Magic elf videos
Photograph any corner of your home and your elf comes to life inside it, dancing, decorating, waving hello.
Elf Studio® · Christmas magic, made at home Your elf, alive in your home.
Your elf, alive in your home.
Real magic, on camera.
Snap a photo of your room and watch your elf step into it, moving, playing, and getting up to mischief on video. Every clip behind these words was made in Elf Studio.
Free to download on iOS and Android. AI creations, 3D models and Enhance use credits.
Rated 4.6 out of 5 from 1,100+ UK App Store ratings.
Eight kinds of elf magic
Elf photos
Drag your elf to exactly where they should stand in your own photo and Elf Studio makes a still of it, ready to animate later. Every attempt is one credit.
Animate your photos
Any elf photo can come to life. Turn a still into a moving moment with one tap.
Scan your own elf
Photograph the toy you already own and Elf Studio turns it into a character for your videos and photos. Every account includes one scan and Pro includes ten a month. Standing them in your room in AR takes one extra step, Bring to AR, which builds a 3D model for 2 credits.
Make them look real
Enhance with AI re-renders an elf you built in the Workshop as a real toy. Pick Classic Toy or Felt Plushie. Your original design is never touched.
Draw or describe an elf
No toy to scan? Photograph a drawing, sketch one on screen, or describe your elf in words, then pick Felt, Plush, Vinyl Doll, Wooden or Knitted. Each one costs 1 credit, and Change Style remakes it in another material.
Elf Workshop
Design an elf part by part, hat to boots, with no photo at all, and make them yours. Try it free in your browser; the Workshop in the app is part of Pro.
Live AR elves
Stand a 3D elf on your floor, direct them and film live through your camera. Your first elf is free; Pro opens more elves and the rest of the 200+ animation library, and dances come with Elf Extras.
And there is more
Camera Effects
Give any video a security cam, doorbell, night vision, VHS, 8mm, sepia, black and white or thermal look. Your original is never touched. Part of Elf Extras.
Stop Motion
The held-pose, hand-animated look for your AR recordings, part of Elf Extras. The Stop Motion style for AI videos is included for everyone.
Catch their faces
Film your children’s faces as they watch the reveal. The recording stays on your phone unless you export it.
Stickers and poses
The whole cast lives in your Messages sticker drawer on iPhone and iPad. With Elf Extras, type what your elf is doing and get a die-cut sticker that doubles as a pose for AI photos. 1 credit each.
Countdown widgets
Two Home Screen widgets count the sleeps to Christmas and to the day your elf arrives, 1 December, with the elf of your choice. iPhone and iPad only.
Props
Scan a toy or gift, or describe a prop and let AI make it, then use it in your photos and videos. Make 3D turns a prop into a model you can place in AR. Three library props are free, the rest of the library is Elf Extras, and props you make yourself are always free to use.
Three steps to the magic
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Pick your elf
Choose from the cast of 22, scan a toy you already own, draw one, describe one in words, or build a brand-new elf in the Workshop, hat to boots.
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Snap your scene, say what happens
Take a photo of the mantelpiece, the tree or the kitchen worktop, anywhere an elf might hide, then write one line about what your elf gets up to.
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Watch the magic
Your elf video lands in your Gallery when it is ready, to save, share or play at just the right moment for little disbelievers.
Want to catch an elf moving on camera? Follow the elf video maker guide for a simple, step-by-step recording.
See it in the app
A quick scroll through what you'll be doing this Christmas.
Meet the elf cast
Twenty-two elves, each with their own look and personality. Two are free for everyone and Pro unlocks the whole cast.
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Mr Jingles -
Mrs Jingles -
Jolly -
Frost -
Nutmeg -
Spruce -
Biscuit -
Holly -
Pepper -
Juniper -
Tinsel -
Maple -
Merry -
Crystal -
Cinnamon -
Ivy -
Cookie -
Berry -
Pip -
Cedar -
Garland -
Chestnut
Every elf comes in two looks: Classic, or Felt, a soft hand-stitched plushie.
Free to download Start free, go Pro
Start free, go Pro
for the full magic
Elf Studio is free to download. Pro is an optional subscription that lets you turn off the watermark, keeps your videos on the best model even when it is busy, and unlocks the full elf cast, the Elf Workshop, more elves in AR and longer AR recording.
Pro does not include credits or Elf Extras. AI creations, 3D models and Enhance use credits, which you buy in packs that never expire, and the app shows the cost before you make anything.
Elf Extras is a separate one-off unlock, or five friends opening your share link, for 54 dance animations, Camera Effects, Stop Motion, the Sticker & Pose Maker and every library prop beyond the three free ones.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Credit packs | Standard price | Discounted packs |
| Video model | May use a faster one when busy | Best, even when busy |
| Watermark | On every video | Can turn off |
| Elf characters | 2 of 22 | All 22 elves |
| Elf scans | First one free | 10 a month |
| Elf Workshop | Locked | Included |
| Multi-elf videos | One elf | Up to three |
| AR recording | 10s cap | Unlimited |
| AR photos | Locked | Included |
| AR animations | Idle only | All but dances |
| Elves in AR | One elf | More than one |
| Scene Lighting | Locked | Included |
| Improve & Get Ideas | Locked | Included |
Picked up by Apple
Apple's editorial team have featured Elf Studio on the App Store across iPad and iPhone, alongside Speak to Santa from the same studio. Quietly proud, frankly. Small studio, real Christmas magic.
4.6/5 App Store rating
1,100+ App Store ratings
200+ Animations in the library
Free To download
In their own words
Five-star reviews from the App Store.
Amazing love this
I am a kid and as soon as I got this game on my iPad I fell in love with it it’s so funny and cute . We’ve just got ready for Christmas so it helps you get in a nice feeling ready for Christmas anyone who has seen this get this game.
Love this game
I have 2 kids and they love this game it is good and my kids are so so so so happy bye this game it is real really really good it is free love
Beware of the app stamp
Super cute and I was really excited for this because my son is on the fence about believing in the elf and Santa. Paid for the app to get all the features, recorded a video and didn’t realize there was a label in the corner before I sent it to my son who immediately noticed it…so there goes that idea. Deleted the app after that
Revised Review! Great Elf Experience now!
Revising my review since the developer has addressed the inability to save your videos now! Totally worth the experience now. There’s tons of content (if you pay for premium, which I did). It looks and works great now! Thank you for updating that save issue!
It’s so fun and cute 😽
My kids are having so much fun playing with the game 🤩 and I love how cute it is!!!! And I can’t stop playing with it😍 Kinda hard to learn how to play or learn how it works but it’s my fault for that I didn’t watch the video 😝
Doesn’t work!
It is telling me to tap to add the elf to the picture but no matter where or how I tap it won’t add it!
Elf Studio questions
Good questions, honest answers
Is Elf Studio free?
Elf Studio is free to download on iOS and Android. AI creations, 3D models and Enhance use credits, which you buy in packs that never expire, and the app shows the cost before you make anything. Every account includes one elf scan. Elf Studio Pro is an optional subscription that lets you turn off the watermark, keeps your videos on the best model even when it is busy, unlocks the full elf cast, multi-elf videos, the Elf Workshop, AR photos, more elves in AR and unlimited AR recording, includes 10 elf scans a month and makes credit packs cheaper. Pro does not include credits. Elf Extras (the dances, Camera Effects, Stop Motion, the Sticker & Pose Maker and every library prop beyond three free ones) is a separate one-off unlock.
How do the elf videos work?
You photograph a spot in your home, choose your elf and what they should get up to, and Elf Studio creates a video of your elf right there in your room. You can leave the app while it cooks, and it lands in your Gallery when it is ready.
Can I make an elf if I do not have a toy to scan?
Yes. Draw your elf on screen or photograph a drawing, describe your elf in words, or build one part by part in the Elf Workshop, which is part of Pro. Draw and Describe cost 1 credit each, and Change Style remakes a drawn or described elf as Felt, Plush, Vinyl Doll, Wooden or Knitted. You can also start with the cast of 22 elves, two of which are free.
What is Elf Extras?
Elf Extras is a one-off unlock, separate from Pro. It adds 54 dance animations, Camera Effects (security cam, doorbell, night vision, VHS, 8mm and more), Stop Motion, the Sticker & Pose Maker and every library prop beyond the three free ones. You can also unlock it by sharing Elf Studio with five friends who open your link.
What about our photos and privacy?
To make an AI photo or video, Elf Studio asks your permission first, then sends the photos, elf references and prompt you choose to its servers and to the AI providers that make the result. AI is optional. What you make is saved on your phone only: there is no cloud library, and Elf Studio deletes its copy once your phone has downloaded it. Reaction recordings of children never leave the device unless you export them. Details are in the privacy policy at elfstudio.app/privacy. Elf Studio is made by North Pole Command Centre Ltd, a UK family-app studio.
Does the AR mode still work?
Better than ever. Place a 3D elf on any flat surface and record it live through your camera, with over 200 animations to direct. Your first elf, the idle animations and 10-second recordings are free, and a free elf can still walk a route you draw; Pro adds more elves, the rest of the animation library, longer takes, AR photos and Scene Lighting, and dances come with Elf Extras.
Who makes Elf Studio?
Elf Studio is made by North Pole Command Centre Ltd, a one-person family-app studio that's been making festive apps since 2012. Same studio that makes Speak to Santa.
Elf post
Know when the magic lands
New elves, new features, and the moment this year's Christmas update goes live. A few emails a year: never more, never anyone else's.
Need a hand?
Bug, suggestion, press enquiry, or just want to say hi about Elf Studio? The studio runs on one person, but every message gets read, and most get a reply within a day or two.
Prefer your own mail app? hello@elfstudio.app · What we do with your message: privacy policy · Studio site: North Pole Command Centre
