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This guide shows you how to extend an existing video by generating new content that continues from the end of the original. By providing a video URL and a text prompt, the AI model produces a new video segment that picks up where the original left off. This is useful for building longer narratives, adding follow-up scenes, or expanding short clips.

What You Will Build

Video Extension

Continue an existing video with new AI-generated content

Narrative Building

Add follow-up scenes to develop a story over multiple segments

Seamless Transitions

The AI model maintains visual continuity from the source video

Iterative Creation

Extend videos repeatedly to build longer sequences

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:
  • A Pictory API key
  • Node.js or Python installed on your machine
  • The required packages installed
  • A publicly accessible URL of the video you want to extend

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Set Up Your Request

Prepare your API credentials, the source video URL, and a prompt that describes what should happen next in the video.
The extendVideoUrl must point to a publicly accessible video file. This parameter cannot be used together with firstFrameImageUrl or referenceImageUrls.

Step 2: Submit the Video Extension Request

Send the request to the AI Studio video generation endpoint. The API processes the source video and generates a new segment that continues from it.

Step 3: Poll for the Result

Check the job status at regular intervals until the extended video is ready.

Understanding the Parameters

Building Multi-Segment Videos

You can extend videos iteratively to build longer sequences. Each extension generates a new video segment that continues from the previous one. Example workflow:
  1. Generate the first video segment using a text prompt.
  2. Retrieve the video URL from the completed job.
  3. Use that URL as the extendVideoUrl in a new request with a prompt for the next scene.
  4. Repeat to build a multi-segment video.
Each extension request generates a standalone video file, not an appended version of the original. To combine segments into a final video, you will need to concatenate them using a video editing tool or library after all segments are generated.

Tips for Extending Videos

  • Describe the transition naturally. Write your prompt as a continuation of the action. For example, if the source video shows someone walking, your prompt might say “She stops and turns to look at the sunset.”
  • Maintain consistency. Use the same model and aspectRatio as the original video for the best visual continuity between segments.
  • Keep prompts grounded. Reference what is happening at the end of the source video. Abrupt changes in subject or setting may produce less coherent results.
  • Plan your narrative. When building multi-segment sequences, outline the full story before generating. This helps you write prompts that flow naturally from one segment to the next.

Next Steps