video Edit10 s · 1080p · 9:1656 credits
Video prompt

Edit [Video 1]. Replace only the explicitly mapped source subjects in place: [Image 1] replaces the performer shown inside the billboard content, never a passer-by below; photo slot: Your pet, face clear, in every shot where that subject appears. [Image 1]: Replace the ENTIRE mapped performer in EVERY source shot with the uploaded pet's actual species, face, muzzle, eyes, ears, fur, markings and coherent animal body. Replace human skin, hands, fingers, torso, sleeves and clothing belonging to this target with the pet's own fur and natural paws. Foreground hands belonging to this performer are included. Paws follow source gesture timing and limb trajectories without becoming five-fingered human hands. Never put a pet head on the source human body. Other separately mapped human roles stay human. Selected variant: Pet / best. Apply only the requested cast, wardrobe, setting or effect changes for this variant; preserve the source action and shot timing instead of inventing a new scene sequence. Use the complete preview as the source for the Times Square Billboard / Pet variant. Preserve its actual action, effect progression, camera moves, shot sequence, physical interactions and mouth/jaw timing. Photo-role labels determine the intended identity assignment; never assign uploaded faces to unrelated background people or props. Track each source subject through front, profile, back and occluded views. Keep all non-target subjects unchanged. Never duplicate an uploaded identity, merge subjects, swap their roles or transfer an identity to a prop or background subject. Preserve the complete source video from its first frame to its last: source duration, frame order, every shot boundary, playback speed, camera movement, framing, lighting and original performance; keep background/props unless the selected variant explicitly changes them. Preserve each subject's original head, gaze, body, hand/paw gestures, expression, mouth and jaw opening/closing and their exact source timing. Do not create a new dance, scene, shot list, dialogue or lyrics. Do not add, remove, reorder, shorten, extend or retime shots or actions. Produce silent video. The matching unmodified original soundtrack is restored separately after this edit. Do not generate speech, singing or music. Do not add new captions, subtitles, logos or a watermark.

2351 characters
Make it in one tap

Credit cost breakdown

You pay in credits. The Generate button shows this price before you spend anything. These are the options on this page.

OptionModelWhat you getCredits
YouSeedance 2.5 Video Edit10 s · 720p · 9:16126
Pet: StandardSeedance 2.5 Video Edit10 s · 1080p · 9:1656
Pet: BestSeedance 2.5 Video Edit10 s · 720p · 9:16128

One-time packs and plans are on the pricing page. A failed video gives its credits back.

Timeline of the Times Square billboard AI video, moment by moment

TimeWhat you see
0 to 3 sClose view of a massive screen on a building, seen from street level: your image dominates a fashion show poster, featuring pink feathered wings and a vibrant pink glow. It animates like a video advertisement: wind through your hair, a gentle blink, a subtle smile. Light rain drifts through the illumination.
3 to 8 sThe camera zooms out and angles downward: revealing the entire building, surrounding glowing displays, the wet pavement reflecting pink light, yellow cabs passing by, steam rising from a street vent, pedestrians with umbrellas pausing to photograph your screen.
8 to 10 sA panoramic view of the square after dark, your image towering above the crowd.

How it works: the You version generates directly from your photo using premium AI video models, including Seedance 2.5, without intermediate images, preserving your facial features. The Pet version first creates the poster image of your pet on the screen, then animates it; Best employs the most powerful model for that stage. You receive 10 seconds, vertical orientation, with audio: a stylish original soundtrack beneath urban ambience. The precise cost appears on the Generate button before any charge.

You or Pet: choosing your version

  • You (1 photo): the classic "my face on a billboard" fantasy: you become the centerpiece of the fashion show poster, dressed in a shimmering evening ensemble with soft pink feathered wings. It matches the aesthetic of the AI billboard advertisements from October 2026, with no brand visible on the screen.
  • Pet (1 photo): your dog or cat receives the same spotlight treatment: lustrous fur, a glittering collar and pink wings on the massive screen. Standard offers the lower-cost option; Best maintains sharper detail on the screen and your pet as the camera pulls back.

The poster displays only your image by default, with no text. Actual Times Square billboard surprise posts frequently include a name or "Happy Birthday"; for birthdays, include the message in your caption, or enter brief text on the create page if a field is provided.

Common issues and solutions

ProblemFix
The face on the screen looks like someone elseUpload a focused, forward-facing photo with good lighting, no sunglasses, and regenerate.
You also appear in the streetThe prompt restricts you to the screen only, but this can occur. Regenerate.
Strange letters appear on the poster or another screenThe prompt specifies no text or logos anywhere; AI may still generate some. Regenerate.
The face gets soft in the wide shotThis results from the zoom-out: the screen becomes smaller. The opening close-up showcases your face best.
Your pet's markings changeUpload a sharp photo of the complete head, or choose Best.
The model refuses a photoSome photos get rejected. Credits are refunded; try a different photo.

Caption and hashtag suggestions for the Times Square billboard trend

Caption ideas: "POV: your face is on a Times Square billboard", "Manifesting this", "Mom, I made it", "Star of NYC". Or compose your own.

Hashtags: on TikTok, #timessquarebillboard contains 555 videos and 13.2 million views (21 October 2026). Include #aibillboard, #timessquare and #aivideo, and maintain the platform's AI label.

Honesty: this is an AI video, not an actual advertisement. Don't claim you rented the screen, and never use it to market a product as though it appeared in Times Square. Smew AI has no affiliation with Times Square or any screen operator, and the video features no actual brands or advertisements.

FAQ

Times Square Billboard trend questions

What is the Times Square billboard AI trend?
It's a viral AI video showing your face as the centerpiece of a fashion show poster on a massive Times Square screen, at night after rain, with the camera pulling back across the street and crowd. It mimics actual billboard surprise posts, where people rent Times Square screen time, and AI applications began offering the video version in October 2026.
How do I put my face on a Times Square billboard with AI?
Select You or Pet, click "Create your own" and upload one photo. Click Generate; the button displays the cost first. You receive a 10-second vertical video of your face on the massive screen, stored in your Library when complete. You need no separate Times Square billboard generator, Times Square billboard maker or AI billboard video generator: this page creates the video, the AI billboard Times Square aesthetic from one photo. It's the simple method to put your face on a billboard, and your face on Times Square, without a reservation.
Is it a real Times Square billboard?
No. It's an AI billboard video generated from your photo; no actual screen displays it. A genuine slot costs money and is reserved through screen operators: search how to get your face on a billboard in Times Square if you want the authentic experience. The AI version serves for a post, entertainment or vision board, not to claim you reserved a screen.
Can I get my picture on a real billboard in Times Square?
Yes. Multiple screen operators sell brief slots, and you can place your picture on a Times Square billboard for a birthday or surprise; pricing varies by screen and timing. If your search was "put my picture on a billboard" and a video for your feed suffices, one photo accomplishes it here, with no reservation.
Is there a Times Square billboard filter or mockup?
Yes. CapCut has offered a Times Square billboard filter for photos since early 2026, and numerous sites provide a Times Square billboard mockup or a fake billboard generator for static images. This template produces a moving video instead: the Times Square AI billboard animates, with rain, cabs and camera movement.
Can I put my dog or cat on a Times Square billboard?
Yes, with Pet. Upload one photo of your pet, and it becomes the centerpiece of the fashion show poster with pink feathered wings and a glittering collar. Actual dog billboard posts from Times Square, like Doug the Pug's in 2024, inspired this concept; this is the pet billboard version created by AI.
Can I add my name or Happy Birthday on the screen?
The poster displays no text by default, so your face dominates and no random letters appear. Times Square billboard birthday posts typically include a name or "Happy Birthday", so place it in your caption. When the create page provides a field for screen text, keep it brief; a Times Square birthday billboard video works best with two or three words.
What prompt does the AI billboard video use?
No creator published a video prompt for this trend, so the template begins from an AI template site's Times Square billboard image prompt, preserved in its structure, with the fashion show aesthetic, a night after rain and specifications that preserve your face and maintain every screen free of brands and logos. You compose no AI billboard prompt yourself; the billboard AI prompt is integrated.
Is this the AI billboard meme from TikTok?
It's the latest evolution of it. The AI billboard meme originated with photo filters and the social media billboard guides from September 2026; the Times Square billboard meme on TikTok now animates, with the camera drawing back from your face on the screen. Some users share it as an AI billboard prank on friends; maintain the AI label so nobody is genuinely misled.
What about the Times Square billboard surprise and TikTok videos?
The authentic Times Square billboard surprise videos on TikTok capture a partner or parent witnessing their face displayed on a screen. The Times Square billboard TikTok posts, the Times Square billboard video and the Times Square billboard photo all originate from that concept. This template delivers the AI billboard NYC aesthetic, an AI billboard New York scene after dark, from home.
Is it a fashion billboard or a fashion show billboard?
Both. Your image is styled like a fashion billboard, in an evening ensemble with pink feathered wings, and the screen functions as a fashion show billboard, resembling the AI advertisements that appeared following the major fashion show of 18 October 2026. It's the fashion billboard Times Square AI aesthetic, without any brand.
Can I make it with a green screen or another AI tool?
Creators employed a Times Square billboard green screen, billboard AI generator applications and the billboard generator AI platforms for photos. An AI billboard generator or AI billboard maker produces a static image; billboard AI video and billboard AI video generator tools require a prompt. Here you only upload a photo.
How long is the video and what format is it?
10 seconds, vertical 9:16, with audio: a stylish original soundtrack beneath the urban sounds of a rainy night. It works on TikTok, Reels and Shorts, and includes no watermark.
Can I put a celebrity or someone else on the screen?
No. Upload your own photo, or a friend with permission. Never a celebrity or stranger.
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Create your own Times Square Billboard video

Upload one photo and tap once. No prompt needed. 126 credits.

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