Kling O1: one model for generating and editing video — references, background swaps, restyling and extension

What is Kling O1

Kling O1 is a video model from the Chinese company Kuaishou. Kling introduced it on December 1, 2025, kicking off its launch week, and called it “the world’s first unified multimodal video model.” Two days later came Kling 2.6 with sound.

The idea behind O1 is one model instead of a toolbox. Text-to-video, frame-based generation, background swaps and restyling used to need separate modes. O1 is built on the MVL (Multi-modal Visual Language) concept: text, images, video and elements are described together in natural language, and the model works out the task itself.

Kling IMAGE O1 came out alongside the video model — the same approach for images, from generation to precise editing.

In February 2026 O1 was succeeded by Kling 3.0 Omni. An overview of the family is on the Kling page. On the Arena leaderboard as of September 21, 2026, Kling O1 Pro ranks 33rd of 48.

What Kling O1 can do

Generation from references. Up to 7 images or elements: characters, objects, backgrounds. The model keeps them consistent throughout the clip.

Elements. An element is built from 4 images of one object from different sides — that way the model understands its shape better.

Editing a finished clip in words. Kling O1 adds and removes objects and changes the character, background, color, weather and even the camera angle while keeping the source motion. It can also recolor individual elements, key out a green screen and add effects like fire or skin textures.

Restyling. A clip is redrawn as anime, pixel art, claymation, watercolor, felt or impressionist painting.

Next or previous shot. From an uploaded clip, O1 generates what comes next or the shot before it, and can copy a camera move or an action from a reference.

First and last frame. Two images — the start and the end; the model builds the motion between them.

Extension of a finished clip.

Kling O1 pricing

Mode	Without video input	With video input
1080p	8 credits/s (5 s — 40, 10 s — 80)	12 credits/s (5 s — 60, 10 s — 120)
720p	6 credits/s (5 s — 30, 10 s — 60)	9 credits/s (5 s — 45, 10 s — 90)

Prices are in Kling app credits. A video input makes each second 1.5 times more expensive.

Kling O1 vs its successors

	Kling O1	Kling 3.0 Omni	Kling 4.0
Released	Dec 1, 2025	February 2026	Oct 15, 2026
Length	3–10 s	up to 15 s	3–30 s
Resolution	720p, 1080p	up to 4K	up to 4K (coming soon)
Audio	no	yes	stereo
References	7 images or elements	7 images or elements	up to 15: 10 images, 5 videos, 7 subjects
Video input	1 clip, 3–10 s	1 clip, 3–10 s	up to 5 clips, 30 s total
Storyboard	no	yes	10 keyframes

What Kling O1 is good for

• Swapping the background or character in a finished clip without a reshoot.
• Removing clutter — passers-by, objects, lettering.
• Changing the weather and time of day in one scene.
• Restyling — live action into a cartoon or claymation.
• Continuing a scene — the next shot from a finished clip.
• A clip with a character and a product from 7 references.

Kling O1 vs alternatives

	Kling O1	Wan 3.0	MiniMax H3	HappyHorse
Developer	Kuaishou	Alibaba	MiniMax	Alibaba
Text-based clip editing	yes	yes	yes	yes (1.0 model)
Length	3–10 s	up to 30 s	4–15 s	3–15 s
References	7 images or elements	10 photos, 5 videos, 5 audio	9 photos, 3 videos, 3 audio	up to 9 photos
Audio	no	yes	stereo	yes
Arena rank (Sep 21, 2026)	33	6	8	10 (1.0)

O1 was the first to bring generation and editing into one model, but today its neighbors do the same with sound and longer clips. It’s worth using for short edits without sound; for new clips, 3.0 Omni or Wan 3.0 are more convenient.

How to write prompts for Kling O1

Refer to files with @: @Image, @Image1, @Image2, @Video, @Element.

Task	Template
Add	Add [what] from @Image to @Video
Remove	Remove [what] from @Video
Replace a character	Change [who] in @Video to @Element
Change the background	Change the background in @Video with @Image
Change the style	Change @Video to [style] style
Next shot	Based on @Video, generate the next shot: [description]
Frames	Take @Image1 as the start frame, take @Image2 as the end frame, [what happens]

For reference-based generation, Kling suggests this order: element descriptions → how they interact → environment → lighting and style. For text-to-video: subject → motion → scene → camera, lighting and atmosphere.

Change @Video to claymation style: visible fingerprints, soft shadows,
slightly choppy movement like stop-motion. The cat, the sofa and the plant
on the windowsill stay in their places.

How to use Kling O1 in AI2Face

Kling O1 is in the AI2Face generator alongside Kling 3.0 and Kling 4.0.

1. Sign up — new accounts get starter credits.
2. Open the generator, switch to video and pick Kling O1.
3. Upload a clip to edit or reference images and write a prompt that refers to them.
4. The credit cost is shown before you start. Credits don’t expire.

Angles for an element are easy to make in the same place — with Nano Banana Pro, like the robot sheet above.

Limitations

• No sound. Native audio arrived with Kling 2.6 and 3.0 Omni.
• 3–10 seconds. Longer only via extension or in newer models.
• One input video, 3–10 seconds, up to 200 MB and no higher than 2K.
• Fewer references with a video — up to 4 images or elements instead of 7.
• You can’t set only the last frame — a start frame is required too.
• Images — JPG or PNG, at least 300 px, up to 10 MB.
• Previous-generation model — 33rd on Arena.

Bottom line

Kling O1 is where editing video in words started at Kling: background and character swaps, weather and style changes, the next shot — all in one model. For short edits without sound it’s still handy and cheaper than its successors. For new clips with sound and storyboards, use Kling 3.0; for 30 seconds and 10 keyframes, Kling 4.0; for long clips from documents, Wan 3.0. All of them are in the AI2Face generator.