In short
Upload an image you can use, describe a simple movement and check the selected model’s cost before generating. Budget for several attempts rather than one perfect clip. Verify country and account eligibility first: the documented tools have different access restrictions, credit systems and export options. [1][7][10]
Key takeaways
On this page 13 sections
- How does a still image become a video?
- Which tools can you actually use from Iran?
- What are the documented options and costs?
- How much does one usable clip really cost?
- How should you prepare the starting picture?
- What should the motion prompt say?
- What changes between models and settings?
- How do you review the video before publishing?
- What is a sensible first project?
- Common mistakes
- Frequently asked questions
- Glossary
- Sources
How does a still image become a video?
Choose an image you have permission to use, upload it as the starting frame and describe the movement you want. In image-to-video generation, the picture guides appearance and composition while the prompt directs the action. Runway's guide recommends focusing on motion rather than describing every visible object again. [1]
A short scene is a useful first project: steam rising above a cup, a curtain moving gently or a slow camera move around an object. Decide what should move and what should stay recognizable. If the goal is a shop announcement, protect the product's actual appearance rather than accepting an attractive but inaccurate transformation.
As of November 4, 2026, Runway, Adobe Firefly and Google Flow document image-guided video workflows. Their models, account requirements and charging systems differ. This guide compares those documented options; it does not promise that each service is available from Iran or that any subscription guarantees a finished clip. [2][6][11]
Before uploading, write down the intended length, shape and audience. Decide whether the clip needs sound, exact lettering or a recognizable person. Those choices will affect which output you can accept and how much revision you should budget for.
Which tools can you actually use from Iran?
Check access before comparing promotional prices. Google Flow's supported-country list does not include Iran. Its getting-started page requires a supported region and says that a VPN will not enable access from unsupported regions. Buying a subscription first does not resolve that eligibility question. [9][10]
Adobe's Firefly FAQ explicitly lists Iran among places where its services and products cannot be used. Runway's terms contain export-control and location restrictions; the pricing page alone is not evidence that a person inside Iran can use or pay for the service. Verify your actual eligibility with the provider before committing money. [8][4]
An Iranian reader living in a supported country may face different account and payment conditions from a reader inside Iran. Keep location, nationality, language support and billing separate when assessing an offer. Do not assume that a Persian-language tutorial proves the service officially supports Iran.
If access is unavailable, you can still prepare the storyboard, original image and motion brief without uploading them. Avoid giving a reseller your private photographs or account credentials to “test” eligibility. A service comparison should help you decide whether a purchase is suitable, not pressure you into paying before the basic access question is answered.
What are the documented options and costs?
Runway's Gen-4.5 guide lists image-to-video for Standard and higher plans, at 12 credits per second, with durations from 2 to 10 seconds. Its pricing page shows Standard with 625 monthly credits and an advertised equivalent of $12 per month when billed annually. That display should not be read as a $12 month-to-month purchase. [2][3]
Google Flow offers frame-guided generation with different models. Its help tells users to inspect the current credit cost in the product's settings. Check the selected model and output options before each planned batch rather than relying on a screenshot of an older credit table. [9][12]
Adobe Firefly supports first and last frames in its generation workspace. Adobe classifies video generation among premium generative features, whose credit use varies with the feature and output. A plan that advertises extensive image generation should not be assumed to include unlimited video. [6][7]
Use the comparison table as a dated starting point. Before purchase, check the billing period, renewal amount, taxes, download conditions and credits included in the exact plan offered to you. For a budget in tomans, record the actual amount your payment route would charge; this guide does not supply a fixed exchange rate.
How much does one usable clip really cost?
Count attempts, not just finished seconds. At the documented Runway Gen-4.5 base rate, a five-second generation uses 60 credits. Four five-second attempts use 240 credits. That calculation excludes optional extras and assumes the same settings for every attempt. It does not predict that four attempts will produce a result you like. [2]
With a 625-credit allowance, ten such base generations use 600 credits, leaving 25. If only two clips meet your brief, the project has produced two usable clips, not ten. These are arithmetic examples based on the listed allowance and rate, not measured success rates or promises about quality. [3]
Make a small budget before generating: reserve part for first attempts, part for corrections and part for the final output settings. Set a stopping point. If repeated attempts fail in the same way, simplify the scene or change the creative plan before spending the remaining balance.
Separate an unattractive result from a technical failure. Flow says credits are deducted when generation starts and returned within one hour if generation fails or hits a safety filter. That statement does not promise reimbursement merely because you dislike a completed clip. Check the provider's rule for the specific event and keep the generation record. [9]
How should you prepare the starting picture?
Inspect the picture before asking a model to animate it. Runway warns that defects already visible in an input, such as blurry hands or faces, may become more pronounced in the video. Choose a clean image with the main subject clearly visible, then decide how it should fit the final frame. [1]
For a product shot, compare the image with the real item. Check the label, number of components and shape. Remove an unsuitable reference from the project rather than hoping motion will hide its defects. A trustworthy demonstration begins with a trustworthy starting image.
Choose the intended crop early. A vertical social post and a wide website banner need different framing. Leave room around the part that will move so your brief does not depend on an object staying exactly on the edge. Keep an untouched original and a separate working copy.
Before using a person's photograph, agree on the animation and where it will appear. Runway's policy prohibits using another person's image, video or audio without permission, as well as privacy and intellectual-property violations. A public profile picture is not a permission record. For a practice project, an ordinary object avoids many unnecessary personal-data questions. [5]
What should the motion prompt say?
Describe the action, camera movement and pace that matter. Runway advises starting with the most important motion and adding detail as needed. You do not have to include every possible movement in one prompt. A short clip can have a clear purpose without a complicated sequence. [1]
For an original practice example, imagine a photograph of a plain cup on a table. Try: “The camera remains still while a thin stream of steam rises slowly from the cup.” This is a proposed prompt, not a tested result. Review whether the cup remains recognizable and the movement fits the intended mood.
If you prefer a camera move, make that the main action: “The camera moves slowly closer to the bowl while the bowl stays still.” Compare it with the first idea instead of combining both with a sudden rotation, a lighting change and a new background. Keep notes on which instruction you changed.
In Flow, a start frame and an optional end frame can guide a transition. Its instructions ask you to describe what should happen between the frames. Choose an end image that makes sense for your scene, then inspect the whole transition. Providing endpoints does not establish that everything between them will look natural. [11]
What changes between models and settings?
Do not treat a tool's name as one fixed set of capabilities. Flow's model guide lists different support for references, frame inputs, extension and editing. It advises checking the active model, resolution and latest cost before generation. A tutorial for one model may describe controls that another model does not support. [12]
Adobe's current generation workspace likewise makes settings depend on the selected model. Its guide includes duration, aspect ratio, resolution and audio when available. Review those controls for the actual selection instead of assuming every model can produce the same sound and picture combination. [6]
For your project, decide which settings are essential and which are optional. If the clip will be shown without sound, do not spend the review session judging an irrelevant soundtrack. If exact spoken Persian is essential, make pronunciation and wording explicit acceptance checks; no source here guarantees perfect speech for your script.
Keep a record of the model and settings next to each downloaded candidate. When two outputs differ, this helps you distinguish a changed creative instruction from changed generation settings. It also makes it easier to explain a revision to a collaborator without promising that the same request will reproduce an identical clip.
How do you review the video before publishing?
Watch the entire clip at normal speed, then pause at the beginning, middle and end. Compare the subject with the input image. Look for a changing face, a bent object, unreadable lettering or an action that creates a false impression about what happened. Inspect sound separately if the file contains it.
For a sales clip, check every claim the picture implies. A decorative animation should not suggest an unsupported product feature. Keep any approved price or contact text outside the generated scene if that gives you a more reliable way to proofread and update it.
Avoid presenting an invented scene as genuine evidence. Runway's policy prohibits deliberate deception and impersonation. Consider the context in which the audience will see the clip: a clearly illustrated concept and footage presented as a real event carry very different expectations. [5]
Download a candidate and inspect the actual file, not only the preview. Adobe's workspace provides download and editing actions, and its available generation settings vary by model. Check the exported duration, framing and audio before sending the result to someone else. Keep the approved version separate from rejected drafts so a wrong file is not published by accident. [6]
What is a sensible first project?
Choose one ordinary object, one short action and one audience. Write a sentence describing what the clip should achieve: for example, a calm background for a shop announcement. Prepare the image and approved text first. Set a credit budget you can afford to use without obtaining a publishable result.
Check access and the current plan conditions, then generate a small first attempt if you are eligible. Review it against your brief. Change one important part of the request and compare the result. Stop when the clip meets the purpose or when your preset experiment budget is exhausted.
A free allowance can help evaluate a workflow, but its terms matter. Runway's current pricing page describes 125 introductory credits as a one-time allowance, not a monthly refill, and its Gen-4.5 guide places that model on paid plans. Do not combine those two facts into a promise of free Gen-4.5 use. [3][2]
You can visit PYM Studio to explore creative options shown there. Verify the available tool, price and upload conditions on that page before proceeding. Save the chosen file, source image, permissions and settings together. That gives you a reviewable project and a clear record of what the finished clip actually cost.
| Option | Cost or allowance | Important condition |
|---|---|---|
| Runway Gen-4.5 | 12 credits per second; 60 for five seconds | Standard or higher; optional extras can cost more |
| Runway Standard | 625 credits monthly; $12/month equivalent billed annually | Annual billing is different from paying for one month |
| Google Flow | Current model cost shown in product settings | Iran absent from supported-country list |
| Adobe Firefly | Video uses premium generation credits | Adobe lists Iran as unavailable |
Common mistakes
Budgeting only for the final clip length
Fix: Include every paid attempt and any extra export or processing choices.
Buying before checking eligibility
Fix: Verify country, account and billing requirements first.
Animating a flawed reference
Fix: Fix or replace the starting image before spending credits.
Calling an annual price a monthly purchase
Fix: Read the billing term and full charge before checkout.
Frequently asked questions
Is image-to-video the same as a slideshow?
No. The documented generation workflows create motion guided by an image and prompt. A slideshow can instead present existing stills in sequence; choose whichever matches the project. [1]
Will a five-second clip always cost 60 credits?
That is the listed base calculation for Runway Gen-4.5 on the review date. It is not a universal rate for other models, providers or optional settings. [2]
Does every failed attempt get refunded?
Provider rules differ. Flow describes credit returns for technical failure or a safety filter; that does not cover every completed result a user rejects. [9]
Can I animate someone else’s portrait?
Check permission and the service policy first. Runway explicitly prohibits using another person’s image without permission. Do not use a public photo as evidence of consent. [5]
Glossary
- Starting frame
- The image used to guide the beginning of a generated clip.
- Generation credit
- A provider’s unit for measuring use of its generation features.
- Camera motion
- A requested change in viewpoint, such as moving closer to the subject.
- Usable clip
- A result that passes the specific creative and factual checks for your project.
Sources
- Image to Video Prompting Guide Runway
- Creating with Gen-4.5 Runway
- Runway Pricing Runway
- Terms of Use Agreement Runway
- Usage Policy Runway
- Generate and edit content Adobe
- Generative credits FAQ Adobe
- Adobe Firefly FAQ Adobe
- Get started with Google Flow Google
- Where you can use Google Flow Google
- Create videos in Google Flow Google
- Learn about Google Flow models & supported features Google
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