How to make long AI videos that still feel like one video
By the ShortsMachine team · Updated
Ask any AI video model for a five-minute video and you will get, at best, twenty seconds. Long AI videos are not generated in one pass; they are edited together from many short clips. The craft is making those clips feel like one continuous piece.
This is the method ShortsMachine uses automatically. You can also apply it by hand with any tools.
1. Plan scenes, not a single prompt
Divide the video into scenes that each fit one clip — about 5 to 10 seconds. A 3-minute video is roughly 18–36 scenes. Each scene needs a line of narration and a shot description.
2. Write a visual style guide
Before writing shots, define the look in one sentence: the main characters (age, hair, clothing), the setting, the colour palette, the lighting and the camera style. Append it to every image and video prompt. This one step does more for consistency than anything else.
3. Generate a key image for every scene
Start each clip from an image rather than from text alone. Images are cheaper to iterate, easier to keep consistent, and give the video model a precise first frame.
4. Time everything to the voice
Generate narration first, measure each line, and make each scene exactly that long. If a clip is shorter than its line, hold the last frame; if it is longer, trim it. The voice should never be cut off mid-sentence.
5. Normalise, stitch and caption
Different models output different sizes and frame rates. Re-encode every scene to the same resolution, frame rate and audio format, join them, and burn in captions once at the end.
Which models suit long videos
| Model | Credits per second of clip | Credits per finished minute | Minutes on Starter (200) | Minutes on Premium (2,000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HeyGen Video 1 | 1 | ~72 | 2.8 | 27.8 |
| Wan 2.2 Fast | 1 | ~84 | 2.4 | 23.8 |
| Pruna P-Video | 2 | ~132 | 1.5 | 15.2 |
| Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite | 3 | ~192 | 1.0 | 10.4 |
| FLUX 3 Max | 4 | ~252 | 0.8 | 7.9 |
| Grok Video Pro | 5 | ~312 | 0.6 | 6.4 |
| MiniMax H3 | 6 | ~384 | 0.5 | 5.2 |
| Kling 3.0 | 8 | ~492 | 0.4 | 4.1 |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini | 9 | ~552 | 0.4 | 3.6 |
| Wan 2.7 | 10 | ~612 | 0.3 | 3.3 |
| Wan 3.0 | 14 | ~864 | 0.2 | 2.3 |
Per-minute figures include the scene images and voiceover (Flux images). Estimates; you are charged for what is actually generated.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do this automatically?
Yes — ShortsMachine runs all five steps for you. Pick a duration up to 5 minutes and it plans, generates, times and stitches the scenes.
Put this guide into practice
Type an idea and ShortsMachine writes the script, generates every scene, adds a voiceover and captions, and stitches it into one video — up to 5 minutes long.
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