Comparing AI video tools for MV production

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We will compare features such as creating short videos from images, transcribing performances, and simultaneously generating audio. This is a feature comparison based on the official documents of each service. This is not a ranking based on actual measurements of image quality or human stability using the same materials.

Even if the model is the same, the settings will vary depending on the service you use.

Runway Gen-4.5 supports video generation from text and images, and Veo 3.1 supports video generation with audio. With Adobe Firefly, you can also choose from partner models such as Runway, Veo, and Kling. However, even with the same model, the length and settings that can be generated differ depending on the service provided.

For dance, start with Viggle; for a singing face, HeyGen. Use Runway, Kling or Veo for image-based scenery and camera motion. You do not need to learn every tool at once.

Six options for backgrounds, dance and lip-sync

Prices and free limits checked on October 27, 2026. Regular monthly billing is shown separately from annual equivalents and first-month offers.

Runway Gen-4.5: “Instruct and create” movement and camera

Runway Gen-4.5 is a video generation model of Runway as of 2026. It supports Text to Video and Image to Video and can generate videos of 2 to 10 seconds. The official explanation is that its strengths include complex sequential instructions, camera choreography, scene composition, and the ability to follow minute changes in time.

Image to Video is especially useful here. Start with a reference image and describe only the movement, such as a camera circling halfway around the subject or someone slowly looking up toward the camera. This suits an MV that reuses the same character, instead of describing the person from scratch for every shot.

Runway also has Act-Two, which allows you to transcribe videos of people performing into characters. Scenes such as singing with a close-up of the face, adding gestures, and changing facial expressions to match the lines can be processed separately from simple Text to Video.

On the other hand, with Gen-4.5, the higher the quality you aim for, the higher the generation cost will be. Runway's official service says 12 credits/second, so consider the budget based on the number of trials, including missed takes, rather than just one 5-second finished cut. The settings and credit consumption are different when using Firefly, so they are not treated as the same conditions.

The camera slowly pushes in toward the seated character. The character remains seated and looks straight ahead. Continuous single shot, steady lighting.

The character slowly turns their head toward the camera, then holds eye contact. Locked camera, continuous single shot.

The camera slowly pans right across the glass of iced tea on the table. The glass stays still. Continuous single shot, steady lighting.

Veo 3.1 series: Scenes where you want to generate video and sound together

Google's Veo 3.1 series has a line that can generate not only video but also synchronized audio and sound effects. Google Cloud's current price list also separates video only and video + audio, and there are options that reduce speed and cost, such as Veo 3.1 Fast and Lite.

In AI MVs, the music itself is often prepared separately, so not all cuts require generated audio. However, it is useful in situations where you want environmental sounds that naturally synchronize with the video, such as "city crowds," "door sounds," "cheers," and "rain sounds." Select this to create images and environmental sounds together.

However, please note that the terms of use differ depending on the form of provision, such as the service screen, API, or preview version. Google Cloud's Preview Additional Terms include restrictions for commercial and production use and exceptions for specified models. In addition to whether it is the official version or Preview, check the exceptions for each model and the conditions of the product you are using.

Kling 3.0 series: Increase candidates for people and flashy scenes

Kling is a service that frequently comes up as a candidate for AI video production that includes people. Adobe official documentation as of August 2026 lists Kling 2.5 Turbo, Kling 3.0, and Kling 3.0 Omni as partner models within Firefly.

The important thing here is that you don't have to register only with Kling to try it out. Since you can select the compatible Kling model from the Adobe Firefly side, those who are already using the Adobe environment can compare the same material while switching to Runway or Veo.

In AI videos, the results vary considerably depending on the model even with the same prompt. It's common for people to say, ``This scene will fall apart in Runway, but it's fine in Kling,'' or ``Another cut will be the opposite.'' It is effective to change the adopted model on a cut-by-cut basis rather than on a work-by-work basis.

Adobe Firefly: Stronger as a “hub” than the model itself

What's interesting about Firefly is that it's no longer a closed service that uses only Adobe's generative models. In the official document of August 2026, you can select multiple partner models for video generation, including Runway Gen-4.5, Veo 3.1, Veo 3.1 Fast, Kling 3.0, Kling 3.0 Omni, and Ray series.

It is quite compatible in applications where you want to compare the same image/prompt to another model. In addition, the generated material can be taken to Adobe's editing environment such as Premiere, so it is easy to create a conduit that goes beyond just AI generation to the completion of the MV.

Adobe Firefly's in-house model is designed as a model that is ``commercially friendly,'' explaining that content licensed by Adobe and public domains whose copyrights have expired are used as learning sources. If you choose a partner model, you should also check the model-specific terms.

If you choose by purpose

I want to move the character image

First, try Runway Gen-4.5's Image to Video, and if the movement doesn't match, pass the same reference image to Kling or Veo and compare. If a person's facial expressions and gestures are important, performance transcription such as Act-Two is also a candidate.

I want to create a large-scale movie-like scene.

Compare Veo and Runway with Text to Video. For large groups of people or complex backgrounds, it may be easier to fix the screen configuration by creating a single reference image first and passing it to Image to Video.

I want to try a lot in a short period of time

In addition to quality, we look at the unit price of Fast, Lite, and each plan. We recommend a two-step generation process, ``Draft → Production,'' which returns only the final cut to a high-quality model.

I don't know which one is suitable for me

By comparing the same cuts in an environment like Firefly where you can switch between multiple models, you can see what you value. It is better to experience the naturalness of the person, the camera, and the speed before charging for individual services to reduce waste.

Don't choose just because of "good image quality"

What's important when producing a music video is not just the beauty of a single still frame. What is important is whether the face is stable for five seconds, whether the camera moves as specified, whether the clothes are maintained until the end, and whether the same character can be reproduced in different cuts.

Furthermore, the generation speed has a great impact on the production experience. Even if the quality is high each time, if it takes a long time to see the results, the number of trials may not be enough for a MV that requires dozens of cuts. For a completed work, it may be better to have a configuration that allows you to make the necessary number of cuts than to have only the highest quality model.

For commercial use, there is one more item to compare.

When using video AI for monetization purposes, consider three things separately: ``commercial use according to the terms of service,'' ``whether the product is copyrighted,'' and ``rights of the input image or person.'' Runway officially states that the generated content can be used for commercial purposes such as YouTube monetization and advertising. Adobe Firefly also allows products of features that are not marked as beta to be used in commercial projects.

However, even if a service allows commercial use, it does not give you the right to use celebrities' faces in advertisements without permission or to create other people's characters as they are. For more details, we have organized them under Articles on commercial use of AI videos.

Which one should you try first?

Start a dance collage with Viggle. Add HeyGen only when you need a singing close-up. Use Runway, Kling or Veo for backgrounds and camera shots. You do not need every account before making your first clip.

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Reference materials

• Runway: Gen-4.5
• Runway: Act-Two
• Google Cloud: Veo pricing/model list
• Adobe Firefly: partner models