Create Your First AI Video in 5 Minutes with Oakgen.ai

AI video generation has reached the point where anyone can create cinematic footage from a text description. No camera, no editing software, no video production experience required. On Oakgen.ai, you have access to 7 text-to-video models (as of 2026-10-25), and you can go from zero to a finished video in under 5 minutes.

This guide walks you through both text-to-video and image-to-video workflows, recommends the best models for different use cases, and shows you how to get professional results on your first try.

What You Will Need

• A description of the video you want to create
• Optionally, a starting image for image-to-video generation

That is it. No downloads, no installations, no technical setup.

The Two Workflows: Text-to-Video vs. Image-to-Video

Before diving in, understand the two main approaches:

Text-to-Video: You describe the scene in words and the AI creates everything from scratch -- visuals, motion, composition. Best for creative exploration and when you do not have a specific starting frame in mind.

Image-to-Video: You upload a still image and the AI animates it. Best for when you have an existing image (generated or photographed) and want to bring it to life with motion. This gives you more control over the initial composition.

Quick-Start: Text-to-Video in 5 Minutes

Minute 1: Open the Video Generator

Log in to Oakgen.ai and navigate to the AI Video Generator from your dashboard sidebar.

Minute 2: Choose Your Model

Select a model from the dropdown, which shows the credit cost for each option. Good starting points, with credit prices from Oakgen's pricing code as of 2026-10-25:

Minute 3: Write Your Prompt

Describe the scene you want to generate. AI video prompts work differently from image prompts -- you need to describe motion and camera work in addition to the visual scene.

Here is a strong starter prompt:

"A golden retriever running through a field of wildflowers at sunset, camera tracking alongside the dog at eye level, warm golden light, slow motion, cinematic color grading, shallow depth of field"

Key elements to include:

• Subject and action: What is happening in the video?
• Camera movement: Tracking shot, dolly forward, static, crane shot?
• Lighting: Golden hour, overcast, neon, studio?
• Speed: Normal speed, slow motion, time-lapse?
• Style: Cinematic, documentary, commercial, film grain?

Minute 4: Set Duration and Aspect Ratio

Choose your video duration:

• 5 seconds -- Good for social media clips, product reveals, loops
• 10 seconds -- Better for mini-narratives, ads, more complex scenes

The available durations depend on the model, and longer clips cost more because video is billed per second.

Choose your aspect ratio:

• 16:9 -- YouTube, presentations, standard video
• 9:16 -- TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts
• 1:1 -- Instagram feed, social media posts

Minute 5: Generate and Download

Hit Generate. Oakgen processes your request and sends you a real-time notification when your video is ready -- typically 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the model and duration.

Once the video appears, you can:

• Play it directly in the browser
• Download in full resolution
• Regenerate with the same prompt for a different variation
• Send to Video Upscaler via the Video Upscaler for enhanced resolution

Quick-Start: Image-to-Video

Image-to-video gives you precise control over the starting frame. This workflow is ideal when you have an existing image you want to animate -- whether it is a product photo, an AI-generated image, or a design mockup.

Step 1: Get Your Source Image

You can use any image, but for best results:

• Use a high-resolution image (at least 1024x1024)
• Choose an image with a clear subject
• Avoid overly busy compositions

Pro move: Generate your source image on Oakgen first. Use Nano Banana Pro for photorealistic stills or Nano Banana 2 for 4K starting frames, then animate them.

Step 2: Upload and Describe the Motion

In the Video Generator, switch to Image-to-Video mode. Upload your image, then describe the motion you want:

"Slow camera push in, the woman's hair blows gently in the wind, soft ambient light shifts across her face, cinematic"

Focus your prompt on movement and changes rather than describing the image itself (the model can already see it).

Step 3: Generate

Select your model, duration, and hit Generate. The model will use your image as the first frame and create motion from there.

Which video models does Oakgen offer?

As of 2026-10-25, the Video Generator has 7 text-to-video models, most with an image-to-video version:

• Kling v3 Pro from Kuaishou. 1080p, 3 to 15 seconds, optional generated audio, plus a Motion Control mode.
• Seedance 2.5 from ByteDance. Up to 1080p, 4 to 30 seconds, optional generated audio, and a reference mode that takes images, videos and audio.
• Seedance 2.0 and Seedance 2.0 Fast from ByteDance. Seedance 2.0 goes up to 4K.
• MiniMax H3 Max.
• Gemini Omni Flash from Google.
• Grok Imagine Video from xAI, the lowest-cost option at 480p.

Kling 2.0, Kling 2.1 Master, Runway Gen 4 Turbo and Hailuo 2.3 Pro, which earlier versions of this guide listed, are no longer on Oakgen.

Prompt Templates for Common Use Cases

Product Reveal

"A sleek smartphone slowly rotates on a reflective black surface, studio lighting with soft highlights, dramatic shadows, commercial product photography style, 4K, smooth continuous rotation"

Nature Scene

"Aerial drone shot gliding over a misty mountain valley at sunrise, pine forests below, golden light breaking through clouds, slow cinematic movement, shot on RED camera"

Social Media Ad

"Dynamic quick cuts of a person unboxing a product, excited expression, close-up of product details, bright modern apartment, energetic pacing, lifestyle brand aesthetic"

Character Animation

"A woman in a red dress walks confidently down a city street at night, neon signs reflected in puddles, camera follows from behind, slow tracking shot, cinematic noir"

Extending Your Videos

Add Audio

Pair your video with AI-generated audio:

• ElevenLabs or MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD for voiceovers and narration
• Music Generator for background tracks using Lyria 3.5 or Eleven Music

Combine with Other Tools

Oakgen's strength is the ability to chain tools together:

1. Generate a character image with Image Generator
2. Animate it with Video Generator
3. Add a voiceover with Audio
4. Create a talking-head version with Talking Photo
5. Package it as a UGC Ad

All within one platform, one credit system, one workflow.

Video Generation Pricing

Video credits scale with model quality and duration:

Prices are from Oakgen's pricing code as of 2026-10-25 and can change.

The generator shows the exact credit cost for every model and duration before you generate.

Oakgen has no free plan, free trial or signup credits. Check the pricing page for current paid plans and active offers.

Common Questions

How long does generation take?

Most models produce a 5-second video in 30 seconds to 2 minutes. You will receive a real-time notification when it is ready -- no need to watch the screen.

Can I generate longer videos?

The maximum duration varies by model: 15 seconds on Kling v3 Pro and 30 seconds on Seedance 2.5, as of 2026-10-25. For longer content, generate multiple clips and combine them in your video editor of choice.

Which model should a beginner use?

Start with Grok Imagine Video at 480p for cheap drafts, then move to Kling v3 Pro image-to-video for the final clip. Check the credit cost shown in the generator before each run.

Can I use AI videos commercially?

Usually, yes. Oakgen does not claim ownership of eligible outputs, but your right to use a video commercially depends on Oakgen's Terms (section 4.4), the model provider's terms, the law, and your rights in any images you upload.