Still images vs video: when to use which

The quick decision guide

The rule of thumb: stills are the rehearsal, video is the performance. A still at 12¢ tells you whether the face, the framing and the light are right. A video clip at 30¢ to several dollars tells you the same thing, only after you've paid for the motion too.

Path A: stills only

1. Write a prompt on the Image tab, or build one in Prompt Lab.
2. Pick a model. Task chips filter the picker by job: readable text, product accuracy, character continuity, cheap drafts.
3. Optionally attach reference images, a saved character or a brand kit.
4. Optionally run Shot Set: one prompt becomes up to six angles of the same moment (wide, medium, close-up, over-the-shoulder, low angle, aerial).
5. If something's off, fix it by describing the change in plain English, or draw boxes on the regions to change.
6. Files land in the gallery and in ~/Pictures/Asset Lab.

Many images cost a few cents. The exact estimate is on the Generate button before you click, and every model's rate is on the rate card.

Path B: straight to video

1. Write the shot on the Video tab, or open any still and choose use as start frame.
2. Pick the model, duration and resolution, and turn audio on or off where the model supports it.
3. Generate, then extend the clip or rewrite it with an instruction if needed.
4. Optionally give it a voice with lip sync, or score music to it in the Audio module.

Short clips usually cost from about 30¢ to a few dollars depending on model, length and resolution. Again, the button shows the figure first.

Path C: storyboard, then Director

This is the path version 2.6 was built for, and the one to use for anything with more than one shot:

1. Cast. Save your characters and a location. Details you write on a character (hair, clothes, accessories) override the photo; the face always comes from the photo.
2. Plan the shots in Director's "The story." For about 2¢ it writes the shot list: framing, angle, action, and who says what.
3. Draw the stills. Each shot gets a Scene Still Frame for about 12¢ at 2K. Generate All does the whole board in order; every version is kept, and an approved still is never overwritten.
4. Review the board as a contact sheet or a production board, and export it as PNG or PDF to share.
5. Go to video one of two ways: shot by shot, where each approved still becomes the opening frame on any video model you choose, or whole board → Seedance, one multi-shot draft from the whole sheet (about 30¢ a second at 720p).
6. Finish in Director. Approve a take per shot, give characters their own voices or use one narrator, lay music, set the mix, pick transitions and fades, and export the cut. Exports with transitions render locally with the bundled ffmpeg, free.

When stills beat video

• You're still deciding the look, the casting or the framing.
• The deliverable is static: a social post, a cover, key art, a product shot.
• Budget matters: fixing a mistake costs about 12¢ a frame instead of a re-rolled clip.
• Someone else has to approve the board before anyone spends on motion.

When video beats stills

• The motion, the pacing or the camera move is the point.
• You need native audio, lip sync or a score that follows the picture.
• You already have an approved still or board to lock the opening frame.