fal-image-to-video

Quick Reference

Model	Endpoint	Audio	Loop	Best For
Kling 2.6 Pro	fal-ai/kling-video/v2.6/pro/image-to-video	Yes	No	Cinematic
MiniMax	fal-ai/minimax-video/image-to-video	No	No	Reliable
Luma	fal-ai/luma-dream-machine	No	Yes	Creative
SVD	fal-ai/stable-video-diffusion	No	No	Fast test

Motion Type	Keywords	Example
Character	walks, turns, smiles	"She slowly turns her head"
Nature	sways, flows, falls	"Leaves flutter in the wind"
Camera	pans, zooms, tracks	"Camera slowly pans right"

Use Case	Recommended Model
Portraits	Kling 2.5/2.6 Pro
Products	MiniMax (optimizer)
Landscapes	Luma (loop)
Fast testing	SVD, Runway Turbo

When to Use This Skill

Use for image animation:

• Animating still portraits with natural motion
• Creating product showcase videos
• Generating ambient loop videos
• Adding subtle motion to landscapes
• Preview workflow before final render

Related skills:

• For text-to-video: see fal-text-to-video
• For video editing: see fal-video-to-video
• For text-to-image first: see fal-text-to-image

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fal.ai Image-to-Video Models

Complete reference for all image animation and image-to-video models on fal.ai.

Kling Image-to-Video

Kling 2.0 Image-to-Video

Endpoint: fal-ai/kling-video/v2.0/image-to-video Best For: Standard image animation

import { fal } from "@fal-ai/client";

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/kling-video/v2.0/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "The person slowly turns their head and smiles warmly",
    image_url: "https://example.com/portrait.jpg",
    duration: "5",
    aspect_ratio: "16:9"
  }
});

console.log(result.video.url);

import fal_client

result = fal_client.subscribe(
    "fal-ai/kling-video/v2.0/image-to-video",
    arguments={
        "prompt": "The person slowly turns their head and smiles",
        "image_url": "https://example.com/portrait.jpg",
        "duration": "5",
        "aspect_ratio": "16:9"
    }
)
print(result["video"]["url"])

Kling 2.5 Pro Image-to-Video

Endpoint: fal-ai/kling-video/v2.5/pro/image-to-video Best For: Professional quality animation

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/kling-video/v2.5/pro/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "The car drives forward along the mountain road, camera follows",
    image_url: "https://example.com/car-scene.jpg",
    duration: "5",
    aspect_ratio: "16:9",
    negative_prompt: "static, frozen, distorted"
  }
});

Kling 2.6 Pro Image-to-Video (Latest)

Endpoint: fal-ai/kling-video/v2.6/pro/image-to-video Best For: Highest quality with native audio

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/kling-video/v2.6/pro/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "The waterfall cascades down with a gentle roar, birds fly past",
    image_url: "https://example.com/waterfall.jpg",
    duration: "5",
    aspect_ratio: "16:9"
  }
});

console.log(result.video.url);
console.log(result.audio?.url);  // Native audio

Kling Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Values	Description
prompt	string	-	Motion description
image_url	string	-	Source image URL
duration	string	"5", "10"	Duration in seconds
aspect_ratio	string	"16:9", "9:16", "1:1"	Output dimensions
negative_prompt	string	-	What to avoid

MiniMax Image-to-Video

MiniMax Hailuo

Endpoint: fal-ai/minimax-video/image-to-video Best For: Reliable image animation with prompt optimization

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/minimax-video/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "The cat stretches and yawns, then walks forward",
    image_url: "https://example.com/sleeping-cat.jpg",
    prompt_optimizer: true  // Auto-enhance prompt
  }
});

result = fal_client.subscribe(
    "fal-ai/minimax-video/image-to-video",
    arguments={
        "prompt": "The cat stretches and yawns",
        "image_url": "https://example.com/cat.jpg",
        "prompt_optimizer": True
    }
)

MiniMax Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
prompt	string	Motion description
image_url	string	Source image URL
prompt_optimizer	boolean	Auto-enhance prompt

LTX Image-to-Video

LTX Video Image-to-Video

Endpoint: fal-ai/ltx-video/image-to-video Best For: Fast image animation

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/ltx-video/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "The flowers sway gently in the breeze",
    image_url: "https://example.com/flower-field.jpg",
    negative_prompt: "static, frozen",
    num_inference_steps: 30,
    guidance_scale: 7.5
  }
});

LTX Video v2 Image-to-Video

Endpoint: fal-ai/ltx-video/v2/image-to-video Best For: Improved quality animation

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/ltx-video/v2/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "Smoke rises and swirls from the chimney",
    image_url: "https://example.com/cabin.jpg",
    num_inference_steps: 35,
    guidance_scale: 7.0
  }
});

LTX Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
prompt	string	-	Motion description
image_url	string	-	Source image
negative_prompt	string	-	What to avoid
num_inference_steps	number	30	Quality steps
guidance_scale	number	7.5	Prompt adherence

Runway Gen-3 Image-to-Video

Runway Gen-3 Turbo

Endpoint: fal-ai/runway-gen3/turbo/image-to-video Best For: Fast iteration, previews

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/runway-gen3/turbo/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "The model walks confidently down the runway",
    image_url: "https://example.com/fashion-shot.jpg",
    duration: 5
  }
});

Runway Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Values	Description
prompt	string	-	Motion description
image_url	string	-	Source image
duration	number	5, 10	Seconds

Luma Dream Machine

Luma Image-to-Video

Endpoint: fal-ai/luma-dream-machine Best For: Creative, artistic animation

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/luma-dream-machine", {
  input: {
    prompt: "The magical portal opens with swirling energy",
    image_url: "https://example.com/fantasy-scene.jpg",
    aspect_ratio: "16:9",
    loop: true  // Create seamless loop
  }
});

result = fal_client.subscribe(
    "fal-ai/luma-dream-machine",
    arguments={
        "prompt": "The portal opens with swirling energy",
        "image_url": "https://example.com/scene.jpg",
        "aspect_ratio": "16:9",
        "loop": True
    }
)

Luma Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
prompt	string	Motion description
image_url	string	Source image
aspect_ratio	string	"16:9", "9:16", "1:1"
loop	boolean	Create looping video

Wan Image-to-Video

Wan v2.1 Image-to-Video

Endpoint: fal-ai/wan/v2.1/1.3b/image-to-video Best For: Lightweight animation

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/wan/v2.1/1.3b/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "The leaves flutter and fall from the tree",
    image_url: "https://example.com/autumn-tree.jpg",
    num_frames: 81
  }
});

Stable Video Diffusion

SVD Image-to-Video

Endpoint: fal-ai/stable-video-diffusion Best For: Open-source image animation

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/stable-video-diffusion", {
  input: {
    image_url: "https://example.com/landscape.jpg",
    motion_bucket_id: 127,  // 0-255, higher = more motion
    fps: 7,
    num_frames: 25
  }
});

SVD Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
image_url	string	-	Source image
motion_bucket_id	number	127	Motion intensity (0-255)
fps	number	7	Frames per second
num_frames	number	25	Total frames
seed	number	-	For reproducibility

SVD XT

Endpoint: fal-ai/stable-video-diffusion-xt Best For: Extended video length

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/stable-video-diffusion-xt", {
  input: {
    image_url: "https://example.com/scene.jpg",
    motion_bucket_id: 127,
    num_frames: 25,
    fps: 6
  }
});

CogVideoX Image-to-Video

CogVideoX-5B Image-to-Video

Endpoint: fal-ai/cogvideox-5b/image-to-video Best For: Open-source alternative

const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/cogvideox-5b/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "The astronaut waves to the camera",
    image_url: "https://example.com/astronaut.jpg",
    num_inference_steps: 50,
    guidance_scale: 6.0
  }
});

Model Comparison

Quality Ranking

Tier	Models	Quality	Speed
Premium	Kling 2.6 Pro	Highest	Slow
Professional	Kling 2.5 Pro, Runway	High	Medium
Standard	MiniMax, LTX v2	Good	Fast
Budget	SVD, CogVideoX	Acceptable	Fast

Feature Comparison

Model	Audio	Duration	Loop	Best For
Kling 2.6 Pro	Yes	5-10s	No	Cinematic
Kling 2.5 Pro	No	5-10s	No	Professional
MiniMax	No	6s	No	Reliable
Runway Turbo	No	5-10s	No	Fast
Luma	No	5s	Yes	Creative
SVD	No	3-4s	No	Open source

Prompt Engineering for Image Animation

Motion Description Structure

[Subject action] + [Motion quality] + [Camera movement] + [Atmosphere]

Examples:

// Good: Specific motion
"The woman slowly turns her head to the right and smiles, gentle breeze moves her hair"

// Bad: Vague
"The woman moves"

Motion Types

Type	Keywords	Example
Character	"walks", "runs", "dances", "gestures"	"She waves hello"
Nature	"sways", "flows", "rustles", "falls"	"Leaves fall gently"
Mechanical	"rotates", "spins", "moves", "opens"	"The door opens slowly"
Atmospheric	"drifts", "swirls", "rises", "disperses"	"Fog drifts across"

Camera Motion Keywords

Keyword	Effect
"camera slowly pans"	Horizontal sweep
"slight zoom in"	Gradual zoom
"tracking shot"	Follows subject
"static camera"	No camera movement
"subtle camera shake"	Handheld feel

Quality Modifiers

• "smooth motion"
• "natural movement"
• "fluid animation"
• "subtle motion"
• "cinematic"

Complete Parameter Reference

interface ImageToVideoInput {
  // Required
  prompt: string;
  image_url: string;

  // Duration (varies by model)
  duration?: number | string;

  // Dimensions
  aspect_ratio?: "16:9" | "9:16" | "1:1";

  // Quality
  negative_prompt?: string;
  num_inference_steps?: number;
  guidance_scale?: number;

  // Model-specific
  prompt_optimizer?: boolean;  // MiniMax
  loop?: boolean;              // Luma
  motion_bucket_id?: number;   // SVD (0-255)
  fps?: number;                // SVD
  num_frames?: number;         // SVD, Wan

  // Reproducibility
  seed?: number;
}

Workflow Examples

Portrait Animation Pipeline

// 1. Generate a portrait image
const portrait = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/flux/dev", {
  input: {
    prompt: "Professional headshot of a business woman, neutral expression, studio lighting",
    image_size: "portrait_4_3"
  }
});

// 2. Animate the portrait
const video = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/kling-video/v2.5/pro/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "She slowly turns her head, makes eye contact with camera, and gives a warm professional smile",
    image_url: portrait.images[0].url,
    duration: "5",
    aspect_ratio: "16:9"
  }
});

console.log(video.video.url);

Product Showcase

// Animate product image
const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/minimax-video/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "The camera slowly rotates around the product, highlighting details, studio lighting",
    image_url: "https://example.com/product-shot.jpg",
    prompt_optimizer: true
  }
});

Nature Scene

// Create ambient nature video
const result = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/luma-dream-machine", {
  input: {
    prompt: "Gentle breeze moves through the grass, clouds drift slowly overhead, peaceful ambient motion",
    image_url: "https://example.com/landscape.jpg",
    aspect_ratio: "16:9",
    loop: true  // Perfect for background video
  }
});

Fast Preview Workflow

// Quick preview with faster model
const preview = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/stable-video-diffusion", {
  input: {
    image_url: sourceImage,
    motion_bucket_id: 100
  }
});

console.log("Preview:", preview.video.url);

// If satisfied, use higher quality model
const final = await fal.subscribe("fal-ai/kling-video/v2.6/pro/image-to-video", {
  input: {
    prompt: "Refined motion description based on preview",
    image_url: sourceImage,
    duration: "5"
  }
});

Best Practices

Image Preparation

1. High Resolution: Use high-quality source images
2. Clear Subject: Ensure main subject is clearly visible
3. Proper Framing: Leave room for motion
4. Consistent Lighting: Avoid harsh shadows

Prompt Tips

1. Describe the motion, not the static scene
2. Be specific about direction (left, right, forward)
3. Include speed (slowly, quickly, gradually)
4. Match motion to image content

Common Issues

Issue	Cause	Solution
Static output	Vague prompt	Add specific motion verbs
Distorted faces	Fast motion	Use "subtle", "gentle"
Inconsistent motion	Complex scene	Focus on one element
Cut-off motion	Short duration	Extend duration if available

Model Selection

Use Case	Recommended Model
Portraits	Kling 2.5/2.6 Pro
Products	MiniMax (prompt optimizer)
Landscapes	Luma (loop option)
Fast testing	SVD, Runway Turbo
With audio	Kling 2.6 Pro