From one reference still to a talking character clip

I wanted a character who could survive more than one pretty still—something I could move, then make speak—without training a LoRA or wiring ComfyUI on a Tuesday night.

The answer that stuck for me is a short pipeline on Consistent Character AI:

1. Lock a reference still (text create or a photo you trust).
2. Optionally remix scenes with Create Consistent Character.
3. Pick one video tool by job: Animate Image, Motion Control, or Lip Sync.

This post is the how-to, with the credit numbers and limits taken from the public product pages—not from vibes.

Step 1 — Lock the still before you spend video credits

Video will not fix a weak face. Animate Image, Motion Control, and Lip Sync all start from a character image. If the still is wrong, you pay video rates to animate the wrong person.

Option A — Text first: use Create Character. Describe appearance, clothing, pose, style; pick Lite / Standard / Professional; generate until one still is cover-worthy.

Option B — You already have a face: open Create Consistent Character (Image-to-Image Standard). Upload the reference, describe only what should change (pose/scene/outfit/lighting), confirm the credit cost, generate, and compare the output to the reference. The page says results vary—review is part of the workflow.

Standard consistent images cost 2 credits on the pricing table. New accounts currently get 4 credits with no card required, so you can usually mint or remix a couple of stills before you touch video.

Step 2 — Pick the video tool by the motion job

The product’s motion-control blog frames the choice clearly:

Common stack called out on that blog: generate character → motion control → lip sync for dialogue. You do not need every step every time. Match the tool to the beat.

Animate Image — still to cinematic clip

Open Animate Image.

1. Upload the start frame (your locked still).
2. Optionally add an end frame if you want a controlled transition or trajectory.
3. Describe the motion.
4. Set aspect ratio / resolution / duration (UI defaults observed in the scrape: 16:9, 720p, 8 seconds, Fixed Camera).
5. Toggle Generate Audio only if you want cinematic SFX/ambience—the page marks it as additional cost.
6. Generate and download.

Pricing lists video generation with a starting cost of 6 credits. Final cost can move with duration, resolution, audio, and mode—believe the on-screen meter.

Use this when you need ambient life in a poster-like still for social or a marketing mascot beat, and you do not have a motion-capture-style reference clip.

Motion Control — copy real action onto your character

Open Motion Control.

1. Upload the character image (photo or AI still).
2. Upload the reference video of the action you want.
3. Pick resolution (720p / 1080p).
4. Generate and download.

The tool page claims full-body motion sync, including fine hand/finger work for dance and gestures, and videos up to about 30 seconds per generation. The companion blog mentions reference clips in the roughly 3–30 second range and notes that matching composition helps; extreme clothing conflicts between still and motion reference hurt results.

Use this when the performance lives in the reference video and your character should do that.

Lip Sync — make the portrait talk

Open Lip Sync.

1. Upload a clear front-facing portrait (identity preservation is the selling point).
2. Add audio: MP3, WAV, AAC, or OGG; ≤15 seconds; FAQ also says under 10MB. Prefer clean voice.
3. Optionally add expression prompts.
4. Generate and download.

Powered by Kling AI Avatar per the page copy. Best for educational presenters, spokesperson clips, and social talking-avatar posts—not for dance choreography (use Motion Control for that).

A minimal end-to-end example

Here is the shortest path I actually run for a talking clip:

1. Create Character → keep one front-facing still.
2. (Optional) Create Consistent Character once if the lighting is wrong for video. Cost: 2 credits.
3. Lip Sync with a 10-second voiceover under 10MB.
4. If I later need a wave or walk cycle for the same character, I go back to the same still and run Motion Control with a short reference action clip—not with the lip-sync output as a new identity source.

That last habit matters. Video outputs are for publishing. The identity source of truth stays the still (or a carefully approved still remix).

If you need higher detail for a client pitch before motion, insert Create Pro (5 credits for 2K) between still and video. Same pipeline shape; different sharpness budget.

Credits, signup, and honest limits

Quick map from the public pricing table:

• Text-to-image: 1
• Standard consistent still: 2
• Pro consistent 2K: 5 · Pro 4K / music: 10
• Video: from 6 (then meter)

Monthly plans if you outgrow trial credits: Lite $9.90/100, Plus $19.90/300, Pro $39.90/600. Yearly claims save up to 50%. Subscription credits refresh each cycle and unused do not carry over; PAYG packs are described as valid for 1 year.

Limits worth budgeting around (welcome post + tool FAQs):

• Extreme camera angles on stills are hard.
• Big costume changes can soften facial consistency.
• Video generation is still evolving; peak hours can slow runs.
• Lip sync audio must fit the format/size/duration caps above.
• Always review stills against the reference before you spend video credits.

Commercial use: read the Terms of Service. Support: support@consistentcharacterai.org.

Try it / tell me where it breaks

Pipeline in one line: still → choose Animate / Motion / Lip Sync → meter → review.

Start with the 4 signup credits at https://consistentcharacterai.org/ if you are new. If you have a cleaner still→talk stack (or a failure mode I should warn about), leave it in the comments—I read them.