Midjourney’s V1 Video Model brings AI images to life with cinematic animation. Perfect for creatives, marketers, and short-form content creators.

AI-generated visuals just levelled up. Midjourney’s new V1 Video Model has dropped, and it’s making your static images move - literally.

This update means you can now turn any Midjourney image into a short-form animated clip with smooth camera motion, dynamic depth, and an overall cinematic feel.

No video editing skills needed. No clunky interface. Just the same AI tool you already know, now with the power of motion.

Let’s unpack how it works, why it matters for creatives, and why this is a game-changer for marketers, designers, and anyone working with visual content.

What is the V1 Video Model?

Midjourney’s V1 Video Model is a tool that creates short, animated videos (roughly 3–5 seconds long) from your still image prompts.

You get up to four different versions automatically, each using a unique motion path and camera angle, from slow pans to dramatic zooms.

Once you’ve picked the one you like, you can extend it further to 16–21 seconds, giving you much more content to play with.

All of this happens within the Midjourney platform, no exporting, no switching apps, no stress.

You can choose between Auto Mode (for quick, one-click results) and Manual Mode (for more control over camera direction and motion intensity).

This is Midjourney's first foray into video, and for a V1 release, it’s powerful.

What Can You Do With It?

You can animate any image generated in Midjourney.

Want your surreal cyberpunk city to come alive? Need your fantasy characters to move through the frame? Dreaming of making your brand visuals breathe a bit?

Now you can.

This unlocks a whole new tier of content production:

• Repurpose stills for short-form content like Reels or TikToks
• Create eye-catching motion graphics for websites or landing pages
• Animate creative pitches and brand storytelling
• Visualise moods, tones, and campaigns in motion
• Build out dynamic content for campaigns without a videographer

The key is how fast and easy it is. No After Effects. No editing timelines. Just ideas, turned into movement.

Key Features (And What’s Missing So Far)

Let’s talk detail:

• Each still image generates 3–4 short videos with different motion types.
• You can pick your favourite and “extend” it up to 21 seconds.
• In Manual Mode, you control motion strength and direction.
• The videos are standard definition for now — good for social and concepting, not full production.
• No sound or audio layering (yet).
• You can’t add frame-by-frame animation or effects — this is about motion paths, not full animation.
• It runs on Fast Time (8x normal image cost), but Relax Mode is available for Pro plan users.

Right now, the tool is best for mood-setting, visualising stories, building reels, and pitching creative ideas that need movement.

Think of it as a concepting tool rather than a final product — though with some editing, you can polish them into something slick for social.

How to get the best results

Start with strong images, the more detailed and layered your visual, the more impressive the animation.

If you're going for subtle cinematic feels, keep motion low and choose Manual Mode.

Want something more dramatic or dynamic?

Crank up the motion settings, or let Auto Mode surprise you.

And yes, you can add music or voiceovers later in something like CapCut or Premiere Pro, that’s how you turn these clips into full mini videos or trailers.

Weird Wolf tip: make a few versions, compare motion styles, and don’t be afraid to remix. Some camera paths feel more like slow reveals, others like fast-paced trailers. Test both and see what fits your brand best.

Why this matters for creatives and marketers

This update is massive for creative teams, marketing agencies, freelancers, and content creators.

It finally lets you build out video content from your image-first campaigns without needing to invest time (or budget) in full video production.

For agencies and brands, this means faster pitches, better visual storytelling, and more content for socials, all without bringing in a videographer or animator.

And for creators? It means your portfolios, passion projects, or storytelling experiments just got way more engaging.

We’ve already seen this in action for client pitches, showing a looping motion video of a brand concept is a whole different vibe compared to a static render.

It sells the story so much faster.

What’s coming next?

This is only the beginning for video in Midjourney. Rumours and roadmap hints suggest we’ll see:

• Higher resolution exports (HD+)
• More advanced manual motion editing
• Audio integration options
• Video prompt input (not just image-to-video)
• Multi-scene compositions
• AI-assisted video storytelling tools

For now, though, the V1 model gives you a super clean way to test, pitch, and build short-form content using the visuals you’re already creating.

The bottom line

If you’re already working with Midjourney — this is the upgrade you’ve been waiting for.

And if you’re not using Midjourney yet, this might just be the thing that convinces you to try.

It’s motion design with almost no learning curve, making it perfect for creatives, marketers, and designers looking to level up their content without the faff of full video production.

The tools are there. The workflows are easy. The output is strong.

Start experimenting, and start telling stories that move.