AI video & animation generators

These tools make short video clips from a text prompt or a single still image — b-roll, motion graphics, simple character motion and looping animations. Clips are usually a few seconds long, so most real projects stitch several together.

The tools

Runway — a full creative suite: text- and image-to-video plus editing, camera controls and effects. Limited free credits, then paid.
Pika — fast and playful, good for short social clips and quick effects. Has a free tier.
Luma Dream Machine — smooth, natural motion from a prompt or a still, with a usable free allowance.
OpenAI Sora — longer, more coherent scenes; access is tied to a ChatGPT subscription.
Google Veo — Google's high-fidelity model, offered through its AI apps and cloud tools.

Which one should you use?

Editing and control alongside generation: Runway.
Quick, fun social clips: Pika.
Best motion from a still image, with a free tier: Luma Dream Machine.
Longer, more coherent shots: Sora or Veo.

Set expectations: clips are short and fine detail — hands, text, faces over time — can drift. Generate several takes and keep the best. Check each tool's licence before using output commercially, and don't recreate real, identifiable people without consent.

Back to all AI tools, or the examples.