Smalltown Boy CapCut template or AI generator — which should I use?
Use a CapCut template if you and your partner can film yourselves doing the scream, head-clutch and dance — it's free and it's your real bodies. Use the AI generator when you only have photos: your two cats, your parents, a friend abroad, or yourself without filming. The AI version takes about 5 minutes and costs from $3.99.
Side by side
- Input — Template: you film 3 clips. AI: two photos.
- Time — Template: 20–40 min filming and syncing. AI: ~5 min, no editing.
- Cost — Template: free. AI: $3.99 first video.
- Pets / old photos / absent people — Template: no. AI: yes.
- Looks like — Template: you, in your room. AI: you, in a retro neon 80s studio.
- Sound — Template: added inside CapCut. AI: silent download, add the original sound on TikTok.
What the AI version gets right
Both faces are preserved, and the clip follows the same three beats as the trend: the silent scream to camera, the head-clutch, then the synchronised synth-pop dance. The dark studio, neon light and slight VHS grain are built in, which is what makes it read as "Smalltown Boy" without the song.
What a template still does better
Your real clothes, your real room, your real timing to the beat. If you are a duo who can film, the template is the authentic version and there is no reason to pay.
FAQ
- Do I need CapCut at all for the AI video?
- No. You get an MP4; post it directly to TikTok or Reels and add the sound there.
- Can I combine both?
- Yes — generate the AI clip, then drop it into a CapCut template for captions or transitions.
Two photos, free preview, then $3.99 for the full video. No subscription.
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Published 2026-10-17.