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AI Reference to Video Generator

The AI reference to video generator turns one character, product or location photo into a 5-second 720p clip. Your picture becomes the opening frame, and the model adds the camera move and the action. Pick one of six moves or describe the shot, then press Animate it.

AI Reference to Video Generator

The AI reference to video generator turns one character, product or location photo into a 5-second 720p clip. Your picture becomes the opening frame, and the model adds the camera move and the action. Pick one of six moves or describe the shot, then press Animate it.

A reference to video generator that holds the look

Prompt-only video starts from a blank page on every run, so the face, the product or the room drifts between clips. A reference image gives the model a picture to hold on to.

Prompt only

  • Each run invents the subject again, so a face or an outfit shifts from clip to clip
  • Product details are guessed from the words instead of taken from the real item
  • Every new shot starts over from an empty prompt box
Three video stills from the same prompt showing three different women

With a reference image

  • The clip starts from your photo, so the subject looks like the picture you chose
  • The opening frame is your product shot, so shape, label and packaging start from the real item
  • On the canvas, the same reference can feed every later shot in a sequence
A portrait reference and a film strip keeping the same woman across shots

How to turn a reference image into video in 3 steps

All three steps happen in the tool at the top of this page: an image, a camera move or your own description, then one button.

  1. 1

    Step 1 · Pick a reference image

    Choose one of the sample images or select Upload your own. Start with a sample to see how the moves behave, then switch to your own photo.

    Three sample reference photos with the portrait chosen
  2. 2

    Step 2 · Pick a camera move

    Pick one of six presets, from a slow push in to a crane up, or skip the presets and write the shot yourself: the action, what enters the frame, the mood.

    A product photo surrounded by six camera-move cards
  3. 3

    Step 3 · Animate it

    Press Animate it. The model builds the clip from your image and your chosen move or description, so check the result before you run the next one.

    A product photo turned into a slow push-in film strip

What the reference to video generator does

The first four happen inside the tool above; the last two need the canvas, where a clip can go to another video model or take in more references.

Start from your own photo

Upload a character, product or location photo, or try a sample image first. The picture you choose sets the look the clip starts from.

Generate video

Camera moves in one click

Pick a push in, an orbit, a crane or a locked-off frame without writing a word. Each preset tells the model how the camera should travel.

Generate video

Describe the shot instead

Write the action, what enters the frame and the mood when a preset is not enough. Your prompt shapes what happens in the clip, not only the camera.

Generate video

A clip inside a real project

Each run renders its clip in a project in your account, so the result is ready to edit on the canvas rather than being a one-off download.

Generate video

Try another video model

On the canvas, send the same image to other video models, including ones with dedicated reference modes, and keep the take that suits the shot.

Generate video

Multiple reference images

On the canvas, connect more than one reference image to a video node, such as a character and a location, and reuse them across shots.

Generate video

Reference to video prompt examples

Skip the presets and type one of these as the shot, with your own subject in place of ours. All four follow the same pattern: an action, the light, then a single camera move.

A woman looking back on a rainy neon street
Character on a night streetShe turns to look back over her shoulder on a rain-soaked night street, neon reflections on the wet road, slow push in. One clear action and one camera move leave the model less to invent about the person in the frame.
A steel tumbler on an oak table with rising steam
Product on a breakfast tableThe tumbler sits on an oak table in soft morning light from the left, a thin curl of steam rising, gentle orbit around the product. An orbit shows the product from more than one side without asking the model to change its shape.
A walkthrough of an empty loft toward tall windows
Location walkthroughThe camera glides slowly through the empty loft from the doorway toward the tall windows, morning light spreading across the concrete floor, dust drifting in the beams. Naming a start point and an end point gives the move a direction instead of a drift.
Steam rising from a bowl of ramen as noodles are lifted
Food close-upSteam rises from a bowl of ramen on a dark wooden table as chopsticks lift a few noodles, warm side light, slow push in toward the bowl. A small action in a still scene keeps the subject in place while the clip still has something to show.

Who makes AI video with reference images

A weekly series with one host

A creator posts a short every week around the same designed character, and viewers notice when the face changes. Each episode starts from that character's reference image instead of a fresh description written from memory.

Generate video
One host reference reused across three episodes

A campaign cut from mixed sources

A brand film has to join live footage with a few generated shots, and a shot that looks borrowed from another campaign stands out. Generating those shots from the campaign's own stills helps them sit with the material around them.

Generate video
Live and generated frames sharing one color grade

Moving previews before a shoot

A production team is planning a shoot at a place they have only photographed. That scout photo becomes the reference for each preview clip, so camera moves are tested in the right setting.

Generate video
A location scout photo turned into preview frames

Motion for a pitch deck

An agency pitching a concept has stills but no budget for a shoot, and a static deck struggles to sell an idea about movement. A few short clips made from those stills show the client how it moves before anyone commits.

Generate video
Pitch stills of a scooter turned into a short motion clip

Social posts from a photo library

A social team sits on a library of approved photos while the feed rewards video. Turning the strongest ones into short clips gives the feed some motion without booking new content or clearing new images.

Generate video
Approved photos turned into short social clips

AI video with reference images for product launches

A launch has signed-off packshots and no motion shoot booked before the date. The approved image goes in as the reference, so every clip starts from artwork the team has already cleared.

Generate video
Approved packshots turned into an orbit clip

Formats, limits and licensing

InputOne image per run: JPEG, PNG or WebP. HEIC and HEIF photos are converted to JPEG in the browser
Image sizeBoth sides at least 300 px; PNG and WebP files up to 30 MB
Camera movesSix presets: slow push in, gentle orbit, handheld follow, crane up, locked off and parallax dolly
PromptOptional. Describe the shot yourself instead of choosing a preset
OutputOne 5-second 720p clip in a 16:9 frame, rendered in a project in your account
Credit costUp to 65 credits for a 5-second 720p shot. Plan discounts and included allowances may lower this
Free plan40 credits a month, which is less than one run of this tool
People in referencesA reference showing a recognizable real person is refused before the generation starts
Commercial useClips made on a paid plan can be used commercially unless their model says otherwise; rules at /help/commercial-rights/can-i-use-generated-content-commercially

Best AI models for reference to video

The tool above has no model picker. On the canvas, each of the five video models below has a reference mode that holds the look of an image or clip, and Nano Banana 2 is an image model for making or cleaning up a reference first.

Seedance 2.0 Omni

Provider
ByteDance
Type
video

AI reference to video generator FAQ

What is reference to video?

Reference to video is a way of generating AI video from a guide image as well as a prompt. The image shows the model what to hold on to, such as a character, a product, a place or a look, and the prompt supplies the action and the camera. The result follows the picture rather than the words alone.

Is there a free plan?

There is, but it does not cover this tool. A new account starts with 40 credits a month, and one 5-second 720p clip here uses up to 65 credits, so making a clip needs a paid plan. Current plans and prices are on the Astorie pricing page.

Can I use the results commercially?

Yes, when the clip is made on a paid plan: it belongs to you from the moment it is generated. Two limits still apply: a video model marked non-commercial stays that way, and the rights to any real person, brand or character in your reference are yours to clear. See /help/commercial-rights/can-i-use-generated-content-commercially.

How do I keep a character consistent across shots?

Start from one sharp, well-lit reference that shows only the character, and use it for every shot. Reference images help but do not lock a face or outfit, because each generation is a new take. Treat the first shot you approve as the benchmark and regenerate any take that drifts from it.

Generate video from your references

Upload a reference photo, pick a camera move, and make your first clip.

Open the canvasSee pricing