Image to Video
Convert still images to animated videos via inference.sh CLI.
Quick Start
curl -fsSL https://cli.inference.sh | sh && infsh login
# Generate a still image
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
"prompt": "serene mountain lake at sunset, snow-capped peaks reflected in still water, golden hour light, landscape photography",
"width": 1248,
"height": 832
}'
# Animate it
infsh app run falai/wan-2-5-i2v --input '{
"prompt": "gentle ripples on the lake surface, clouds slowly drifting, warm light shifting, birds flying in the distance",
"image": "path/to/lake-image.png"
}'
Install note: The install script only detects your OS/architecture, downloads the matching binary from
dist.inference.sh, and verifies its SHA-256 checksum. No elevated permissions or background processes. Manual install & verification available.
Model Selection
| Model | App ID | Best For | Motion Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wan 2.5 i2v | falai/wan-2-5-i2v | Realistic motion, natural movement | Photorealistic, subtle |
| Seedance 1.5 Pro | bytedance/seedance-1-5-pro | Stylized, creative, animation-like | Artistic, expressive |
| Seedance 1.0 Pro | bytedance/seedance-1-0-pro | General purpose, good quality | Balanced |
| Fabric 1.0 | falai/fabric-1-0 | Cloth, fabric, liquid, flowing materials | Physics-based flow |
| Grok Imagine Video | xai/grok-imagine-video | General animation, text-guided | Versatile |
When to Use Each
| Scenario | Best Model | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape with water/clouds | Wan 2.5 i2v | Best at natural, realistic motion |
| Portrait with subtle expression | Wan 2.5 i2v | Maintains face fidelity |
| Product with fabric/cloth | Fabric 1.0 | Specialized in material physics |
| Flag waving, curtain flowing | Fabric 1.0 | Cloth simulation |
| Illustrated/artistic image | Seedance | Matches stylized content |
| General "bring to life" | Seedance 1.5 Pro | Good all-rounder |
| Quick test/iteration | Seedance 1.0 Lite | Fastest, 720p |
Motion Types
Camera Movement
| Movement | Prompt Keyword | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Push in / Dolly forward | "slow dolly forward", "camera pushes in" | Increasing intimacy/focus |
| Pull out / Dolly back | "camera pulls back", "slow zoom out" | Reveal, context |
| Pan left/right | "camera pans slowly to the right" | Scanning, following |
| Tilt up/down | "camera tilts upward" | Revealing height |
| Orbit | "camera orbits around the subject" | 3D exploration |
| Crane up | "camera rises upward" | Grand reveal |
| Static | (no camera movement prompt) | Subject motion only |
Subject Motion
| Type | Prompt Examples |
|---|---|
| Natural elements | "water rippling", "clouds drifting", "leaves rustling in breeze" |
| Hair/clothing | "hair blowing gently in wind", "dress fabric flowing" |
| Atmospheric | "fog slowly rolling", "dust particles floating in light beams" |
| Character | "person slowly turns to camera", "subtle breathing motion" |
| Mechanical | "gears turning", "clock hands moving" |
| Liquid | "coffee steam rising", "paint dripping", "water pouring" |
Prompting Best Practices
The Golden Rule: Subtle > Dramatic
AI video models produce better results with gentle, subtle motion than dramatic action. Requesting too much movement causes distortion and artifacts.
❌ "person running and jumping over obstacles while the camera spins"
✅ "person slowly walking forward, gentle breeze, camera follows alongside"
❌ "explosion with debris flying everywhere"
✅ "candle flame flickering gently, warm ambient light shifting"
❌ "fast zoom into the eyes with dramatic camera shake"
✅ "slow dolly forward toward the subject, subtle focus shift"
Prompt Structure
[Camera movement] + [Subject motion] + [Atmospheric effects] + [Mood/pace]
Examples by Scenario
# Landscape animation
infsh app run falai/wan-2-5-i2v --input '{
"prompt": "gentle camera pan right, water reflecting moving clouds, trees swaying slightly in breeze, warm golden light, peaceful and slow",
"image": "landscape.png"
}'
# Portrait animation
infsh app run falai/wan-2-5-i2v --input '{
"prompt": "subtle breathing motion, slight head turn, natural eye blink, hair moving gently, soft ambient lighting shifts",
"image": "portrait.png"
}'
# Product shot animation
infsh app run bytedance/seedance-1-5-pro --input '{
"prompt": "slow 360 degree orbit around the product, gentle spotlight movement, subtle reflections shifting, premium product showcase, smooth motion",
"image": "product.png"
}'
# Fabric/cloth animation
infsh app run falai/fabric-1-0 --input '{
"prompt": "fabric flowing and rippling in gentle wind, natural cloth physics, soft movement",
"image": "fabric-scene.png"
}'
# Architectural visualization
infsh app run falai/wan-2-5-i2v --input '{
"prompt": "slow dolly forward through the entrance, slight camera tilt upward, ambient light filtering through windows, dust particles in light beams",
"image": "building-interior.png"
}'
Duration Guidelines
| Duration | Quality | Use For |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 seconds | Highest quality | GIFs, looping backgrounds, cinemagraphs |
| 4-5 seconds | High quality | Social media posts, product reveals |
| 6-8 seconds | Good quality | Short clips, transitions |
| 10+ seconds | Quality degrades | Avoid unless stitching shorter clips |
Extending Duration
For longer videos, generate multiple short clips and stitch:
# Generate 3 clips from the same image with progressive motion
infsh app run falai/wan-2-5-i2v --input '{
"prompt": "slow pan left, gentle water motion",
"image": "scene.png"
}' --no-wait
infsh app run falai/wan-2-5-i2v --input '{
"prompt": "continuing pan, clouds shifting, light changing",
"image": "scene.png"
}' --no-wait
# Stitch together
infsh app run infsh/media-merger --input '{
"media": ["clip1.mp4", "clip2.mp4"]
}'
The Full Workflow
Still-to-Final-Video Pipeline
# 1. Generate source image (best quality)
infsh app run bytedance/seedream-4-5 --input '{
"prompt": "cinematic landscape, misty mountains at dawn, lake in foreground, dramatic clouds, golden hour, 4K quality, professional photography",
"size": "2K"
}'
# 2. Animate the image
infsh app run falai/wan-2-5-i2v --input '{
"prompt": "gentle mist rolling through the valley, lake surface rippling, clouds slowly moving, birds in distance, warm light shifting",
"image": "landscape.png"
}'
# 3. Upscale video if needed
infsh app run falai/topaz-video-upscaler --input '{
"video": "animated-landscape.mp4"
}'
# 4. Add ambient audio
infsh app run infsh/hunyuanvideo-foley --input '{
"video": "animated-landscape.mp4",
"prompt": "gentle nature ambience, distant birds, soft wind, water lapping"
}'
# 5. Merge video with audio
infsh app run infsh/video-audio-merger --input '{
"video": "upscaled-landscape.mp4",
"audio": "ambient-audio.mp3"
}'
Cinemagraph Effect
A cinemagraph is a still photo where only one element moves (e.g., waterfall moving in an otherwise frozen scene). To achieve this:
- Generate the still image with the motion element clearly defined
- Prompt for motion only in that specific element
- Keep to 2-4 seconds for seamless looping
infsh app run falai/wan-2-5-i2v --input '{
"prompt": "only the waterfall is moving, everything else remains perfectly still, water cascading smoothly, rest of scene frozen",
"image": "waterfall-scene.png"
}'
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Too much motion requested | Distortion, artifacts, warping | Subtle > dramatic, always |
| Wrong model for content type | Poor results | Use selection guide above |
| Clips too long (10s+) | Quality degrades significantly | Keep to 3-5 seconds, stitch if needed |
| No camera movement specified | Random/unpredictable motion | Always specify camera behavior |
| Conflicting motion directions | Chaotic, unnatural | One primary motion direction |
| Low-res source image | Low-res video output | Start with highest quality source |
| Complex action scenes | Models can't handle | Keep motion simple and natural |
Related Skills
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-video-generation
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-image-generation
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@video-prompting-guide
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@prompt-engineering
Browse all apps: infsh app list