AI Video Playbook

Model guides

How to read the model pages, and which model to try first for each kind of shot.

Each page in this section covers one video model: what it can do, what creators say it is good and bad at, how to prompt it, and how to spend fewer credits on it. If you only have time for one page, read the one for the model you already pay for.

How to read these pages

Every model page has the same sections, in the same order.

SectionWhat it tells youWhere the facts come from
At a glanceMaker, versions, length, resolution, audio, references, where to use it, cheapest way inOfficial docs and pricing pages
Best for, Weak atWhat real users report after testingCreator posts and write ups, labelled as community
How to prompt itThe model's own syntax and structureThe maker's prompt guide
Example promptsPrompts you can copy and adaptWritten for this site, following the official syntax
Settings that save creditsCheaper ways to draft and finishOfficial prices plus tested community habits
Known issuesFailures you will meet, and the fixOfficial FAQ and community reports
SourcesLinks to check for yourselfOfficial URLs

How to read the labels:

  • Official means the maker says it on its own site or docs.
  • Community means creators report it. "Organic" means no sign of payment. "Sponsored" or "campaign" means the post was paid for or copied across many accounts, so treat it as advertising.
  • Not confirmed means we could not find it on an official page by 15 Oct 2026.

Prices change often. Every price on these pages was checked on 15 Oct 2026. Check the pricing page before you pay.

Which model to try first

Prices checked on 15 Oct 2026.

JobTry firstWhyBackup
Learning on a zero budgetVeo 3.1 Lite or Fast in Google Flow50 free Flow credits per day, Lite costs 10 credits per clipGrok Imagine if you already pay for X
Same character or product across many shotsSeedance 2.5Up to 50 reference files, creators rate it highest for complex scenesKling 3.0 with Elements
Action, fights, fast camera movesKling 3.0Creators pick it for action and tracking shotsSeedance 2.5
Dialogue with lip syncKling 3.0 or Veo 3.1Both have native audio and a clear dialogue syntaxMiniMax H3 Max with your own voice track
Dialogue in VietnameseSeedance 2.5Vietnamese is on its official list of 11 dialogue languagesRecord the voice yourself and lip sync later
Long single takes, cheap and fastWan3.0Up to 30 s per clip, 0.10 USD/second at 720p on the APISeedance 2.5 (also 30 s, slower and pricier)
Atmosphere, establishing shots, B rollVeo 3.1Strong ambience audio and polishGemini Omni Flash
Editing a clip you already haveGemini Omni Flash or MiniMax H3 MaxOmni does conversational edits, H3 Max ranks first for video editing on Design ArenaRunway Aleph 2.0
Running a model on your own GPUMiniMax H3Open weights, runs on a 4090 or 5090 (community reports)LTX-2.5
Short loops and simple animationGrok Imagine 1.5 LiteFrom 0.02 USD/second on the APIVeo 3.1 Lite
HDR or color grading pipelinesLuma Ray3.2Native HDR with 16 bit EXRLTX-2.5

Pick a model per shot, not per film

Many creators mix models in one video: Kling for action, Veo or Omni for atmosphere, Seedance for reference heavy or music driven shots. Your edit hides the switch.

All model pages

  • Seedance: ByteDance, in Dreamina and CapCut. Seedance 2.5, 2.0, Fast and Mini.
  • Kling: Kuaishou. Kling 3.0, and the 4.0 rollout.
  • Google Veo and Gemini Omni: Veo 3.1 Lite, Fast and Standard, plus Gemini Omni Flash, in Flow and the Gemini API.
  • Wan: Alibaba. Wan3.0 on the API.
  • MiniMax H3 and Hailuo: MiniMax H3, H3 Max and the Hailuo web app.
  • Vidu: Shengshu. Vidu Q4 Preview.
  • Runway: Gen-4.5, Aleph 2.0 and the Runway plans.
  • Other models: Luma Ray3.2, Grok Imagine 1.5, LTX-2.5, PixVerse, Midjourney video, and the Sora 2 shutdown.

For a side by side table with prices per clip, see Models compared.