Text-to-video has crossed a threshold in the past year - outputs are no longer obviously artificial, motion is smooth, and some generators can maintain character consistency across multiple scenes. This is the frontier of AI media production, and it's advancing faster than any other category. Tools that were cutting-edge three months ago are already being beaten.
Temporal consistency
Does the character look the same across frames, or do faces and objects morph and flicker? Consistency is the hardest problem in video generation and the biggest differentiator between tools.
Motion quality
Smooth, physics-aware motion separates professional-grade tools from demos. Test with scenes involving movement - walking figures, flowing water, camera pans.
Length and control
Most tools max out at 5-10 seconds per generation. For longer content, you need to stitch clips. Check maximum clip length and whether you can control camera movements, pacing, and cut points.
Prompt-to-output fidelity
Does it actually generate what you described? Test specific, detailed prompts. Many tools are better at broad scenes than specific compositions.
Sora (OpenAI), Runway Gen-3, and Kling are the current leaders for quality. Pika is strong for quick iterations. Luma Dream Machine is excellent for cinematic-style footage. Rankings shift quickly in this space - always test the current generation of tools.
Most generators produce 5-20 second clips. Runway allows up to 60 seconds with their latest models. For longer videos, the current approach is to generate multiple clips and stitch them together in a video editor. Full-length video generation is coming but not yet commercially available at scale.
Check each tool's terms carefully. Runway and Pika grant commercial licenses on paid plans. Sora's commercial terms are still evolving. Some tools have restrictions on using AI-generated content in ads or broadcast media. Never assume commercial rights - read the terms.
