Guide and alternatives
Vidu AI Video Generator: Vidu Q3, References & Alternatives
Vidu is a video generator from ShengShu Technology. Its best-known feature is reference to video: upload several images of a character, product or place and Vidu keeps them consistent in a new shot. The current model, Vidu Q3, also generates sound. Vidu isn’t available here, but you can animate a single photo with Seedance or set a first and last frame with Veo 3.1.
Models you can use instead of Vidu
These models run on this site with pay-as-you-go credits. Each card shows the lowest price per clip with audio off.
What to know about Vidu
Reference to video vs. image to video
Image to video uses your photo as the first frame. Reference to video uses your images as a guide to what things look like and builds a new shot around them. References help when the same character must appear in several clips.
What Vidu Q3 can do
Q3 generates picture and sound together, including dialogue with lip sync, and accepts text, a single image, several reference images, or a first and last frame.
Alternatives on this site
For one photo and one shot, Seedance 2.0 is the closest match and can add sound. If the shot must end on a specific image, Veo 3.1 takes a first and last frame.
How to animate a photo with Vidu or an alternative
Decide what your image is for
Is it the first frame, the look of a character, or the ending? The answer tells you which mode to use.
Pick the matching tool
Several references: Vidu. One photo: Seedance here. First and last frame: Veo 3.1 here.
Check continuity
Compare clothes, colors and product shape across clips before you cut them together.
Vidu prompt examples
Swap in your own subject and keep the structure: what moves, how the camera moves, and what stays the same.
Character greeting
The illustrated traveler raises one hand in a small wave. The blue coat, red scarf and face stay the same. Camera at eye level.
Pick an illustration where the hand is clearly visible.
Product close-up with a last frame
The camera moves from the wide product shot toward the close-up and ends with the front of the bottle centered. The cap and bottle shape don’t change.
Needs a model that accepts a last frame, such as Veo 3.1.
Two characters meet
The girl in the yellow raincoat walks up to the small robot and they wave at each other. Both keep their colors and shapes. A street at dusk, camera at a child’s eye level.
In Vidu, add each character as its own reference image.
Vidu Q3 features at a glance
Vidu Q3 is ShengShu’s current flagship model. The main things it can do:
- Reference to video: combine several images of characters, objects or places in one clip.
- First and last frame: set exactly how a shot starts and ends.
- Native sound: dialogue with lip sync, sound effects and ambience generated with the picture.
- Styles: realistic footage as well as anime and illustrated looks.
Clip lengths, resolutions and credit costs depend on the mode, so check Vidu’s own site for the current options.
Planning a short story with reference images
References make it easier to keep a character looking the same across several clips, but you still need a plan. Before you generate anything:
- Collect clean images of each character or product: front view, plain background, good light.
- Write down the details that must match in every shot, such as coat color, hair and logo position.
- Keep the aspect ratio and the subject’s size in frame the same from shot to shot.
- Plan how shots connect: the camera keeps moving the same way, or the character finishes an action in the next clip.
If your story is a single shot from one photo, you don’t need references. Seedance or Veo here will be quicker.
Vidu pricing in 2026
Vidu sells monthly plans with credits. Prices in September 2026, billed monthly (about 20% less when billed yearly):
- Free: 40 credits a month, watermarked video and an off-peak mode.
- Standard, $9.99 a month: no watermark.
- Premium, $19.99 a month: higher resolution and priority in the queue.
- Ultimate, $59.99 a month: the largest credit allowance and API access.
Subscription credits expire after 30 days, while credits you buy separately last two years. Failed or unwanted generations still use credits.
Who Vidu is for
Vidu fits creators making series with recurring characters, such as short anime stories, explainer mascots or product lines shown across several scenes. Its reference tools save time there. For a single photo that needs to move, you don’t need references, and a direct image-to-video model like Seedance 2.0 or Veo 3.1 is quicker to set up.
How to use reference to video in Vidu
Choose the reference mode, then upload one image per subject: a character, a product or a location. Plain backgrounds work best because the model can tell what belongs to the subject. In the prompt, name each subject and say what they do, such as ‘the girl in the raincoat hands the robot an umbrella’.
Pick the length and resolution, generate, and check every subject in the result. If one character drifts, try a clearer reference image of that character before changing the prompt.
Vidu FAQ
Is Vidu free?
Yes, with limits. Free accounts get 40 credits a month and watermarked video. Paid plans start at $9.99 a month billed monthly, or $7.99 a month billed yearly.
What is Vidu Q3?
Vidu’s current flagship model. It generates video and sound together and supports text, image, reference and first-and-last-frame inputs.
Is reference to video the same as first and last frame?
No. A first and last frame fix how the clip starts and ends. References only tell the model what a character or object looks like.
Can I use Vidu on this site?
No. Vidu runs on its own site and app. The models linked on this page are the closest options you can use here.
How many reference images can Vidu use?
Vidu Q3 accepts several reference images in one generation; reviews in 2026 report up to seven. Check the reference-to-video panel in Vidu for the current limit.
Is Vidu good for anime?
Yes. Vidu handles anime and illustrated styles, and its reference mode is popular for keeping anime characters consistent across clips.
Official site: Vidu AI video generator.