Learn Pika
Playful, physical effects and quick social clips: Pikaffects, Pikadditions, Pikaswaps and Pikaframes, with prompting that actually lands.
What Pika is good at
- Pikaffects: physical effects such as melt, inflate or explode
- Pikadditions and Pikaswaps: insert or replace things in a video
- Pikaframes: transitions between two or more images
- Short, punchy clips for social
Quickstart
- Pick the tool before the promptEffects, additions, swaps and frames are separate tools with separate inputs. Choose first, then write.
- Use clean source imagesEffects read the subject's edges. A plain background and a clear silhouette give the cleanest result.
- Keep prompts shortOne action, one mood. The effect is the star; the prompt only steers it.
- Fix the seed when iteratingChange one thing at a time with the seed fixed so you can tell what the change did.
Settings cheat-sheet
| Setting | What it does | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| Tool | Pikaffects, Pikadditions, Pikaswaps, Pikaframes, Pikascenes | Match the tool to the job |
| Duration | Up to about 10 s on recent versions | 5 s |
| Resolution | Up to 1080p by plan | 720p for drafts |
| Negative prompt | What to avoid | Short list |
| Seed | Repeatable results | Fix when iterating |
| Prompt strength | How closely the text is followed | Default, then nudge |
Pika guides
Guides for Pika are on their way. The quickstart and cheat-sheet above are kept current in the meantime.
The five most-asked questions
What are Pikaffects?
One-click physical effects applied to a subject in an image, such as inflating, melting, crushing or exploding it. The list of effects changes over time, so check the current menu.
What is the difference between Pikadditions and Pikaswaps?
Pikadditions inserts a new object or character from an image into an existing video. Pikaswaps replaces something already in the video with the uploaded image.
What are Pikaframes?
Pikaframes animates a transition between two or more images you upload, so you can design the start and the end and let Pika fill the motion. It suits reveals and morphs.
How long and how sharp can Pika clips be?
Recent versions produce up to about 10 seconds at up to 1080p, depending on plan and model. Check the current pricing page for the limits on your plan.
Does Pika do lip sync?
Yes, there is a lip-sync tool that adds speech to a character in a clip. Clear, front-facing faces and short lines work best.