How to Do Motion Transfer: Put a Video's Movement on Your Character

What motion transfer does

Upload one character image and a reference video of someone moving. You get a video of that character making the same body, hand and facial movements. The background and look stay as in your image; only the movement comes from the reference.

The result is as long as the reference: 3 to 15 seconds. You can keep the reference video's audio, for example to keep the music of a dance (check the rights to the audio).

• Have a character you drew perform a dance or scene you recorded
• Short gesture clips for a VTuber or mascot
• Animate a character illustration into a pose

What to prepare (character image and reference video)

• Character image: PNG, JPEG or WebP; short side at least 300 px; aspect ratio between 1:2.5 and 2.5:1. Matching the pose and framing of the reference looks more natural
• Reference video: 3–15 seconds, one person, full body or upper body. A mostly still camera is more stable
• Rights to the reference: a video you recorded yourself is safest. With other people's dance videos, mind the rights of the people and the choreography
• Keeping the reference audio: if you keep it, check the rights to the music too

How to make a motion transfer video

1. 1Open the video tools

   In the studio, open Video tools and choose Motion control.

2. 2Add the character image

   Upload one image of the character you want to animate.

3. 3Add the reference video

   Upload a 3–15 second reference and choose whether to keep its audio.

4. 4Pick a model and estimate

   Choose a model, press Estimate and compare the credits.

5. 5Generate and download

   Tick the rights box, generate and download the result.

See also: Motion control tool overview

Models you can choose, and approximate credits for 5 seconds

Kling 3.0 Motion Control comes in Pro (1080p) and Standard (720p, fewer credits). P-Video Animate outputs 720p and uses the fewest credits.

Fixing common problems

• Hands or legs break up: shots where limbs overlap the body or leave the frame are harder. Use a reference where the whole body is clearly visible
• The character's look changes: match the framing (full body or upper body) of the image and the reference
• You need more than 15 seconds: make it in parts of up to 15 seconds and join them in your editor
• Fast movement does not keep up: test with a low-credit model and use a slower reference

Rights and AI disclosure

Only use images, audio and video that you own or have permission to use. Real people's faces and voices may only be used with that person's permission. Before generating, you tick a box confirming you have the rights.

You may not make videos that show someone saying something they did not say in a misleading way, or that impersonate someone. When you publish, label the video as AI-generated or AI-edited according to the platform's rules (for example, YouTube's altered or synthetic content setting).

Model names in this guide and in the product are listed because you can choose them in BunCho. Listing them does not imply any partnership with or endorsement by their makers.

Plans and credits

The video tools are available on paid plans (Watering, Seed, Feast, Full Course, Team & Business) with an active subscription. They are not available on the free plan or during a paid plan's free trial.

They use your studio's monthly AI credits, the same balance as novels, manga and video. You see an estimate before generating and nothing is made until you agree. No credits are used if a job fails or if you cancel it before it starts.

See also: Plans and pricing / All five video tools