The AI map · Making media

Video generation

Turns a written prompt, a photo or a reference clip into a short video, usually with sound. The ones that lead it as of 29 October 2026.

  1. Gemini Omni Flash and Veo 3.1, in Flow New since July

    Google

    Generating and then editing video by conversation (Omni), or cinematic clips with native audio up to 4K (Veo 3.1), inside Google's Flow studio and the Gemini app.

    Pick it you already pay for a Google AI plan, or you want to change an existing clip step by step in plain words.

    Price Google AI Plus $4.99 a month (200 Flow credits), AI Pro $19.99 a month (1,000 Flow credits)

    Source: ai.google.dev

  2. Kling 4.0 New since July

    Kuaishou (Kling AI)

    Long single takes (up to 30 seconds in one pass) with steady fast motion and up to 15 reference assets.

    Pick it you need a longer continuous shot or heavy camera movement in one generation.

    Source: bernama.com

  3. Seedance 2.5 New since July

    ByteDance

    30-second clips in one run, built from many references at once (up to 30 images, 10 videos and 10 audio clips).

    Pick it you want to steer a clip with a lot of reference material: a product, a face, a voice, a camera move.

    In India ByteDance's own apps (Jimeng, Doubao, Dreamina) are its first home and ByteDance's CapCut is banned in India; Runway and Luma both list Seedance models.

    Source: technode.com

  4. Runway (Gen-4.5, Aleph 2.0)

    Runway

    A full video studio: its own Gen-4.5 model plus Aleph 2.0 for changing footage, with Kling and Seedance models in the same account.

    Pick it you want several leading video models and editing tools under one subscription.

    Price Free: 125 one-time credits; Standard $12 a month billed yearly ($15 monthly)

    Source: runway.com

  5. Luma (Ray3.2)

    Luma AI

    An agent-led studio for brand work: its own Ray3.2 video model and Uni-1 image model, alongside Veo, Kling, Seedance and others.

    Pick it you produce many on-brand variants and want one place that holds your style and characters steady.

    Price From $30 a month (Plus); no free plan listed

    Source: lumalabs.ai

  6. Midjourney Video

    Midjourney

    Animating a still image into a 5-second clip, in Midjourney's own look.

    Pick it you already make your images in Midjourney and want them to move.

    Price From $10 a month (Basic); video on every plan

    Source: docs.midjourney.com

  7. Pika (Pika 2.5)

    Pika

    Quick, playful social clips and effects, with Seedance 2.5 and other models also on offer.

    Pick it you want a low-cost way to try video generation for short social posts.

    Price Starter $10 a month; the free plan has no monthly credits (credit packs only)

    Source: pika.art

What changed

  1. 15 Oct 2026 Kuaishou launched Kling 4.0, with up to 30 seconds in one pass and up to 15 reference assets. bernama.com
  2. 24 Sep 2026 OpenAI shut down the Sora API, after closing the Sora app and website on 26 April 2026; Sora is no longer a tool you can use. help.openai.com
  3. 27 Aug 2026 Google made Gemini Omni Flash generally available to developers, adding video extension, first-and-last-frame transitions and output up to 4K (upscaled). ai.google.dev
  4. 31 Jul 2026 ByteDance released Seedance 2.5, making 30-second clips in one run from up to 30 images, 10 videos and 10 audio clips. technode.com
  5. 23 Jul 2026 Black Forest Labs announced FLUX 3, its first video model, making clips up to 20 seconds with sound, in gated early access. venturebeat.com

Questions people ask about it

Video, Image & Audio

  1. How are founders making product demos, ads, and social video with AI (Veo, Runway, Kling, HeyGen, ElevenLabs)?
  2. Why can a solo founder now do what needed an agency?
  3. What's the realistic quality bar, what works and what still looks fake?
  4. Which AI video tool should I actually use, and for what job?
  5. How are founders using AI avatars and UGC-style actors instead of hiring creators?
  6. How are founders using AI voice, music, and audio (ElevenLabs, Suno, Gemini Notebook)?

Ads & Performance Marketing

  1. How do founders use AI to generate and test ad creatives at scale?
  2. Why use AI for audience research, copy variants, and campaign analysis?
  3. What are real examples of small teams running big-league paid campaigns with AI?
  4. Which AI tools should a founder actually put in their first ad stack?
  5. How do founders create AI UGC and avatar video ads without a creator budget?
  6. Should founders let Meta, Google, and TikTok's AI automation run their campaigns?

The rest of the map

Checked 29 October 2026. Prices and rankings move every few months; each tool links the page its claims were read from.

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