The short answer: Making an AI video in 2026 takes four steps. Pick a model that matches your use case (Seedance 2.0 for ecom motion, Kling 3 for long-form realistic clips, Veo 3 for native audio, Sora 2 for prompt fidelity). Write a prompt using the formula subject + action + camera + scene. Generate. Edit and export at the native aspect ratio for your destination platform. The complete workflow inside one tool with audio takes 15 minutes. Inside Avocado AI with multi-model access and Flows for batch variants, the same workflow scales to 50 ad variants in an afternoon.
This is the tutorial that does not assume you have already used an AI video tool. It also does not pretend that one model wins everything.
Quick Start: Make Your First AI Video in 15 Minutes
Pick the tool. For this tutorial, Avocado AI because it gives you access to Seedance 2.0 and Kling 3 in one workspace with audio.
Pick the model. Seedance 2.0 for text-to-video. Kling 3 for longer clips with audio. Both available in the same workspace.
Write the prompt. Subject + action + camera + scene. Example: "A creator in a sunlit kitchen pours iced matcha into a glass, camera slowly orbits left, soft morning light from the window, shallow depth of field."
Generate. 10 to 60 seconds depending on model and tier.
Edit. Trim, add captions, add a logo or end card.
Export. 9:16 for TikTok and Reels, 1:1 for Meta feed, 16:9 for YouTube.
That is the entire workflow. The rest of this tutorial covers what to do when the first attempt does not work, how to scale to batch variants, and the 8 common mistakes that trip up beginners.
Pick the Right Model for Your Use Case
Use case
Pick
Ecom product motion (image to video)
Seedance 2.0 i2v inside Avocado AI
Long-form realistic clip with audio
Kling 3 inside Avocado AI
Highest-quality native audio
Google Veo 3.1
Best prompt-following
OpenAI Sora 2
Cinematic motion control and VFX
Runway Gen-4.5
Stylized social transitions
Pika 2.5
Multi-language UGC with avatars
HeyGen
Free testing
Hailuo 2.3 or Pika 2.5 free tier
For agencies and ecom teams running paid ad variants, the right answer is multi-model access in one workspace. Avocado AI integrates Seedance 2.0 and Kling 3 in one credit pool, with Storyboards for character continuity and Flows for batch generation.
Text to Video Workflow (Seedance 2.0 and Kling 3)
Seedance 2.0 uses a prompt formula: Subject + Motion (required) + Environment + Aesthetics + Camera + Audio (optional). Order is flexible. Audio is natively joint with video.
Example prompt for Seedance 2.0:
A young creator in a sunlit kitchen pours iced ceremonial matcha into a small clear glass,
slow camera orbit left, golden hour light from the window,
shallow depth of field, soft ambient kitchen sounds.
Kling 3 expects scene direction, not object lists. It supports up to 6 explicit shots and 15-second durations. Toggle Multi-Shot ON for automatic shot planning, or use Custom Multi-Shot with explicit shot 1, shot 2 markers.
Example prompt for Kling 3:
shot 1: a creator looks toward the kitchen window, golden hour light on her face, medium close-up.
shot 2: she pours iced matcha from a small ceramic pot into a clear glass on a marble counter, overhead angle.
shot 3: the glass tilts slightly as she lifts it toward the camera, slow push-in, eye-level shot.
Anchor the subject in the first line of every shot. Kling 3 uses the first-line subject as the consistency anchor across all shots.
Image to Video Workflow
Start with a still image. The image anchors subject identity. The prompt describes the motion.
Generate slow 360 rotation of the bottle on a marble countertop,
soft natural light from the left, ambient shadow, medium close-up.
Maintain consistent bottle geometry and label position.
Kling 3 i2v uses a "lock first, then move" pattern. Describe how the scene evolves from the input image.
Example:
Start: the bottle stands centered on a marble countertop in soft morning light.
Motion: camera slowly orbits the bottle clockwise while a hand enters frame from the right
and lifts the bottle toward the camera, light shifts subtly as the bottle rotates.
For batch variants of the same product shot, Avocado AI's Flows lets you specify a single source image and generate 20 to 50 motion variants in one campaign run.
Add Audio
Three paths:
Native audio in the same generation. Veo 3.1, Sora 2, and Kling 3 (std and pro) generate audio in the workflow. This is the simplest path.
Separate audio generation plus mixing. Generate silent video first, then add voiceover and SFX from ElevenLabs or Avocado AI's Music/Audio Studio. Most flexible.
Lip-sync stacking. Generate silent video, then lip-sync to a separate voiceover (HeyGen, Synthesia, Pika Pikaformance).
For ad creative, native audio reduces production steps. For narrative work, separate generation gives finer control over voice direction and music selection.
Edit and Export
Most generated clips need light editing before they ship:
Trim the leading and trailing frames for clean cuts.
Color correction if the clip will sit next to live-action footage.
Captions for accessibility and silent autoplay (TikTok and Reels frequently autoplay muted).
Logo or end card for brand attribution.
Export at the native aspect ratio for your destination platform.
For ad-creative export, follow the platform's spec. TikTok In-Feed requires 9:16 at minimum 540 by 960 with a minimum 516 kbps bitrate. Instagram Reels follows the same vertical specs. Meta Advantage Plus accepts 9:16 and 1:1.
8 Beginner Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Listing objects instead of describing a scene. Models trained on cinematic data underperform on feature lists. Fix: rewrite as a scene direction with subject, action, and camera.
Using pronouns or synonyms for the same character. Causes voice and identity drift in audio-enabled models. Fix: repeat the subject name verbatim in every line.
Back-to-back dialogue with no linking words. Kling merges them into one speaker. Fix: insert "Immediately,", "Then,", or "this is when the speaker switches" between lines.
Re-specifying voice tone after binding a subject in Kling. Bound subjects already carry voice tone. Re-specifying causes conflicts. Fix: omit voice descriptors for bound characters.
Using stylized punctuation or rare words for on-screen text in Seedance. Produces broken letterforms. Fix: stick to common English and standard punctuation. Specify font, color, timing, and position explicitly.
Uploading multiple reference images without ordering them. Seedance does not know which image governs what. Fix: explicitly tag "Image 1 = subject, Image 2 = scene, Image 3 = logo".
Single-shot prompting when you need a sequence. Kling defaults to one shot if Multi-Shot is off. Fix: toggle Multi-Shot ON or use Custom Multi-Shot syntax.
Describing only subject motion and ignoring the camera. Causes drift and artifacts. Fix: describe both subject and camera in every prompt.
FAQ
Q: How do I make an AI video?
Pick a model (Seedance 2.0 or Kling 3 inside Avocado AI for a strong default), write a prompt using subject + action + camera + scene, generate, edit, and export at the native aspect ratio for your destination platform. The complete workflow takes 15 minutes.
Q: What is the best AI video tool for beginners?
For beginners producing ad creative, Avocado AI with Seedance 2.0 and Kling 3 in one workspace. The UI handles model selection, the credit pool covers both models, and Storyboards plus Flows give you a path to scale.
Q: How long does it take to generate an AI video?
10 to 60 seconds for a single 5 to 10 second clip on most modern models. Longer clips (Kling 3 at 60 seconds, Sora 2 with extension) take 1 to 3 minutes. Batch generation through Avocado AI Flows runs in parallel and produces 20 to 50 variants in under 10 minutes.
Q: Can I add audio to my AI video?
Yes, three ways. Native audio in the same generation (Veo 3.1, Sora 2, Kling 3). Separate generation and mixing (ElevenLabs, Avocado AI Music Studio). Lip-sync stacking (HeyGen, Pika Pikaformance).
Q: How much does it cost to make an AI video?
API rates range from $0.50 per 5 seconds (Sora 2) to $3.75 per 5 seconds (Veo 3). Subscription bundles start at €19 per month (Avocado AI) and run up to $300 per month (Luma Ultra). For marketers generating more than a handful of clips per month, subscription bundles beat API pricing.
Q: Can AI videos be used for TikTok and Meta ads?
Yes. Generate at native vertical (9:16 at minimum 540 by 960), use generated audio or licensed Commercial Music Library tracks (not auto-pulled trending sounds), and add the platform's AI-content label during upload.
Q: What aspect ratio should I generate?
Match the destination. 9:16 for TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts. 1:1 for Meta feed. 16:9 for YouTube standard. Generate at the target ratio. Cropping throws away resolution.
Q: How do I make my AI videos look professional?
Three things. Clean source images for image-to-video. Camera direction in the prompt (not just subject motion). A light edit pass after generation. Skipping any of these is the difference between an AI video and a professional AI video.
Start Making
If you want one workspace for text-to-video and image-to-video across Seedance 2.0 and Kling 3, with batch generation through Flows and audio in the same workflow, start with Avocado AI. Check out our pricing for details.
Wanderson Jackson is the founder of Avocado AI, a collaborative AI creative workspace for agencies and creative teams.
How to Make AI Videos in 2026: The Complete Tutorial for Beginners and Marketers
