Make music videos with AI
Table of contents
- First, the big picture: AI "creates material", MV "completes with editing"
- STEP 1: Prepare the song first
- STEP 2: Convert lyrics to cut list
- STEP 3: Create a standard image of the character
- STEP 4: Generate a short video
- STEP 5: Don't be too greedy for one cut
- STEP 6: Let them sing/talk
- STEP 7: Collect everything into editing software
- This is all you need for a 30 second prototype
- Common mistakes
- Read next article
- Reference materials
For your first 30-second MV, start with Suno for music, Viggle for dance and an editor to sync them. Add HeyGen or ElevenLabs only for singing close-ups or dialogue.
First, the big picture: AI “creates materials”, MV “completes with editing”
Current AI video tools work more reliably when you generate several short clips and edit them together, around 2–10 seconds each, instead of generating a complete multi-minute MV at once. The sequence is: song → shot list → reference images → short videos → lip sync or AI voice if needed → editing → export.
For a 30 second chorus, prepare six 5 second cuts to create the desired shape. If it is 3 minutes, the number will increase, but since you can change the speed, crop, insert, and reuse the same material, there is no need to create a new number of seconds.
STEP 1: Prepare the song first
We decide on the song before the video. If you mass-produce videos without determining the length and tempo of the song, there will be no space left to use it later. We will prepare self-composed songs, licensed songs, and AI songs made with Suno, etc.
If you plan to use Suno commercially, please pay attention to the plan terms. According to the official information updated in September 2026, commercial use rights will be granted to self-made compositions that are downloaded under a paid plan. As a general rule, songs created using the free plan are non-commercial, and just signing up for a paid contract later does not automatically mean that all past songs can be commercialized.
Making a new song? Copy the Suno Custom examples →
STEP 2: Convert lyrics to cut list
While listening to the song, create a cut chart such as ``0:00-0:05 is a bird's-eye view of the city,'' ``0:05-0:10 is a close-up of the main character,'' ``0:10-0:15 is walking,'' and ``The beginning of the chorus is the crowd.'' Just 4 items are sufficient: lyrics, time, screen, and generation method.
The most wasteful method of AI video production is to haphazardly generate a large number of interesting videos and then apply them to the song. If you know the required number of seconds in advance, you can reduce the amount of credits generated.
STEP 3: Create a standard image of the character
If you want to create multiple shots of the same person, first create a standard image of the front, profile, whole body, etc. If you create a character using only text each time, the hairstyle, face, clothes, and physique will change little by little. It is easier to create a sense of unity by passing the same reference image to Image to Video.
Horizontal videos are 16:9, Shorts and TikTok are 9:16. When creating the image, align it with the angle of view of the completed video. This is to prevent your face or hands from being cut by cutting them out vertically later.
Copy English motion prompts and five-second settings →
STEP 4: Generate a short video
As of 2026, candidates include Runway Gen-4.5, Google Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, and Adobe Firefly Video. Runway Gen-4.5 supports Text to Video and Image to Video and can generate clips from 2 to 10 seconds.
In Image to Video, the key is to write down the movement and camera, such as ``The person slowly turns around,'' ``The camera moves around to the right,'' and ``The crowd in the background applauds,'' rather than re-explaining what is in the image. Runway official also recommends a similar writing style.
With Adobe Firefly, you can choose not only Firefly Video but also multiple partner models such as Runway Gen-4.5, Veo 3.1, and Kling 3.0. This is an easy-to-understand configuration for those who want to try out multiple models from one screen.
STEP 5: Don't be too greedy for one cut
The more events you pack into 5 seconds, like ``run → turn around → jump → explode → fly into the sky'', the more likely it will collapse. The success rate will be higher if you divide the shots into "walking shots," "looking back shots," and "explosion shots," and connect them quickly through editing.
In music videos, there is no need to show one video for a long time. Rather, since the screen can be changed for each beat, it is a genre that makes it easy to take advantage of the short length of the generation AI.
STEP 6: Let them sing/talk
If you want to have a close-up of a person sing, use lip sync or performance capture. Runway Act-Two combines videos of people performing with character images and videos, and allows you to transcribe speech, facial expressions, and body movements.
For narration and dialogue, there is a way to create AI voices separately. ElevenLabs' paid plans include commercial use rights for the generated audio and guide its use for YouTube, advertisements, movies, games, apps, etc. The conditions are different from the free plan, so if you want to monetize it, check before production.
How to create AI voice/narration →
STEP 7: Collect everything into editing software
What comes out of the generation AI is the material. Place the song in Premiere Pro, etc., and line up the cuts according to the beat positions. The generated video may be broken at the beginning or end, so it is effective to cut it by using only the beautiful 3 seconds out of the 5 seconds generated.
When mixing images from multiple models, the colors tend to vary, so the final step is to make the saturation, contrast, and color temperature consistent. There are many situations where adding subtitles, sound effects, zooming, screen shaking, etc. on the editing side is easier to control than having AI generate them all.
Premiere's generation extension allows you to extend video by up to 2 seconds and audio such as environmental sounds by up to 10 seconds. Conversations cannot be extended and clips containing music are not eligible. There are times when you don't have to re-create the material when you feel like the next beat isn't enough.
This is all you need for a 30 second prototype.
- Completed sound source of 30 seconds or more
- 1-3 character standard images
- 6 videos of around 5 seconds
- 1 timeline for editing
- Lip sync/AI voice only where necessary
Once you complete it, you will know your weaknesses. If the face is not stable, improve the image process, if the movement is weak, use the video model, if the tempo is poor, improve the editing. There is no need to pay for all services from the beginning.
common mistakes
Make everything for free and then check for commercial use
Free and paid usage conditions differ for each service. If you plan to monetize, check the terms for commercial use before generating.
Try to keep the same person in text only
It will be easier to create a sense of unity if you create a reference image and focus on Image to Video.
Trying to complete a long video in one shot
If you divide it into shorter cuts, you can regenerate only the failed parts. MV is a format that is compatible with short AI.
Trying to complete editing using AI alone
The tempo, subtitles, colors, sound effects, and the feel of the cuts are greatly influenced by the final edit. The quality of AI materials alone does not determine the degree of completion.