# Turn an approved still into a video shot

> Animate an approved still in Nodespell with Image to Video, compare several video takes, choose the best one, then upscale and download the shot.

Source: https://docs.nodespell.com/recipes/image-to-video-shot/ · Last updated: 2026-11-10

The Nodespell image-to-video recipe turns one approved still into a finished video shot. You hand the exact image you approved to the Image to Video Creative Tool as the start frame, describe the motion, generate a few takes, keep the best one, and optionally upscale it before download. The still stays untouched, so you can try new motion without losing it.

**What you need**

- An approved still: a result on an image node in your Project, or an image in [Asset Manager](https://docs.nodespell.com/assets/asset-manager/).
- A motion brief: what the subject does, how the camera moves, and what must stay unchanged.
- Credits. Each Image to Video generation uses credits. Video Upscaler, if you use it, is a separate run.

**Graph at a glance:** Image node (or Asset) → Asset node "Selected historical result" → Image to Video → Video Upscaler → download

> **Where credits are spent:** Credits are spent when you select **Generate** for Image to Video and when you run Video Upscaler. On paid plans, Create shows **Estimated per run** or **Estimated total** for the number of generations before you select **Generate**. For many video models, longer durations and higher resolutions raise the estimate.

## Stage 1: Send the approved still to Image to Video

The most reliable path starts from the result you approved, because Nodespell then uses that exact image rather than whatever the node outputs later.

1. In **Create**, open the tool that made the still (for example **Image Generator**) and select its node.
2. Under **Results**, step to the still you approved with **Show older result** and **Show newer result**.
3. Select **Continue with this result**.
4. In the **Continue with this result** dialog, choose **Image to Video** ("Use this image as the starting frame for a video").

Nodespell keeps that exact output as a visible Asset node named **Selected historical result** and connects it to the new Image to Video draft as the **Start frame**. The composer shows "This tool will use the exact selected result through a visible Asset node."

To start from an uploaded image instead, choose **Image to Video** in the Create tools rail, select **Choose assets** in **Start frame**, pick the image, and select **Use selection**.

## Stage 2: Describe the motion and generate takes

1. Pick a model in the model picker. The recommended models appear first; see [Choose a model](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/choose-a-model/).
2. Write the motion brief in **Prompt**. Name the action, the camera move, and the pace, and say what must not change. For example: "The bottle turns slowly to the left while the camera pushes in. The label and background stay unchanged."
3. If the model shows an end-frame field, add a second still to guide where the shot ends.
4. Set **Duration**, **Resolution**, and **Aspect ratio** if the model shows them. Turn **Generate audio** on or off if the model offers it.
5. Set **Generations** to 2–4 to get several takes to choose from. Use 1 while you are still testing the brief.
6. Select **Generate**.

The batch progress shows each generation as **Queued**, **Running**, **Complete**, or **Failed**. Successful generations are kept even if another in the batch fails. See [Image to Video](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/image-to-video/).

## Stage 3: Compare takes and choose one

1. Step through the clips in **Results**, or open **View fullscreen** to judge motion at full size.
2. Switch to **Graph** and select the Image to Video node. Open its takes from **Takes** next to the run button, or right-click the node and choose **Takes…**. Video takes show a poster frame until you select **Play**.
3. Preview a take, then select **Use Take** with its number to make it the node's output. To stay on it even after new runs, open **More take actions** and choose **Keep this take**.

Downstream nodes always use the take the node is set to. See [Takes](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/takes/).

## Stage 4: Upscale and download

1. In Graph, press `Tab`, add **Video Upscaler**, and connect the Image to Video output to it.
2. Select the Video Upscaler node and press `Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+R`.
3. Right-click the finished node and choose **Download**.

Skip the upscale if the shot is already large enough. See [Video Upscaler](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/video-upscaler/) and [Export](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/export/).

## Check the result

- Play the chosen take at full size and look at the first frames: the subject and composition should match the still.
- Check hands, faces, text, and product edges, which drift most in generated motion.
- Confirm the take in use on the Image to Video node is the one you approved before you run anything downstream.

## Variations

- **Guide the ending.** Add an end frame (for example, a reframed version of the still made with [Variations](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/variations/)) when the shot must land on a specific composition.
- **Several references instead of one start frame.** Use [Reference Images to Video](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/reference-images-to-video/) when a character, style, or location should come from more than one image.
- **Make it longer.** Continue the chosen take with [Extend Video](https://docs.nodespell.com/recipes/extend-a-shot/).
- **Add sound.** Score the clip with music and effects in [Add a soundtrack to a clip](https://docs.nodespell.com/recipes/soundtrack-for-a-clip/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Why did Nodespell add an Asset node when I continued?

**Continue with this result** preserves the exact image you picked as a visible Asset node, named **Selected historical result**, so the video always starts from that still even if the original node gets new takes later.

### Which tools can I continue to from an image result?

The **Continue with this result** dialog offers **Image Upscaler** and **Image to Video**. For other tools, connect the image node in Graph or choose the image as an asset.

### Can I change the motion without regenerating the still?

Yes. Edit the **Prompt** or settings on the Image to Video node and generate again. The still and its node are not rerun.

### Does a failed generation use credits?

Each take records its charge. Open the take's **Details** to see whether it was charged, refunded, or not charged.

## Related

- [Make your first image-to-video clip](https://docs.nodespell.com/start/first-image-to-video/) — the beginner version of this recipe
- [Image to Video](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/image-to-video/) — models, frames, and motion controls
- [Takes](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/takes/) — preview, use, and keep takes
- [Extend a shot](https://docs.nodespell.com/recipes/extend-a-shot/) — continue the chosen clip
- [Video Upscaler](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/video-upscaler/) — enlarge the finished shot