The invention provides a preparation method of a photoresponse film, which comprises the following steps of: dissolving chitosan powder in an acetic acid aqueous solution, adding 4,4'-dihydroxyazobenzene dissolved in a strong polar solvent, fully stirring, removing visible bubbles in the solution, standing in a 5 DEG C environment under protection of nitrogen, uniformly pouring a clear solution into a mold, placing the mold in a constant-temperature oven to remove the solvent, taking out after 40 hours, forming the film, and washing the film with a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution to remove the film to obtain a photoresponse unbraced film. Compared with the prior art, the preparation method of the photoresponse film saves complex operation and cost in a preparation process of a polymer; and meanwhile, an azobenzene derivative is combined with chitosan molecules by hydrogen bonds, so that the molecular size change in a cis-trans isomerization process of the azobenzene is amplified, ultraviolet light irradiation is bent to a comparatively large extent, the bending is restored under the irradiation of visible light, and model design of photoinduced artificial muscle is achieved.