Kling 3.0 Guide: Start Frames, Prompts, Sound and Credits

Kling 3.0 animates a picture you already have. You upload the opening frame, optionally a closing frame, and describe what should move; the model turns that into a 5- or 10-second clip. It runs in the Spicy Studio Video Lab, and this link opens it with Kling 3.0 selected.

Inputs: a start frame (required; JPEG or PNG, up to 10 MB, at least 300 px), plus an optional end frame and prompt.

Output: 5 or 10 seconds in 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1, at 720p on Standard or 1080p on Pro.

Sound: off by default; switching it on multiplies the price by 1.5.

It suits shots whose look is already settled, such as a finished product photo, an approved character design or a storyboard panel.

You pay per second of output.

Standard (720p): 12 credits a second: 60 for 5 seconds, 120 for 10, or 90 and 180 with sound.

Pro (1080p): 16 credits a second: 80 for 5 seconds, 160 for 10, or 120 and 240 with sound.

On Spicy Basic (€10 for 600 credits a month), a silent 5-second Standard clip works out to about €1. The 25 free credits on a new account won't reach the 60-credit minimum, but they pay for a start frame: Nano Banana 2.1 makes one for 12 credits at 2K. A €2 Spark top-up (90 credits that never expire) then covers a first Standard test. See pricing.

Kling 3.0 moves what's in the start frame; it doesn't redesign it. Whatever is soft, badly cropped or wrong in the still stays wrong for the whole clip.

Crop to the ratio you'll pick (9:16, 16:9 or 1:1), so nothing important sits at the edge, and leave space for any motion, such as a raised arm or a camera pulling back.

Convert WebP files to PNG or JPEG before uploading.

Remove distractions. A stray cup or sign appears in every frame; the Eraser paints it out for 8 credits.

No still yet? Generate one in the Image Lab, or follow the Playbook's first-frame workflow, free with an account.

The model already sees the image, so the prompt only needs what changes: what moves, what the camera does (static, slow push-in, orbit, handheld) and, with sound on, what we hear. Keep 5 seconds to one main action; 10 seconds has room for two or three, in order.

Product shot (Standard, 5 s, 1:1): “The camera circles slowly around the leather backpack on the oak bench. Late-afternoon light slides across the brass buckle. The bag stays still.”

Portrait (Pro, 10 s, 9:16): “The man in the denim jacket checks his watch, looks up toward the street and breaks into a grin. A light breeze moves his hair. Handheld camera, gentle drift.”

With sound on, end with what we should hear: “Sound: rain tapping on the café awning, distant traffic.”

The optional end frame decides where the shot finishes: you choose the last picture, and the model works out the motion that gets there.

Transitions: a café terrace at noon as the start frame, the same terrace at dusk as the end frame, and a prompt like “Locked-off camera. Daylight fades to dusk, string lights flicker on, people come and go.”

Reveals: start on a closed gift box, end on the open box with the product inside.

Loops: try the same image as both frames, then check the join before posting.

Keep both frames the same shape and framing; the bigger the jump between them, the more the model invents.

Draft on Standard with sound off (60 credits for 5 seconds), then render the keeper the way you'll publish it. A re-render is a new generation, so it won't match the draft frame for frame.

Go Pro when the clip will be watched large or cropped later; it renders 1080p instead of 720p. Video Upscale can take a finished clip to 2K or 4K for 28 or 56 credits.

Turn sound on for ambience and effects made with the picture. If a character must say particular words, Lip Sync uses your own recording instead: it turns a face photo and an MP3 into a talking clip, from 10 credits a second.

More than 10 seconds, or several beats with their own prompts: Kling Omni O3 runs 3–15 seconds with optional prompt segments (Kling Omni O3 guide).

An idea but no image: Seedance 2.5 and Veo 3.1 can start from text.

Moves copied from a real video: Kling 3.0 Motion Control in Character Swap (motion transfer guide).

A still that acts out a small story, or cheaper drafts: the Playbook's Animate workflow recommends Seedance 2.0 or 2.5 over the Kling models for that job, and Seedance 2.0 costs 35 credits for 5 seconds at 480p.

All three models on inputs, length and credits: Seedance 2.0 vs Kling Omni O3 vs Kling 3.0.