What Is a Image-to-Video?
Image-to-video is AI generation that takes a still image — a photo or cover art — as a starting frame and generates motion from it, producing a moving video clip.
Instead of describing a scene from scratch, image-to-video starts from a picture you already have. You provide the image as a reference or starting frame, and an AI video model generates motion that extends from it — camera movement, subtle animation, or a fuller scene built around what's in the image.
This is the mechanism behind 'animating your cover art': your square cover isn't animated inside cover-art generation itself, but you can attach it as a starting frame in Canvas or Video mode and generate motion from it there. It's also useful for turning any promotional photo into a moving clip without reshooting.
How closely a generated clip follows the source image depends on the model — some preserve the original layout and composition closely, while others treat the image more loosely as inspiration. Either way, image-to-video gives you a way to keep your existing artwork as the visual anchor of a moving clip.
How Artlink Handles Image-to-Video
- Attach your existing cover art or any reference image as the starting frame for Canvas or Video mode
- Works for a locked 9:16 Spotify Canvas loop or a broader 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9 video
- Frontier AI image and video models available from one shared credit pool
- Exact credit cost shown before you generate, so there's no surprise once the clip renders
- Download the finished clip directly, ready for Spotify for Artists or your social channels
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I animate my cover art directly?
Cover art generation itself produces a still 1:1 image. To animate it, you attach that cover as a starting frame in Canvas or Video mode and generate motion from it there.
What's the difference between image-to-video and text-to-video?
Image-to-video starts from a picture you provide as the starting frame. Text-to-video starts purely from a written prompt with no image input.
Does image-to-video always keep the image exactly the same?
It depends on the model. Some models preserve the original layout and composition closely, while others use the image more loosely as a starting point for the generated motion.