How to Create a Video in Midjourney (2026)

Midjourney's video-generation feature turns a still image, used as the first frame, into a short animated clip: 5 seconds by default, extendable up to 21. It runs on the same paid subscription and GPU-time system as Midjourney's image generation: there is no separate video plan, no free tier, and no free trial on the Midjourney website or in Discord. (A limited trial exists on Midjourney's separate niji · journey mobile app, but that is a different product from the website and Discord bot this guide covers.) There is no text-to-video path either: every clip starts from an image, and the text prompt that goes with it is optional. Video is simply a far more expensive thing to generate against the same monthly GPU-time balance every plan already includes.

This guide covers what using Midjourney's video feature actually costs, which plan tier you need for the resolution and generation speed you want, the documented steps to produce and extend a clip on both the web app and Discord, and how to confirm the result matches what your plan promises, without taking our word for it. It assumes you have already picked Midjourney as your image generator; if you have not, our best AI image generators comparison covers that choice separately.

What this costs before you generate anything

Midjourney charges by GPU time, not by the video. Every plan states a monthly allowance of Fast GPU minutes, and video draws down that balance far faster than images do. Per Midjourney's own cost documentation, a single video-generation job, which returns a batch of four clips by default, costs 8 minutes of Fast GPU time at standard (SD) resolution or 26 minutes at high definition (HD). A four-image batch costs about 0.8 minutes at SD by comparison: video runs roughly ten to twenty times the GPU cost of images on the same plan.

Three things the table does not show on its own. First, HD video always spends Fast minutes, on every plan, including Pro and Mega: Relax Mode for video exists at all only on Pro and Mega, and even there it is capped to SD. Second, annual billing takes 20% off any tier ($8, $24, $48, or $96 a month, billed yearly), and unused Fast minutes do not roll over to the next billing period on any tier. Third, Midjourney also documents smaller batch sizes at a proportionally lower cost than the four-clip default: 4 minutes (SD) or 13 (HD) for a batch of two, 2 minutes (SD) or 7 (HD) for a single clip, a cheap way to test whether a prompt is worth a full batch before spending one.

Know this before you generate your first clip: Midjourney's refund policy runs on lifetime GPU usage, not a return window. You are refund-eligible only if your account has used fewer than 20 GPU minutes, ever, across both Fast and Relax time. One HD video job alone costs 26 minutes, more than that entire threshold. A single SD video job (8 minutes) plus almost any other testing will likely put you over it too. Decide whether you want the option of a refund before you generate anything, not after.

One more thing worth deciding before you subscribe for this specifically: Midjourney's video feature is an extension of an image generator, animating a still image, not a purpose-built video model, and every clip starts at a documented 5 seconds. If video is what you actually need, not an occasional extra on top of image work, our best AI video generators comparison is worth checking before you commit a plan here.

Where video generation lives

Midjourney runs through two interfaces tied to the same account and the same GPU-time balance: Discord, where you interact with the Midjourney Bot, and the Create page on midjourney.com, its web app. Both draw from the same monthly Fast-minute allowance and the same subscription tier. Midjourney's terms limit each account to a single user, so a plan is not something a team shares on one login.

How to generate a video, step by step

Every control name and location below is confirmed against Midjourney's own Video help-center article and its Discord Quick Start guide, both read live on 2026-08-29. Web and Discord use different controls for the same underlying choices, so each step covers both. The one specification we could not confirm, frame rate, is left out rather than guessed at; the full list of what remains unverified is at the bottom of this guide.

1. Confirm your plan covers what you want to do. Basic technically supports SD video. HD, or more than one video job running at once, needs Standard or higher. Unlimited generation without spending Fast minutes on every clip needs Pro or higher, and even then only at SD. Check your current plan on your Manage Subscription page on midjourney.com first.
2. Have a source image ready, or a URL to one. A video always starts from an image; Midjourney's documentation states there is no text-only path, though the text prompt that goes with the image is optional. On the web, use an image already in your gallery, or click the image icon in the Imagine bar to upload your own and drag it into the "Starting Frame" slot. In Discord, a bot-generated image works directly from its grid; an external image needs a live URL, pasted at the start of your prompt (host it on Discord first if it only lives on your device). External images carry Midjourney's own added rules: you need the rights to use the image, it cannot be manipulated to break the Community Guidelines, and Midjourney can remove content or restrict access at its discretion. One limit applies on both platforms: Image Prompt, Style Reference, and Omni Reference do not carry over into a video source; only a plain uploaded or generated image does.
3. Start the video action. On the web, open the image and use "Animate Image" (also a hover shortcut on the gallery grid), then choose Auto to generate immediately from the image as-is, Animate Manually to edit the prompt first, or Loop to generate a clip whose end frame matches its start frame. In Discord, use U1-U4 to pull your chosen image out of its grid, then "Animate (High motion)" or "Animate (Low motion)"; whether that submits your original prompt or lets you edit it first depends on whether Remix Mode is on for your account, not a separate button. For an external image in Discord, skip the U-button step and add --video to the end of a prompt that starts with the image's URL. If an older Discord upscale made before video launched is not showing an Animate button, the show command refreshes it.
4. Choose motion strength. Two settings exist, named the same on both platforms: Low Motion (the default), which favors still scenes and subtle movement, and High Motion, which allows bigger camera and character motion but is more prone to glitches. Set it with the Low Motion / High Motion buttons, the --motion low or --motion high parameter, or, on the web only, a Motion Amount toggle once your image is loaded into Starting Frame.
5. Generate and review the batch. By default a video job returns four clips, the same batch structure images use, and costs 8 minutes of Fast GPU time at SD or 26 at HD. A smaller batch costs proportionally less: two clips run 4 minutes SD or 13 HD, a single clip runs 2 minutes SD or 7 HD. SD renders at 480p, HD at 720p; exact pixel dimensions follow your source image's aspect ratio (a 16:9 image renders 832×464 at SD or 1280×720 at HD; a 1:1 image renders 624×624 at SD or 960×960 at HD). Midjourney's own documentation is explicit that GPU time is not the same as wall-clock wait time and does not publish an expected render duration, so do not use elapsed minutes as a stand-in for GPU minutes spent.
6. Extend a clip if you want it longer. Every clip starts at 5 seconds. You can extend a chosen clip up to 4 times, adding 4 seconds each time, to a documented maximum of 21 seconds. Each extend pass costs the same GPU time as an initial generation at the same resolution and batch size, not a separate, smaller fee. On the web, extend from the video's Creation Actions as "Extend Auto" or "Extend Manual." In Discord, U1-U4 to pick the clip, then "Extend (High motion)" or "Extend (Low motion)," with manual prompt editing again gated by Remix Mode.
7. Download the clip. Midjourney generates .mp4 natively. On the web, choose "Download for Social" (re-encoded, smaller file) or "Download Raw Video" (the original file); a separate "Download Gif" option converts the clip to .gif if you need that format. Downloading directly in Discord gives you the raw .mp4. Midjourney's terms describe the service and everything generated on it as provided as is, with no uptime or storage guarantee, so treat your account gallery as something you could lose access to, not a backup, and keep anything you want.

Who owns the video, and where commercial use starts

Per Midjourney's Terms of Service, you own the videos and images you generate, and that ownership survives even if you later downgrade or cancel your subscription. Two documented exceptions apply. If you upscale or build on an image or video someone else originally created, that asset still belongs to them, and you need their permission to use it. And if you are a company, or an employee of one, grossing more than $1,000,000 USD a year in revenue, you must be subscribed to Pro or Mega to own what you generate for that company; Basic and Standard do not carry that grant once a business crosses the threshold. Commercial use itself, the right to use your output in just about any way you want, is granted on all four paid tiers once you have subscribed at any point; it is ownership at the $1M-plus revenue tier specifically that is gated to Pro and Mega. Midjourney's own documentation also states plainly that it does not offer copyright guidance and recommends consulting a lawyer, since the law differs by jurisdiction.

Privacy: what "private" actually means here

By default, everything you generate, images and video alike, can end up visible on Midjourney's public Explore page on midjourney.com. That default applies even to content made in a private Discord server or in a direct message with the Midjourney Bot: a private-feeling channel does not make a generation private on the website. The only way to change that is Stealth Mode, limited to Pro and Mega. Stealth Mode has its own limit worth knowing before you rely on it: it only keeps a generation off midjourney.com. Generate a video in a shared or open Discord space, such as a public server channel, and anyone in that channel can still see it regardless of whether Stealth Mode is turned on. For actual privacy, generate in a direct message with the bot, a private Discord server, or your own Create page, with Stealth Mode active.

Verification: how to confirm this actually worked

Do not take this guide's word for any of the above. Check it against your own account and Midjourney's current documentation.

• GPU cost. After generating a clip, check your Fast-time usage on your Manage Subscription page. For a full batch of four, it should have dropped by 8 minutes for SD or 26 for HD (proportionally less for a batch of two or one); an extend pass should cost the same as a fresh generation at that resolution and batch size. A number well outside that means either the published rate has changed since this guide was checked, or something about your generation, a retry, a different setting, added cost the base rate does not cover.
• Clip length. A fresh clip should run 5 seconds. Each extend pass should add 4 seconds, to a documented maximum of 21 seconds total. A clip that starts longer, or extends past 21 seconds, means the documentation has moved.
• Resolution. Confirm the clip's resolution matches what your tier allows: SD (480p) only on Basic, SD or HD (720p) on Standard and above. If Basic produced an HD clip, the documentation has moved and this guide needs a recheck.
• Privacy. If you are on Pro or Mega and used Stealth Mode, check that the clip does not appear on Midjourney's public Explore page, and check any shared Discord channel you generated it in too. Stealth Mode not covering a shared channel is documented behavior, not a bug.
• The documentation itself. The video mechanics in this guide (how a generation starts, motion settings, clip length, extend limits, resolution, and file format) come from Midjourney's Video help-center article and its Discord Quick Start guide, both read live on 2026-08-29. Plan pricing and GPU-minute costs were independently checked the same day against Comparing Midjourney Plans and GPU Speed (Fast, Relax, Turbo) and matched exactly. Ownership, privacy, and refund specifics are carried from an earlier reading of Midjourney's Terms of Service and its refund and privacy help articles on 2026-08-09; Midjourney's official changelog shows nothing video-related changed in between. All of these pages are at docs.midjourney.com. Pricing, resolution caps, and GPU-minute costs are exactly the kind of thing vendors change without much notice; check the current version of those pages against what is written here before you commit money. For the wider picture on Midjourney's image quality, pricing across all four tiers, and its commercial-use caveats, see our Midjourney review.