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References tell the model what should look or sound the same, without fixing the first frame the way a start image does. Use them to put the same person or product in every video, match a look, copy the camera movement from a clip, or give a character a particular voice.

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Add references

1

Open Add media

Click Add media under References (optional).
The Add media window: Library tabs All uploads, Character, Object, History, Video, and Audio; Scene tabs Camera, Lighting, and Shot Type; an Upload new tile for images, video and audio; and Clear selection, Cancel, and Apply buttons
2

Pick your media

Choose from the Library tabs:
  • All uploads: everything you’ve uploaded. Upload new takes images, MP4 or MOV videos, and audio files.
  • Character and Object: the people and products you’ve saved in your library, also used in AI Images.
  • History: images you’ve generated.
  • Video and Audio: a reference clip and a sound file. If an audio file is longer than the model allows, drag the highlighted window over its waveform to choose the part to use.
You can attach one video and one audio file per video.
3

Click Apply

The references appear under References (optional) with a counter, such as 1 / 30. If your model can’t use references, the page switches to its reference version, for example from Seedance 2.0 Fast to Seedance 2.0 Fast Reference. Remove the references and it switches back.
4

Say how to use them in your prompt

Describe what each reference is for. Many models understand @image1, @image2, and so on, in the order you added them: “@image1 is the main character. She walks into a sunlit yoga studio and rolls out her mat.”
A reference labelled Character under References (optional) with a 1 / 30 counter, and a prompt that begins Create a 15-second cinematic surreal photorealistic video. @image1 is the main character

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Rules

  • References or a start image, not both. Adding a start or end image removes the references, and adding references hides the start and end images.
  • Audio needs company. Add at least one image or video reference with any audio reference.
  • Audio formats. MiniMax H3, Seedance 2.5, and WAN 3.0 accept only WAV or MP3 audio.
  • Video files must be MP4 or MOV.
  • Images you add are checked against the content policy. A blocked image is marked Blocked and must be removed before you can generate.

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Limits by model

The number of references each model accepts per video. Models that aren’t listed don’t take references.

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What references cost

  • Images are included in the price on most models.
  • Reference videos are charged by their length on Seedance 2.0, Seedance 2.5, and MiniMax H3, at the same rate per second as the video you generate. For example, a 10-second clip adds 60 credits to a Seedance 2.5 Reference video at 480p.
  • On MiniMax H3 Max Reference, images and clips are charged by size: about four images are free, and each clip adds credits by its length.
The Generate button includes all of this before you start.

Video templates

Many templates are built around one reference photo of you.

Video models and credits

Compare the models that take references.