How to Make AI Videos: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

This guide targets vertical shorts on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Facts come from official pages checked October 27, 2026; the Sources list flags anything read from a news report or a search excerpt. We did not run these tools ourselves. More workflows are in AI video workflows for Shorts, TikTok and Reels.

How to make AI videos: the 3 methods

The steps below follow method 1, which needs only an idea. Steps 4 to 8 apply to all three.

What changed in AI video tools in 2026?

How to make an AI video for a vertical short, step by step

1. Write the idea and script. One idea, split into shots.
2. Generate the shots. Set 9:16 first and prompt one action per clip.
3. Keep the character consistent. Use reference images and one fixed description.
4. Add voice and lip sync. Use the model’s audio or a separate voiceover.
5. Add music. Check the license before you monetize.
6. Add captions. Use your editor or the platform’s tools.
7. Edit and export. Assemble on one timeline and export vertical.
8. Label and publish. Disclose realistic AI content.

Step 1: Write the idea and the script

Pick one idea you can show in a handful of shots. Write the script, then split it into shots that match your tool’s clip length: Flow lists 4, 6, 8 or 10 seconds for Gemini Omni Flash and 4, 6 or 8 seconds for Veo 3.1 Lite and Fast.

For each shot, write who is in it, what they do, where, and the camera move. A 30-second short built from 6-second clips needs at least five shots, plus retakes.

Step 2: Generate the shots

Set the aspect ratio to 9:16 before you generate. Google’s Gemini Omni documentation supports 9:16 and 16:9 and says landscape is the default. For other tools, confirm the selector offers 9:16 before you pay.

Describe the subject, action, setting, camera, lighting and mood. Google’s guide says Omni Flash tries to make a video with a few different shots by default, so ask for a single scene if you want one.

Draft cheaply, then redo your best shots at higher quality. In Flow’s credit table an 8-second Omni Flash clip costs 6 credits at 360p and 12 at 720p, and a Veo 3.1 clip costs 10 (Lite), 20 (Fast) or 100 (Quality) on non-Ultra plans.

Step 3: Keep a character consistent across shots

Consistency is where AI stories break, especially in vertical series such as micro dramas. Vendors document these tactics:

• Reference images. Gemini Omni Flash can build a video around subjects you supply as reference images. Kling 4.0’s Omni Reference takes up to 15 combined images, videos and subject references, per Kling’s feature page.
• Start and end frames. Google’s prompting guide shows how to name a start frame, an end frame, or both.
• Extension. Google’s documentation says Omni Flash can extend a video by 10 seconds, up to 40 seconds in total, using the last 10 seconds as context.

Also reuse the same character description in every prompt and keep wardrobe fixed.

Step 4: Add voice and lip sync

You have two routes. The first is audio from the video model: Google says Gemini Omni Flash generates video with audio, and Kling lists improved lip sync for 4.0. Google’s documentation says voice editing is not supported, so regenerate a clip if a line is wrong.

The second is a separate voiceover, which suits a faceless narrator and needs no lip sync. ElevenLabs lists a free plan with 10,000 credits (about 10 minutes of text to speech) and no commercial license; Starter lists $6 a month with a commercial license and Instant Voice Cloning. Clone only your own voice or one you have written permission to use.

Step 5: Add music

Check the license for monetized use; ElevenLabs lists music commercial use from Starter. YouTube also asks you to disclose AI-created music that is the main focus of a video.

Step 6: Add captions

CapCut lists auto captions among its tools; our CapCut pricing guide covers its plans. YouTube Studio’s Clips and Shorts tool also adds auto-generated captions you can restyle or turn off.

Step 7: Edit and export at 9:16

Assemble the clips on one timeline, trim each clip’s first and last frames, match color and balance voice and music. Export a vertical file; 1080×1920 is the common full-HD size (see YouTube Shorts size).

YouTube says square or vertical video up to three minutes is categorized as a Short, while wider formats stay long-form. Check YouTube Shorts length for runtime limits.

Check the plan before you export. Omni Flash outputs 720p by default, with 1080p and 4K upscaled. In Flow, 1080p upscaling costs 0 credits on Plus, Pro and Ultra and is unavailable without a subscription; 4K costs 50 credits on Ultra only. Kling’s free tier is watermarked; Runway lists no watermarks from Standard.

Step 8: Label and publish

Answer each platform’s AI question honestly and write a title that matches what the video shows. Google says every Omni Flash video carries an invisible SynthID watermark.

Which AI video tools should you use at each step?

List prices from official pages, checked October 27, 2026. They exclude tax.

Kling’s membership page did not load in our fetch tool, so the Standard prices come from Kling’s blog (July 28, 2026). Plans above Standard differed between snapshots we found; check kling.ai.

How much does an AI video cost per minute?

These figures are our arithmetic on published rates, for 60 seconds of output. They exclude retakes, voice and editing software.

The Flow rows assume the full $19.99 AI Pro price buys 1,000 credits, or $0.02 each. That overstates video cost, because the plan includes other Google AI features.

A worked example, assuming three takes per shot: a 45-second short needs 135 seconds of generation. That is about $13.50 on the Omni Flash API. On Runway Gen-4.5 it is 1,620 credits, which exceeds the 625 in a Standard month. In Flow it is 17 Veo 3.1 Fast clips, or 340 credits.

Do you have to label AI videos?

Monetization is a separate test. YouTube’s “inauthentic content” policy, renamed on July 15, 2025, excludes mass-produced, repetitive or template-based content, including AI content, and allows AI tools when the result shows your creative vision. See YouTube Shorts monetization rules.

What mistakes ruin an AI video?

• Prompting a whole story at once. Plan single-action clips.
• Paying for top quality first. Draft at the cheapest tier.
• Fixing consistency last. Make the character reference before shot one.
• Trusting free tiers for monetized work. ElevenLabs Free has no commercial license, and the Kling, HeyGen and OpusClip free plans carry watermarks.
• Skipping the label on realistic content.
• Posting near-identical clips in bulk. YouTube’s inauthentic content policy targets this.
• Exporting 16:9. A wide video is not categorized as a Short.
• Planning around a shut-down model or an intro price. Sora is closed, and ElevenLabs’ $1 first month ends November 1.

FAQ

Is making AI videos free?

Partly. Google Flow lists 50 free credits a day and Runway gives 125 one-time credits. Kling, HeyGen and OpusClip have free plans with watermarks or caps, so no tool in this guide is free without limits. Check each tier’s license before you publish.

Can AI make a YouTube video for me?

Yes. Script-to-video tools can assemble a whole video, and YouTube Studio can suggest Shorts segments from a long video in select countries. To earn money, the result must show your creative input, because YouTube excludes mass-produced, repetitive content.

Is making AI videos easy?

One clip takes a prompt. A consistent story is harder because each generation is short and characters can change between shots.

How do I create an AI video of myself?

Use an avatar tool such as HeyGen, which lists a custom avatar with your own voice and likeness on Creator, or give a video model reference images of yourself. Use only your own likeness or someone’s written permission.

Can ChatGPT create videos?

OpenAI closed Sora on April 26, 2026 and removed its Sora 2 API models on September 24, 2026, and lists no replacement. We could not confirm another ChatGPT video feature, so use a dedicated video model.

Do I have to label AI videos?

If a video shows realistic people, places or events that did not happen, yes on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Clearly unrealistic or animated content is treated differently on YouTube.

Sources

1. OpenAI: API deprecations, checked October 27, 2026
2. OpenAI Help Center: Sora discontinuation, checked October 27, 2026 (text read from a search excerpt)
3. The Decoder: Sora shutdown, checked October 27, 2026
4. Google: Gemini API deprecations, checked October 27, 2026
5. Google: Gemini API pricing, checked October 27, 2026
6. Google: Gemini Omni Flash docs, checked October 27, 2026
7. Google Flow Help: credits, checked October 27, 2026
8. Google: Google AI plans, checked October 27, 2026
9. Kling AI: video generator page, checked October 27, 2026
10. Kling AI blog: Kling 4.0 at Work, checked October 27, 2026
11. Kling AI blog: credit cost guide (July 28, 2026), checked October 27, 2026
12. Kling AI: Credits policy, checked October 27, 2026
13. Runway: Pricing, checked October 27, 2026
14. CapCut: Pricing, checked October 27, 2026
15. ElevenLabs: Pricing, checked October 27, 2026
16. HeyGen: Pricing, checked October 27, 2026
17. OpusClip: Pricing, checked October 27, 2026
18. YouTube Help: Altered or synthetic content, checked October 27, 2026
19. YouTube Blog: Improving AI labels (May 27, 2026), checked October 27, 2026
20. YouTube Help: Three-minute Shorts, checked October 27, 2026
21. YouTube Help: Monetization policies, checked October 27, 2026
22. YouTube Help: Clips and Shorts in Studio, checked October 27, 2026
23. TikTok Newsroom: AI-generated content (Nov 19, 2025), checked October 27, 2026
24. TikTok Support: AI-generated content, checked October 27, 2026 (settings path read from a search excerpt)
25. Meta Newsroom: 2026 US midterms (Feb 19, 2026), checked October 27, 2026
26. Meta Transparency Center: Labeling AI content, checked October 27, 2026
27. Engadget: Instagram AI-generated profile label (Aug 31, 2026), checked October 27, 2026