Wan 2.1 Image to Video Workflow: Your Complete Guide

Access WAN 2.1

First things first – you'll need to get your hands on WAN 2.1. Since it's open-source, you can download it from the official repository or use one of the many platforms that have integrated it. If you're running it locally, make sure your GPU has at least 8.19 GB of VRAM (an RTX 4090 works beautifully).

Don't have the hardware? No worries! Several cloud platforms now offer WAN 2.1 as a service, letting you tap into its power without the upfront investment.

Upload Your Image

Here's where the magic begins. Select the image you want to animate – it could be a portrait, a landscape, a product shot, literally anything. WAN 2.1 is remarkably versatile and can handle various image types and styles.

Pro tip: Higher quality input images generally produce better results. While WAN 2.1 can work with lower resolution images, starting with a crisp, well-lit photo gives the AI more information to work with when generating motion.

Configure Your Settings

Now comes the fun part – customizing your video output. WAN 2.1 gives you several options to play with:

• Resolution: Choose between 480p and 720p depending on your needs and hardware capabilities
• Aspect Ratio: Select 16:9 for landscape videos or 9:16 for vertical social media content
• Duration: Set your desired video length (typically 4-5 seconds per generation)
• Frame Rate: Adjust for smoother or more stylized motion

Add Text Prompts (Optional but Powerful)

Here's where WAN 2.1 really shines. While the model can generate video from your image alone, adding a text prompt gives you much more control over the final result. Think of it as directing the AI – you're telling it what kind of motion or atmosphere you want.

For example, if you've uploaded a landscape photo, you might add a prompt like "gentle camera pan across the scene with swaying trees" or "dramatic zoom out revealing the full vista." The AI combines your visual input with your textual description to create something truly unique.

WAN 2.1 supports both English and Chinese prompts, making it accessible to a global audience.

Generate Your Video

Hit that generate button and watch the magic happen! On an RTX 4090, you're looking at about 4 minutes for a 5-second 480p video. Not bad considering you're creating something from scratch that would take hours to animate manually.

During generation, WAN 2.1's advanced VAE (Variational Autoencoder) and DiT (Denoising Diffusion Transformer) technologies work together to create realistic motion with smooth transitions and accurate physics. You'll see your static image come alive with natural-looking movement.

Review and Download

Once generation is complete, take a moment to review your video. Does it match your vision? WAN 2.1 typically produces high-quality results on the first try, but don't be afraid to experiment with different settings or prompts if you want to refine the output.

When you're happy with the result, download your video and use it wherever you need – social media posts, presentations, websites, or as part of larger video projects.