Image-to-video guide

Animate a still you already have: pick a strong source image, use Start and End frames, write motion (not a scene), and choose the best model for image-to-video on Sunra.

Image-to-video starts from a picture you already have and sets it in motion. Because the first frame is locked to your image, you get maximum control over the look — you're only asking the model to handle the movement, not invent the whole scene.

The video generator's Start and End frame slots — drop your image into Start Frame to animate from it, or add an End Frame too for a start-to-end morph.

Two ways in

Image-to-video tool — the most direct path: upload a photo, add a prompt, generate.
Video generator — drop your image into the Start Frame slot on the Create tab. There's no mode switch; the moment a Start Frame is present, Sunra animates from it.

Either way, the source image becomes frame one and the model takes it from there.

Pick a strong source image

The clip can only be as good as the still it starts from:

Sharp and well-lit, with the subject clearly readable.
Composed for motion — leave room in the direction things will move.
For people, a clean, front-lit face animates far more reliably than a busy or shadowed one.

Tip

If you don't have the right still, make one first in the image generator — then animate it. Generating a frame you love and then adding motion beats gambling on text-to-video to nail both the look *and* the movement at once.

Start frame, or start-to-end morph

Start Frame only — the model animates outward from your image. Best when you want natural motion from a fixed opening.
Start + End Frame — add a second image and the clip transitions from one to the other. Great for transformations, reveals, and before/after beats.

Write motion, not a scene

Your image already defines the subject, style, and setting — so the prompt's job is the movement. Two examples:

Start Frame (a portrait): *She turns her head toward the camera and smiles; gentle hair movement; slow push-in. Cinematic, calm.*

Start → End morph (closed bud → open flower): *The bud slowly unfurls into full bloom; soft time-lapse feel; static camera.*

Don't re-describe what's already in the frame. Name the action, the camera move, and the pace — that's what the model still has to decide.

Best models for image-to-video

Kling 3.0 — precise image-to-video motion plus lip-sync, ideal when a person should move or speak naturally.
Sora 2 — the most convincing physics when objects, cloth, or crowds need to move believably.
Seedance 2.0 — fast, vertical-first social clips from a single photo.
Veo 3.1 — the most controllable camera language with native audio.
HappyHorse — the most versatile if you also want to attach reference characters.

Note

The same source image and prompt run across all of them. Draft on a fast tier like Seedance 2.0 Fast or Veo 3.1 Fast, then re-run the keeper on the full model. See Choosing a model for the full breakdown.

Note

Animating a real person's photo? Some models (notably Seedance) run a privacy filter that can reject a real face with "Photos of real people aren't supported." If you hit it, switch to Kling 3.0 or Veo 3.1, which handle real portraits — see Troubleshooting generations.

Common fixes

Problem	Try this
Face or hands warp	Start from a cleaner, sharper photo; ask for slower motion
Nothing much moves	Name an explicit action and camera move in the prompt
The look drifts from your image	Shorten the clip; avoid prompting style the image already has
Transition feels abrupt	For a morph, pick Start/End frames that share framing and lighting
"Photos of real people aren't supported"	A model's privacy filter — use Kling 3.0 or Veo 3.1 for real faces

For the wider picture — all four input modes and the Edit and Motion Control tabs — read Text-to-video basics. For prompt craft, see Prompting for video.