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xAI Introduces Image-to-Video Generation with Grok Video Model

xAI has launched an image-to-video capability, allowing users to generate videos from still images with an optional prompt, powered by the Grok video model.

By Illumora Editorial

Source · Aug 20, 2026, 3:13 PM · On Illumora · Aug 20, 2026, 4:04 PM

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Read the source →xAI Docs — Image-to-Video | SpaceXAI Docs
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xAI has introduced a new image-to-video feature, enabling the generation of videos from static images using the Grok video model. This capability allows users to provide a source image and an optional prompt, which the model then uses to animate the image content based on the given instructions.

Key Points

  • The image-to-video generation is powered by the Grok video model.
  • Users can transform a still image into a video by supplying a source image and an optional prompt.
  • The model animates the image content according to the provided instructions.
  • The grok-imagine-video-1.5 model specifically supports native 1080p resolution for image-to-video outputs.
  • Source images can be provided as a public URL, a base64-encoded data URI, or a file_id from the Files API.

Context

According to xAI documentation, the image-to-video feature is part of the broader Imagine capabilities, which also include image generation, image editing, multi-image editing, and other video generation functions. The documentation also references the Grok 4.6 model in relation to various API services, including Collections, which provides persistent document storage with semantic search across multiple documents. For automated tasks, xAI offers a headless mode for the Grok CLI, suitable for scripts and bots.

Why It Matters

This new capability offers builders a direct method to create animated content from static images, potentially streamlining workflows for visual content generation and enhancing interactive experiences. The support for 1080p resolution indicates a focus on high-quality output for video applications.

What To Do

  • Review the xAI documentation for the image-to-video feature to understand input requirements and output specifications.
  • Experiment with providing different source image formats (public URL, base64, file_id) to observe their integration.
  • Test the impact of various prompts on the animation style and content generated from a single source image.
  • Compare the output quality and animation fidelity when using the grok-imagine-video-1.5 model for 1080p video generation.

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