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The heart locket GIF trend and how to make your own
Two photos, a heart that opens, a loop people send to someone specific. How the trend works and how to build one.
1 min read · Updated October 9, 2026 · Heart locket GIF maker
What the loop is doing
The locket starts closed, often with a short line engraved on the metal, then opens. One photo sits on the left, one on the right. Sometimes it closes again and loops. The format fits a pair: friends, a couple, a person and a pet, a parent and a kid.
Most versions you have seen use the same handful of templates. They work because the motion is obvious in a one-inch preview. You do not need the same drawing to get the same read.
Make one without copying the art
The heart locket maker draws its own heart, hinge, and chain. You bring two photos you have the right to use. Place each crop by hand. A tight face pairs with a tight face. A tiny full-body shot next to a portrait looks like a mistake.
Presets (Classic Gold, Vintage, Pink Love, Minimal Silver) are starting points. Engraving should be a name or a few words. A sentence will not fit on the cover, and shrinking it until it fits makes it a smudge.
Export for the place you will send it
Chat wants a modest square and a short open-hold-close loop. A story wants the tall preset and is often better as MP4. Transparent background is useful if you will composite the locket onto another clip.
Sparkle and a swinging chain are easy to overdo. If the photos are the point, keep the metal quiet.