Bring your image into motion with Vidu Q4

Choose a source image with a clear subject and enough space around the part you want to animate. If a person's hand is already cropped out, asking for a broad wave gives the model more missing information to invent. A cup against a simple background makes a gentle steam effect easier to describe than a crowded tabletop with overlapping objects. Before uploading, look at the picture at its intended viewing size. Check whether faces, important edges, and the main object remain easy to read.

Vidu Q4 offers two ways to use your images. Choose First frame to video when one JPEG, PNG, or WebP image should establish the opening frame; the prompt is optional. Choose Reference to video when you want to build a scene around the people, objects, or settings in your reference images. This mode accepts 1–15 images and requires a prompt describing the scene and action. References guide who and what appears rather than fixing the opening composition. Start with a small, purposeful set, make each subject's role clear, and avoid contradictory views or unrelated pictures. You can also add up to 3 MP3 audio references, each 3–12 seconds long and no larger than 50 MB. Only Reference to video lets you choose an aspect ratio: 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3, or 3:4.

The image already shows what is in the scene. Use your prompt to explain change: who or what moves, how quickly the movement unfolds, and what should remain still. Instead of describing a jacket's color several times, say that the person turns slightly toward the window while the jacket keeps its original shape. Choose one main action and, if useful, one small environmental detail. A blink and a light breeze are easier to assess than a blink, a jump, a costume change, and a sudden location change in the same short clip.

A practical brief might read: the paper lantern sways gently; the camera stays fixed; the room lighting remains steady. In First frame to video, you can leave the Prompt field empty, though a short direction helps communicate the intended movement. Reference to video requires a prompt: describe the scene and action, and explain how the subjects in your references belong in the shot. Avoid stacking conflicting commands such as both a perfectly still camera and a fast orbit. Read the brief aloud: if the action is hard to imagine, simplify it before generating.

Camera instructions and subject instructions solve different problems. A slow push toward a vase changes the framing even when the vase stays still. A flower bending in a breeze changes the subject even when the camera does not move. Decide which change matters to your idea before adding both. For a product close-up, a fixed camera can make it easier to judge whether the object remains recognizable. For a landscape, a gentle camera drift may be enough to give the composition depth.

With Vidu Q4, describe the direction and pace in ordinary language. Try a slow move from left to right rather than a collection of technical camera terms that do not agree. Consider what the move would reveal beyond the source image. A wide orbit asks the generation to imagine surfaces that are not visible in the photograph. Start with modest movement, inspect the result, and only increase the camera's travel when that extra reveal helps the story.

Choose a duration from 3 to 16 seconds in one-second steps. Match that choice to the action rather than choosing the longest clip automatically. A small head turn can work as a short beat. A subject walking through the frame needs time to begin, move, and settle. Longer duration does not turn an overloaded prompt into a clear shot; it simply gives the requested motion more time to unfold. If your idea contains several unrelated events, consider making separate clips and assembling them afterward.

For a simple action, describe its beginning and its ending without assigning a rigid timestamp to every tiny detail. For example, a leaf lifts in the breeze and then settles back toward its original position. Leave a quiet moment at the end if you expect to cut into another scene. Review the opening and closing frames together. A usable transition depends on the actual result, so do not assume that equal duration alone will make two clips join seamlessly.

The “Resolution” control offers 540p, 720p, 1080p, 2k, and 4k. Pick a setting that suits your immediate goal. When you are still testing whether a camera move works, a lower-resolution draft can help you evaluate the idea without treating every attempt as the final delivery. When the shot is approved, consider the display size and the rest of your edit before choosing a higher-resolution output. Read the credit estimate for the selected settings before submitting.

Resolution is only one part of visual quality. A larger output does not guarantee readable lettering, accurate fingers, or a faithful reconstruction of details missing from the image. Check composition and motion before judging sharpness. Also review the clip at the size your audience will actually see. A movement that looks subtle on a large monitor may disappear inside a small mobile layout. Keep the intended destination in mind instead of choosing a setting simply because it is the largest available.

The audio control lets you request synchronized sound or create a silent video. Decide this before you submit, particularly if the clip will become part of an edit with an existing soundtrack. A silent output can be easier to combine with narration, licensed music, or a carefully arranged sound design. If you enable audio, describe the sound that belongs to the scene: a soft rustle as fabric moves, footsteps on a path, or the background atmosphere of a quiet room.

Do not treat generated audio as a promise of exact dialogue, a particular voice, or flawless synchronization. Listen to the entire output, including the opening and ending, and check whether the sound supports the visible action. Keep your first sound brief simple so that you can identify what needs changing. If the sound is distracting, try a silent version for your next planned generation or replace the soundtrack in an editor. Reference to video also lets you upload optional MP3 audio references; these are separate from the setting that turns generated audio on or off.

For a portrait, subtle motion often serves the picture better than a dramatic transformation. A slight change in gaze, a gentle turn, or a small movement of hair can suggest life without demanding a completely new pose. Start with an image you have permission to use, and consider how the person would feel about the proposed animation. Avoid prompts that rely on impersonation or misrepresent a real event. Review expressions, hands, and facial details before sharing the clip.

An illustration has a different visual language. Ask for movement that fits its existing style: a soft flutter in drawn fabric, a slow shift in a painted sky, or a modest character gesture. Vidu Q4 can generate a video from the uploaded illustration, but the result still needs review for changing outlines and invented details. Do not promise exact character continuity from one generation to another. Keep a note of the successful prompt and the source image so that your next iteration begins from an understandable creative decision.

A product clip does not need a complicated story to be useful. A small lighting shift, a moving reflection, or a gentle background motion can give a still photograph a clear visual beat. Decide what a viewer should notice first. If it is the shape of a bottle, keep the camera movement modest and avoid placing a dense effect in front of it. If it is the texture of a fabric, request a small movement that reveals the material without folding the entire item out of view.

Treat packaging text, logos, and tiny product details as review points rather than guaranteed preserved elements. Generated frames can change these details even when the prompt asks them to stay consistent. For a final commercial layout, consider adding essential lettering separately in an editor after checking the video. Make the motion brief about what the photograph supports. An object floating through a new environment is a different and more demanding idea than a subtle animation of the original product shot.

Watch the full result before deciding whether it worked. Then inspect the first frame, the main action, and the ending separately. Look for changes in the subject's shape, unexpected background movement, unstable edges, or sound that does not belong to the scene. Download a result you want to keep before starting a new edit. Saving the source image, prompt, duration, resolution, and audio choice together gives you a useful record of how the shot was made.

If the draft misses your intention, change one important instruction instead of rewriting everything at once. Reduce the camera movement, remove an extra action, or clarify which part of the picture should stay still. A new Vidu Q4 generation is a new attempt, not a guaranteed repair of the previous clip. Check its estimate before submitting again. Iteration is most productive when you can explain the specific difference you are trying to achieve and compare the actual outputs against that goal.