How the AI video generator works
This tool turns one still photo into a short video clip. You upload the photo, write a sentence about how it should move, choose the length, quality and shape of the video, and the model renders it in the background. The sections below explain what each setting does, what it costs and what happens to your photo, so you know exactly what to expect before you spend a credit.
Turn a photo into a video in four steps
Upload a clear photo
Choose a JPG, PNG or WebP image up to 30 MB. Each side needs over 300 pixels, and sharper photos give sharper videos. The photo becomes the opening frame, so whatever is in it, a person, a pet, a product or a landscape, is what the video starts from. If the photo is extremely wide or tall, it is cropped to the centre so it fits a video frame, and you will see a notice when that happens.
Describe the motion
Write what should happen in plain words, for example "she smiles and turns toward the camera" or "the waves roll in and the clouds drift to the left". Describe movement, camera direction and mood rather than repeating what is already visible in the photo. Short, concrete sentences work better than long lists of keywords. On an effect page the description is already written for you, so you only need to add the photo.
Pick length, quality and aspect ratio
Under the generate box, one line shows the model, resolution, length, format and credits; tap "Change model, resolution, length or format" to open it. Pick a model: Standard (Seedance 2.0 Mini, the default), Fast (Seedance 2.0 Fast), Pro (Seedance 2.0) or Ultra (Seedance 2.5). Then pick the resolution (the choices depend on the model), the length (5 to 15 seconds, up to 30 on Ultra) and, on the home form, the format: 9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, 1:1 for a square post or 16:9 for YouTube. The generate button always shows the exact number of credits the video will use before you click it.
Generate and download
Press Generate. Rendering usually takes a few minutes, and a progress bar shows how far along it is. You do not need to keep the page open: the video keeps rendering. With an account it is saved to My Works, where you can play and download it whenever you like; as a guest you get a private link to it by email.
How credits are counted
Each video is charged in credits by its model, length and resolution. 10 credits make one 12-second 720p video with sound on the default model, Standard (Seedance 2.0 Mini); the same video at 480p uses 5 credits. On Pro (Seedance 2.0) the same 12 seconds use 20 credits at 720p or 50 credits at 1080p. Fast costs less than Pro, and Ultra (Seedance 2.5) costs more. Each video is rounded up to a whole credit, and the format never changes the price.
You can buy credits once, in packs of 1, 5, 35, 85, or 260 videos, where one video means 10 credits, enough for one 12-second 720p video on the default model. Pack credits never expire and nothing renews. The pricing page shows each pack in your local currency. If you start a video without enough credits, you are taken to checkout, and once the payment goes through, the video you were making starts automatically, so you do not have to upload the photo again.
If you make videos often, a plan costs less per video: from $29.90 a month for about 10 videos, or $100 a year for about 40 videos with all the year's credits up front. Plan credits refresh each billing period and don't roll over: a monthly plan's credits last until the next month's arrive, a yearly plan's for the year. When you have both, plan credits are used first and pack credits last. You can cancel any time from Billing.
Choosing quality, length and shape
720p is a good fit for TikTok, Reels and other social posts. 480p uses fewer credits and is fine for a quick test. 1080p, on Seedance 2.0 and Seedance 2.5, gives the most detail for large screens and editing, and costs the most per second.
Longer videos give the motion more room to develop: a slow camera move or a full turn of the head reads better in 15 seconds than in 5. For a quick reaction or a short loop, the shorter length is usually enough. Choose the format that matches where you will post the video; picking it here avoids cropping the result later.
Tips for better results
Use a photo where the main subject is in focus, well lit and not hidden behind other objects. Faces work best when they look roughly toward the camera. Describe one main action rather than several at once, and mention the camera if it matters, for example "slow zoom in", "camera circles around" or "handheld". If a result is not what you wanted, change one thing at a time, the description, the length or the photo, so you can see what made the difference.
The ready-made effects on this site package a tested description, length and quality into one page. Open an effect from the Effects page, add your photo and generate. It is the quickest way to get a reliable result without writing a description yourself.
Your videos in My Works
With an account, every video you make, finished or still rendering, is listed in My Works with its status and the credits it used. Finished videos can be played and downloaded from there at any time, so you can start several videos, leave, and come back later to collect them. A failed video stays in the list with the reason it failed, and its credits are already back in your balance.
Privacy and content checks
You do not need an account: you can make and pay for a video as a guest. A guest video is kept for 3 days and a private link to it is emailed to you, so download it in time; sign in with Google or with an email and password to keep every video and your credits for good. Your description and photo are checked for unsafe content before any credits are taken, and every finished video is checked again before it is shown to you. Until it passes, the video is kept in private storage, and a video that fails the check is deleted.
Your videos are private: only you can see them, unless you share a link or choose to show one in the public gallery. You can delete your account from the settings page at any time, which permanently removes your generated videos, uploaded photos and personal data; order records are kept for accounting only. Only use photos of real people with their permission.
What happens if a video fails
Credits are taken once, when the video starts. If the video cannot be generated, the service is unavailable, the finished video does not pass the content check, or rendering takes too long, the job is marked as failed and every credit for it is returned to your balance automatically. You do not need to contact support. If the video service cannot be reached, the job moves to a backup route for the same model automatically, without charging you again. If the photos can't be used (Seedance turns down a photo of a real person, or a safety filter stops them), every credit is returned and you're asked to pick different photos.