Grok Imagine Video 1.5
Grok Imagine Video 1.5 is xAI’s video generation model for clips of 1 to 15 seconds at up to 1080p, from a written prompt or from up to seven reference images, with dialogue, effects and ambience generated alongside the picture. Use it to find the prompt: at 25 credits and about a minute per 5-second clip it is the cheapest and fastest model in the studio by a wide margin.
It runs in the editor on the left at 5 credits a second for 480p, 8 for 720p and 14 for 1080p, so a 5-second 480p clip is 25 credits and a 15-second 1080p one is 210. Reference images are free. The Create button shows the exact figure before anything is charged.
The draft model
Every video model here charges by the second, and the expensive mistake is not the wrong size but the wrong prompt, paid for at the wrong size. Grok makes the prompt cheap to get right: 25 credits a try, a clip back in about a minute, and a one-second minimum if all you want to check is whether the subject reads. Once the sentence works, the same sentence goes to the model whose look you want.
It is not only a draft model. Audio comes with the picture, seven reference images can pin a subject or a style, and the frame shapes include 3:2 and 2:3, which no other model here offers. 1080p at 14 credits a second is also the cheapest 1080p in the studio.
What it costs
Per second of output; images are free.
| Size | Per second | 5 seconds | 15 seconds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 480p | 5 credits | 25 | 75 |
| 720p | 8 credits | 40 | 120 |
| 1080p | 14 credits | 70 | 210 |
Our test
The hero clip is a text-to-video job: one sentence about a paper boat, 480p, 5 seconds, 16:9. It cost 25 credits, came back in about 60 seconds, and is an 848×480 MP4 of 5.0 seconds with audio. The vendor reported 37 seconds of generation time for it.
The same sentence went through Seedance 2.0 and MiniMax H3, so the three text models can be compared on one prompt.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Input | Prompt only, 16:9 |
| Settings | 480p, 5 seconds |
| Cost | 25 credits ($0.25) |
| Wall time | About 60 seconds (vendor reported 37 s) |
| Output | 848×480, 5.0 s, MP4 with audio |
Grok or the others?
For a single subject in a simple scene the cheap result is close enough that the price difference is hard to justify. The expensive models separate themselves on complex camera moves, crowded scenes and anything where several things move independently. So: draft here, then re-run the finished prompt on Seedance 2.0 for a sharp 1080p take, on Wan 3.0 or Seedance 2.5 for a long one, or on MiniMax H3 when the sound is the point.
How to run Grok Imagine Video 1.5 here
- 1. Write one sentence Subject, action, camera, setting, light. Add a reference image if the subject has to look a certain way.
- 2. Create at 5 seconds and 480p 25 credits, about a minute.
- 3. Fix the one thing the model chose for you Change the prompt or the size, not both at once.
- 4. Re-run the finished prompt where it belongs Here at 1080p for 70 credits, or on a model with the look you want.
When not to use this
- Short clips from an image. The vendor currently honours reference images only for 6 to 15 seconds at 480p or 720p, and 10 to 15 seconds at 1080p; the editor moves the length up for you, so a 5-second image-to-video on Grok is not a thing today.
- Takes over 15 seconds. Wan 3.0 and Seedance 2.5 go to 30.
- An ending frame. Grok takes reference images, not a first-to-last move; that is Wan 2.2 or Seedance.
- Motion driven by your audio. Grok generates sound; Wan 2.7 follows yours.
- Sizes other than 480p, 720p and 1080p, or frames other than 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 3:2 and 2:3.
- Footage of a real person who has not agreed to it, from a reference image or a prompt.
Questions people ask
How much does Grok Imagine Video cost?
5 credits a second at 480p, 8 at 720p and 14 at 1080p, where 1 credit is one US cent. A 5-second 480p clip is 25 credits, the cheapest clip in the studio; a 15-second 1080p clip is 210. Failed jobs are refunded.
How fast is it?
About a minute for a 5-second 480p clip on our test; the vendor reported 37 seconds of generation. It is the fastest model here.
Can I give it an image?
Up to seven reference images, free, alongside or instead of the prompt. They steer the subject and style rather than acting as a first frame. One vendor limit applies right now: with an image the clip has to be 6 to 15 seconds at 480p or 720p, or 10 to 15 seconds at 1080p, and the editor bumps the length to match.
Does Grok Imagine Video generate audio?
Yes: dialogue, effects and ambience come out with the picture.
Is this the same as Grok Imagine on X?
It is the same model family, run through an API and paid per second. There is no free tier here; the 25-credit clip is the cheapest route to a usable result.
Related tools
Checked 2026-09-23.