# Which model for video

Recipes / Prompt guide / Which model. Checked 2026-10-13.

Picks the video model by what the shot has to do.

- Use when: Before writing any video prompt.
- Phrase: Seedance 2.5 for scenes with dialogue and characters; Kling 3.0 for short cheap single shots; Veo 3.1 for the most realistic motion from one still
- Page: https://directorchair.ai/guide/which-model-for-video
- JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/guide/which-model-for-video.json

## Watch out

- A tutorial's model advice is an argument, not a rule: tutorials three weeks apart named different best models for skin. Compare with one image before switching. (measured; Director Chair field notes on image prompting)
- Kling 4.0 was announced on 27 Sep 2026 and was in closed beta; check availability before promising it. (vendor; Director Chair field notes on video prompting)

## The choice (checked 29 Sep 2026)

| The shot has to | Model |
|---|---|
| Hold characters and dialogue over 10 to 30 seconds, several shots | Seedance 2.5 |
| Keep a real performance and change the person, the room or the costume | Seedance 2.5 video edit |
| Put a real person in a new setting, 3 to 10 seconds | Kling 3.0 Omni Edit |
| Move between a start frame and an end frame, flat animation, cheap | Kling 3.0 |
| Several shots from one start frame, more motion, 4 to 15 seconds | Seedance 2.0 |
| Look as real as possible in motion, 8 seconds or less, with sound | Veo 3.1 |

## Prompts

### Any chat model

```
Give me a filled-in prompt that follows this guide, plus the one thing to check in the result, for a short video about [your product], for [your audience]. The technique is which model for video: picks the video model by what the shot has to do. How it works: seedance 2.5 for scenes with dialogue and characters; Kling 3.0 for short cheap single shots; Veo 3.1 for the most realistic motion from one still. It is right for: before writing any video prompt. A tutorial's model advice is an argument, not a rule: tutorials three weeks apart named different best models for skin. Kling 4.0 was announced on 27 Sep 2026 and was in closed beta; check availability before promising it. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing.
```

## Goes well with

- Prompt guide: Seedance 2.5: https://directorchair.ai/guide/guide-seedance-2-5
- Prompt guide: Kling 3.0: https://directorchair.ai/guide/guide-kling-3
- Prompt guide: Veo 3.1: https://directorchair.ai/guide/guide-veo-3-1

## Source

Own summary of Director Chair field notes on video prompting

Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.