MAGIC OF MOVEMENT

Making videos with generative AI is a whole new ballgame. My image generation skills made a great starting point but the need to describe, define and control the movements put me on another steep learning curb.

There are half a dozen well-developed AI video generators available (and the list is growing constantly), each with its own strengths and limitations. Users tend to find a "favorite" or two and develop their own unique prompting strategies that work best for the particular platform. So far I have focused on two generators. "SORA" is an AI video generator by Open AI (public release December, 2024). "VEO" is an AI video generator by Google. Currently, Veo 2 is widely available (free with usage limits); Veo 3 is available with Google AI credit through several platforms, including Whisk Animate, Flow (both via Google FX Labs), and Gemini (via Google Studio), or through third-party video-generation sites.

Video making with or without AI is time- and skill-intensive work. But there is something magical about seeing your image being animated and coming to life, making hours in front of the computer screen seem totally worthwhile. The image above was, for example, generated by Imagen. Later on, I decided to turn it into a video short with Veo 2. With no prior skills in video editing, sound effects, etc., it took 10+ hours to complete this 30-second clip. If you are curious, you can see the "magic" in my archives below.