How to Generate Your First Secrets AI Video with a First Frame and a Moments Budget in 2026

Step 1: set a Moments ceiling before touching Generate

Separate the maximum you are willing to spend from the balance you happen to have.

The Moments and Payments guide places the balance in the top navigation. Monthly grants reset without ordinary rollover; purchased top-ups do not expire. Top-up purchases also require a paid subscription. A large balance is not a reason to use it all.

For example, cap spending at 1,000 Moments and two attempts. This is an invented budget, not a video price. A first quote of 700 leaves only 300 for a retry. Keep subscription cash charges and top-up checkout separate.

Expected result: an enforceable cap. Check currency, amount due, renewal and cancellation before payment. Stop if entitlement or billing is unclear.

Step 2: open Video and select the first frame

Use a source you can inspect safely before requesting animation.

The July 3 Generation Studio release notes document inline video on Generate, gallery references and Advanced frame control. Open Generate, use the Image / Video toggle, choose Advanced, then open Frames and select your generated image as the first frame. Leave the optional end frame unset for this first attempt.

Inspect the image for identifying documents, addresses or private messages. Do not use another person's likeness as a troubleshooting shortcut. Review current privacy terms before uploading personal content; these workflow sources do not establish retention, training use or complete deletion.

Expected result: the intended image is visibly selected. Stop if the selection is unclear; publishing or sharing is not a prerequisite.

Step 3: choose a short configuration and understand audio

Keep the first attempt small enough to inspect and affordable enough to abandon.

Advanced Fast supports 480p or 720p; Quality additionally supports 1080p and 4K. Both allow 4-15 seconds. Try Fast, 720p and four seconds if available in your account. This is a modest starting configuration, not a quality promise. Advanced audio is mandatory and included; Standard audio is optional and affects its cost. See the current mode table.

Leaving dialogue out does not guarantee silence. Listen privately. If optional audio is essential, reconsider this workflow rather than assuming Standard includes the same frame controls.

Expected result: confirmed variant, resolution, duration and audio rule. Resolve contradictory controls with official support before spending.

Step 4: write one checkable motion prompt

Describe a small change you can recognize in the finished clip.

Editorial example: 'Medium shot in the existing soft lighting. The fictional adult slowly turns toward the camera and gives a small smile. Keep the camera still throughout this brief moment. Preserve the composition of the first frame. Add quiet room ambience without dialogue. Avoid sudden movement or abrupt changes in facial proportions.'

Adapt the example to your image. Check the head turn and recognizable face; neither is guaranteed. Omitting speech keeps the experiment focused.

Expected result: one coherent prompt and two observable criteria. If it asks for incompatible poses or several scene changes, simplify it before paying.

Step 5: read the Generate-button quote and submit once

Authorize only the configuration whose displayed cost fits your remaining ceiling.

Read Generate's exact Moments quote after selecting settings, as the billing guide confirms. Ignore old screenshot prices. Privately record the quote, balance, image and configuration; recheck after any setting change.

If the quote fits your balance and remaining cap, press Generate once. Do not submit duplicates when progress seems slow. Inspect the gallery clip's beginning, middle, ending and audio against your criteria.

Expected result: one inspectable attempt and an understandable balance change. A technically completed but unattractive clip is not evidence of a refundable generation failure. Do not budget on receiving a refund for subjective disappointment.

Step 6: troubleshoot the notice before any retry

Identify the failed stage, reconcile spending and change only one thing.

The official failure guidance distinguishes prompt, reference and finished-video checks. Real-person references can trigger privacy rejection. Prompts stopped before generation are uncharged; failures after generation starts are automatically refunded. A temporarily unavailable checker indicates an outage. These are documented rules, not independently tested refund outcomes.

Replace a rejected reference with harmless fictional content; never evade safety, privacy or copyright checks. For an outage, wait. For an unexplained debit, save a redacted record and contact official support before generating again.

If the clip completed but missed your goal, revise one motion instruction only if another quote fits your remaining cap. Stop at the attempt limit, an unresolved charge or repeated rejection. Never buy more Moments merely to diagnose an unexplained failure.

Finish with a saved decision, not unlimited retries

Keep the image, prompt, quote and assessment together so your next decision is informed.

Finish with one usable clip or a clear reason to stop. Inspect unintended sound and identifying details before sharing. Successful generation does not establish permission to publish someone else's likeness or protected material.

After these checks, optionally assess broader fit in the Secrets AI review below or compare workflows in the AI companion image-generation hub. Neither requires an upgrade.

Frequently asked questions