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Image to video · 4 min read

Seedance 2.5: from reference images to a 30-second video

Organize character and scene references, describe the action and camera, then check the 720p, 30-second settings and your video allowance.

01Decide what this video needs to tell

Thirty seconds can tell a small, complete story: a character enters a bookshop, finds an old book, then looks out of the window. Write the central event in one sentence before choosing the characters, location and props. Actions that serve this event are easier to review than a long list of visual adjectives.

Keep the character, outfit, lighting and aspect ratio clear. Reference images help guide appearance, but individual generations can still differ. For a continuing story, review a short shot or a single sample first, then build the remaining shots.

02Give each reference image a role

  1. Choose clear character images with little obstruction. Keep clothing and hairstyle consistent, and prepare separate references for each person in a group scene.
  2. Use scene references to establish the layout, lighting and background. Add a prop reference only when its appearance needs to remain consistent. Remove redundant or contradictory images.
  3. After uploading, use the reference tags shown in the studio, such as @图1 for a character and @图2 for a bookshop. Check the numbering again whenever you remove or reorder references.
  4. Check the selected model’s reference guidance before submitting. This guide uses the default image-only channel as its example. The current studio shows the image limit and whether video or audio references are available.

Reference support varies by model and channel. If you have audio or video material, choose a model that explicitly supports that material before adding it.

03Connect the subject, action, camera and setting

Start by identifying the references, then describe the action in the order it happens. Explain who does what, how the camera follows, and where the action ends. Use concrete camera directions such as a slow push-in, a side tracking shot or a static medium shot.

Let the references define appearance, and use the prompt to add motion and spatial relationships that the images do not show. Focus on one main event. Avoid contradictory camera angles or too many rapid transitions. Prompt optimization in the studio can help organize your wording; check that it still expresses your intent before submitting.

Example prompt

Use the character in @图1 and the bookshop in @图2 as references. The character wears the dark blue jacket from the reference. Warm evening light enters the shop. The camera slowly tracks from behind and to the side as the character walks to the bookshelf by the window, takes out an old book, opens it, pauses, then looks outside. Keep movement natural and continuous, the shelves and window in stable positions, and the color palette softly warm.

04Check settings, credits and task status

  1. Choose Seedance 2.5 and 720p. The default duration is 15 seconds, with 30 seconds also available; the complete story in this guide uses 30 seconds. Then select a landscape or portrait aspect ratio for your intended use. Available settings are shown in the current studio.
  2. Check the cost beside the Generate button. Seedance 2.5 and Seedance 2.0 share one video allowance: 2.5 uses 1 unit per video (4–30 seconds); 2.0 uses 0.5 units at any duration. Without available allowance, 2.0 costs 25 credits at any duration and 2.5 costs 80 credits per video. Unused units do not expire and renewals add to the balance. Lite membership adds no new units, but existing units remain usable.
  3. After submitting, check the task history for queued, processing or failed status. Upstream queues affect wait times. An accepted task does not mean the video is finished.
  4. Play the completed video and check appearance, action, shot continuity and sound before downloading. To continue the scene, use “Use the last frame for the next shot” in your storyboard.

Premium day passes include 5 allowance units and week passes include 50. The allowance does not reset daily. Unused units do not expire, and renewals add to the balance. The studio shows the charging method that applies to each submission.