Valentine's Day with AI Video Generation
What's the Best AI Tool for Valentine's Day Greetings?
Why not combine the romantic with AI this Valentine's Day?
In this issue, we test the best free AI video generators, compare them with Sora, and find out which model is suitable for pleasing your loved one (and pretty much for any other task).
At the end, I'll also share a few bonus tools for this wonderful holiday!
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AI + Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day is getting a tech upgrade. Instead of scribbling cards, people use AI generators to turn selfies into animated love stories, awkward text drafts into smooth voiceovers, and old photos into nostalgic montages.
My X feed is already overflowing with posts like this.
And I can't say it's about replacing romance. Quirky? Maybe it is. But in a world where many people struggle to express their feelings, these tools allow us to create heartfelt moments without pressure.
So, while we're at it, let's see what AI can do in this context.
Who knows, maybe this will encourage some of you to wish a happy Valentine's Day to a loved one? That would make me very happy!
How We Choose
I've selected the five generators based on creative output, technical versatility, and user experience. These are the tools I've used and the ones generating the most interest in the market in 2024.
If you're keeping up with the latest advancements in AI, you've probably heard some of them (Except for Sora, you can try all of these tools for free):
- Sora
- Adobe Firefly
- Kling AI
- Hailuo (MiniMax)
- Pika Labs
As for the approach, I’ll use standard settings and one comprehensive prompt for each model. While this will not make the testing completely objective, it will allow us to evaluate the generators equally.
Here it is:
A Valentine's Day themed video featuring a cozy, candlelit room with soft red and pink lighting, a bouquet of roses on a rustic table, and subtle futuristic holographic heart icons gently floating in the background.It may seem to you a pretty generic one.
However, it includes several parameters to make the AI work hard. Of course, a good gift for any holiday should be personalized, so I recommend including details related to important memories and stories in your prompts.
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OpenAI’s Sora
Sora by OpenAI transforms text prompts into short video clips using deep neural networks and a storyboard function that lets you segment longer narratives into manageable scenes. Despite the lack of a free version, it is one of the most popular services in its niche.
We've broken down Sora in detail in this post:
Pricing & Credits:
- ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo):Up to 50 videos/mo, up to 5s long and 720p resolution
- ChatGPT Pro ($200/mo): Up to 500 videos/mo, up to 20s long and 1080 resolution (and no watermarks)
How to try it: Go to Sora.com and input the prompt into Sora’s interface. Then, use the storyboard to manage scene transitions every few seconds. For best results, keep descriptions concise to avoid triggering visual glitches.
Our Result
Although we're just starting, you can pick up on some notable details. Sora defaulted to a realistic execution style and followed all the suggested instructions. A noteworthy plus is that the model made the scene harmonious: none of the items are out of place.
However, it's hard to find an element of coziness in the video.
But Sora is only part of the picture. Let's examine what others have to offer.
Adobe Firefly
Firefly integrates AI video generation within Adobe’s creative suite, using text-to-video and image-to-video features. It’s designed to integrate with Premiere Pro for further refinements.
Pricing & Credits:
- Firefly Standard ($9.99/mo): 2,000 credits per month
- Firefly Pro ($29.99/mo): 7,000 credits per month
- Creative Cloud Plans ($9.99–$59.99/mo): 100–1,000 credits per month
The last one includes other Adobe apps.
How to try it: In the Firefly web app, input your prompt and experiment with preset camera angles and motion controls. Export the clip to Adobe Premiere Pro for additional adjustments in color, transitions, and effects if necessary.
Our Result
Frankly, I expected a little more from a big tech company that specializes in creating software for visual content. Firefly generated a reasonably realistic image and avoided artifacts, but it turned out to offer an exceptionally generic result. It looks more like a screensaver for a TV show from the early 2000s than a Valentine's Day greeting card.
And it's certainly worse than what Sora did.
How are Chinese startups responding to this?
Creators’ AI could be a valuable gift for your friend, colleague, or family member. Gifting books is bright, but giving an AI newsletter is a superb move 😎
Kling AI
Kling AI is a Chinese generative platform developed by Kuaishou. Its features include the ability to create long videos, enhanced motion, multi-shot sequences, and more.
Its interface is simple and easy to learn, offering image-video and text-video with automatic zoom options and clips starting at 5 or 10 seconds.
Kling is one of those tools that can create cinema-grade videos:
Pricing:
- Free Plan: 166 daily credits
- Standard($8.8/mo): 660 credits (faster processing, watermark removal)
- Pro ($11/mo): 3,000 credits (advanced features like "Master Shorts Video Extension")
- Premier ($25/mo): 8,000 credits (Image upscaling, extended video capabilities)
How to try it:
To try Kling AI, visit klingai.com and create a free account. Once registered, you can create videos using prompts or images and customize settings like duration, aspect ratio, and style.
Our Result
I think we're getting a contender for the win. Apart from the fact that Kling considered the basic parameters, the Chinese AI generated a really cozy room and worked with light better than the competitors. This is clearly visible if you pay attention to the different lighting from candles and garlands.
Hailuo AI (MiniMax)
Hailuo AI, developed by Chinese startup MiniMax (backed by Alibaba and Tencent), is a generation tool launched in September 2024. It allows you to create 6-second videos from text and images, with different features like enhanced motion and prompt refinement.
Pricing
- Free Plan: Includes basic features with daily login bonus credits.
- Standard Plan: $9.99/mo for higher resolution, watermark-free videos, and faster rendering.
- Unlimited Plan: $94.99/mo for unlimited credits and priority access to new features.
How to try it:
To try Hailuo AI, visit hailuoai.video and sign up for a free account. New users get a 2-day trial with unlimited video generation. After the trial, you can continue with the free tier or subscribe to a paid plan for advanced features.
Our Result
Another Chinese platform has shown decent results (once again outperforming its US counterparts). The video above has less detail than what Kling generated, but it's still a reasonable level. Except that Hualio added a cinematic camera fly-through, which has a nice effect on the viewer experience.
Pika Labs
Pika Labs is a Palo Alto-based AI startup. It specializes in generating and editing videos from text prompts, images, or existing footage. Pika Labs supports diverse styles like 3D animation, anime, and cinematic effects.
Pika Labs managed to make a lot of noise back in late 2023. Then, the startup introduced one of the first video generators and raised $55M from large investors.
Pricing
- Free Plan: $0/mo with 300 credits.
- Standard Plan: $10/mo (1,050 credits) or $96/year.
- Pro Plan: $60/mo (3,000 credits) or $576/year.
All plans include watermark-free videos, upscale resolution, and unlimited "Chill" generations. Additional credits can be purchased separately.
How to try it
To try Pika Labs, visit pika.art and sign up for a free account. New users receive 300 credits to explore a limited list of AI features.
Our Result
The Pika Labs model left mixed emotions. On the one hand, the AI added different details to the scene and clearly tried to make the picture cozy. On the other hand, extremely weak work with light spoils the whole impression.
As a result, the video looks unnatural and even a bit sinister.
Conclusion + Bonus Tools
Based on the results, here's how I would categorize the models tested.
In order from best to worst:
- Kling AI
- Hailuo AI
- Sora
- Pika Labs
- Adobe Firefly
Notably, the two Chinese-developed models—Kling AI and Hailuo AI—demonstrated exceptional consistency. Sora, despite its popularity and premium-only access, ended up delivering merely average results, while Pika Labs, though promising in many respects, notably faltered with lighting issues (which is crucial).
By contrast, Firefly produced frankly embarrassing results that fell well short of industry standards. Let's hope Adobe catches up with the competition.
More Ways to Wish a Happy Valentine's Day with AI
AI gives you many ways to congratulate your loved one, not just by generating videos. Here are a few of them:
This temporary offer from Photo AI offers you to do an AI photo shoot from your laptop or phone instead of hiring an expensive photographer.
VideoWeb AI allows you to combine different photos to hug or kiss your loved one, even if you are far away.
If you'd like to make a greeting on behalf of Chris Hemsworth or Billy Eilish (maybe even for yourself), Fish.Audio launched such a feature a couple of days ago!
And that's it for today. Happy Valentine's Day!
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This article was first published in the Creators AI newsletter. View the original edition.
