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This guide shows you how to generate an AI video that begins from a specific image. By providing a first frame image along with a text prompt, you can control the visual starting point of the video while letting the AI model animate the scene based on your description.

What You Will Build

First Frame Control

Set a specific image as the opening frame of your video

Directed Animation

Describe how the scene should evolve from the starting frame

Video Continuations

Chain videos together using the last frame of a previous generation

Consistent Characters

Maintain visual consistency by starting from a known frame

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 for your first frame image
You can use the lastFrameImageUrl from a completed video generation job as the firstFrameImageUrl for the next request. This technique allows you to create seamless multi-segment videos.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Set Up Your Request

Prepare your API credentials, the first frame image URL, and a prompt that describes how the video should proceed from that frame.
The firstFrameImageUrl must point to a publicly accessible image. This parameter cannot be used together with extendVideoUrl or referenceImageUrls.

Step 2: Submit the Video Generation Request

Send the request to the AI Studio video generation endpoint.

Step 3: Poll for the Result

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

Understanding the Parameters

Chaining Videos with Last Frame

The completed video response includes a lastFrameImageUrl field. You can use this URL as the firstFrameImageUrl in a new request to create a seamless continuation. This technique is useful for building longer narratives across multiple video segments. Example workflow:
  1. Generate the first video with a text prompt.
  2. Retrieve the lastFrameImageUrl from the completed job.
  3. Use that URL as the firstFrameImageUrl for the next video, with a new prompt describing the next action.
  4. Repeat to build a multi-segment video sequence.

Tips for First Frame Videos

  • Reference the frame content. Describe actions relative to what is visible in the image. For example, “The person in the frame begins to walk” is more effective than a prompt that ignores the image content.
  • Describe motion direction. Specify where subjects should move. For example, “walks towards the window” or “turns to face the camera.”
  • Match the aspect ratio. Use the same aspect ratio as your source image for the best visual continuity.
  • Use for scene transitions. Generate an image with the AI Studio image endpoint, then animate it with this approach for full creative control over the opening frame.

Next Steps