Choosing a model
How to settle on the right model from the job, the inputs you have, and the budget.
No single model is best at everything. These three questions usually narrow the choice enough.
1. What do you want to make
| Job | Look for a model that |
|---|---|
| An image from text alone | takes a prompt with no reference image |
| Changing or combining photos | takes reference images (the Reference images slot in the console) |
| Product photos on a clean background | removes backgrounds, for example Recraft Remove Background |
| Raising a photo's resolution | upscales images, for example Recraft Crisp Upscale |
| A clip from text | has a text-to-video mode |
| Bringing an image to life | has an image-to-video mode, with a first frame (and sometimes a last frame) |
| Copying movement from a video | has motion control, for example Kling 3 Motion Control |
| Speech from a script | is a speech model, for example Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS |
The catalogue on the studio's Models page can be filtered by maker and kind, and every card names what it can do.
2. Which inputs do you have
The same model often has several modes, and the console only shows the upload slots that mode uses. If you have a product photo and want a video, pick a video model with an image-to-video mode. If all you have is an idea, pick a text mode.
File limits differ per model: size, format, dimensions and length. All of them are checked before credits are taken, and the details are under the How this model works info button.
3. What is the budget
Many models have tiers or resolutions with very different prices. The usual ways to save:
- Try the cheapest setting first. Test the idea at the lowest resolution or tier, then go up once the prompt is right.
- Compare with Multi Generate. One prompt on up to five models at once shows the results and costs side by side. See Multi Generate.
- Start from a template. Templates on Home run at their model's cheapest setting, with the original prompt.
The exact cost always shows on the Run button before you press it.