Why the Studio needs a photo before it makes a video

If you asked the Studio for a video and got a message about needing a photo, nothing is broken. This article explains why a video always starts from a picture, what it costs, and how to give the Studio a photo it can work with.

A video is a photo brought to life

In the Studio, video generation always starts from a source image. The Studio animates that picture - it does not build a video from words alone. If you pick video and there is no image attached, the job stops right away with this note:

To make a video, attach a photo to bring to life, or make a photo first and then animate it

That check runs before any charge, so hitting it costs nothing. Your credit balance does not move.

What to do

1. Attach a photo you already have - a promo shot, a gig photo, a product picture - and then ask for the video.
2. Or make the photo in the Studio first: generate the image you want, then animate that result as a second step.

Attaching a file has a small bonus: the rotating idea chips lean toward ideas that use your files.

What it costs

Photos are about 5 credits and videos are about 50, so a video is roughly ten times the cost of a photo. Making a photo first and animating it is still the normal path - the extra photo step is a small fraction of the video cost, and credits never expire. The charge for a video happens up front when you submit; before that moment, stopping costs nothing (Stopped. Nothing was charged.). If a render fails on the server side, your credits are refunded automatically.

Tips for a good source photo

• Pick a photo where the subject you want moving is clear and easy to see - the video animates what is in the frame.
• If you do not have the right shot, generate one in the Studio first. You can retry a photo cheaply until it looks right, then spend the video credits once.
• One creation runs at a time, so let the photo finish before you start the video.

Good to know

Finished creations are saved in a studio folder inside your workspace and shown right in the app, so the photo you made is easy to find and reuse for the animation step.

Still stuck? Email bookedsolid@kivimedia.freshdesk.com and a person will help.