Image-to-video
Image-to-video is the AI generation pattern where a static image is the starting frame of a generated video — combined with text prompts and optionally motion brush + camera controls — for precise creative control.
Image-to-video is the dominant production pattern for AI video in 2026 because it pins down the visual style and composition while letting the model only generate motion. Workflow: generate or supply a hero image (Midjourney, Flux, etc.), feed it to a video model (Runway, Luma, Kling, Veo, Sora) with a text prompt describing motion, optionally add motion brush + camera control, render. The technique is materially more controllable than pure text-to-video and is the default for ad creative, character work, and brand-consistent video. All major video models support it.
When to use image-to-video
- Brand-consistent video where style must be locked.
- Character work where the character image is fixed.
- Ad creative built on a hero still.
Common mistakes
- Starting frame with extreme detail the model can't preserve — choose paintable / animatable visuals.
- Skipping motion brush + camera controls when the model exposes them.
FAQ
What is image-to-video?
Image-to-video is the AI generation pattern where a static image is the starting frame of a generated video — combined with text prompts and optionally motion brush + camera controls — for precise creative control.
When should I use image-to-video?
Brand-consistent video where style must be locked. Character work where the character image is fixed. Ad creative built on a hero still.
What are the most common mistakes with image-to-video?
Starting frame with extreme detail the model can't preserve — choose paintable / animatable visuals. Skipping motion brush + camera controls when the model exposes them.
Related terms
- Motion brush — Motion brush is the AI video tool that lets a user paint motion onto specific regions of an image — telling the model where motion should happen and which direction it should go — instead of relying purely on text prompts.
- Act-One (Runway) — Act-One is Runway's performance-capture feature that takes a webcam recording of a person's face and retargets the performance onto a generated character — making AI-generated characters convincingly act.
- Diffusion model — A diffusion model is a generative neural network that creates images, video, or audio by iteratively denoising random noise toward a learned target distribution.
Last updated: 2026-06-01. Raw markdown: https://promtable.com/glossary/image-to-video.md.