Pika 1.5 adds new Pika effects: crumble, dissolve, deflate, ta-da!

Pika, also known as Pika Labs or Pika AI, the Palo Alto, California-based startup that has raised $55 million with its eponymous video AI models to revolutionize video production, builds the free special effects that users rely on can be accessed via its web, further from AI image to video generator.

Pika 1.5, its latest AI video model, now has the ability to crumble, dissolve, deflate and “ta-da” video subjects – the latter of which essentially causes a video subject to disappear behind a cloth.

Users can simply upload an image to the website and Pika 1.5 will turn it into a video with a corresponding animation. The user specifies which animation is used by selecting it via a button next to the “Image” attachment icon (paper clip) labeled “Pikaeffect” and a magic wand next to it.

The new AI-powered special effects – or “Pikaffects,” as the company puts it – join six others already unveiled earlier this month: explode, squish, melt, crush, inflate and “clump,” the latter of which includes any uploaded still image turned into an “Is it cake?” video where the answer is a resounding “yes!”

Unfortunately, VentureBeat wasn’t able to take advantage of the new effects yet, because when we tried, the website said, “We’re currently seeing high demand (how flattering)!”

Still, as the AI ​​landscape evolves, Pika’s unique approach to video manipulation sets it apart from the growing field of AI-driven content generation.

While Pikaffects is aimed at users looking for creative transformations, traditional features such as lip sync and AI sound effects remain available on the previous Pika 1.0 model. Paid subscribers have the flexibility to switch between Pika 1.5 and 1.0 depending on project needs.

Where Pika came from

Pika Labs, co-founded by former Stanford AI researchers Demi Guo and Chenlin Meng, first launched its AI video platform in late 2023. The company grew quickly, reaching over half a million users in less than a year.

Unlike many AI video platforms that focus primarily on realism, Pika takes a different approach by prioritizing creative manipulation.

These effects allow users to reshape video topics in ways that are not only visually stunning but also technologically fascinating, providing AI practitioners with a sandbox to experiment with.

For professionals managing machine learning models or integrating new AI tools, Pika Labs’ latest features could provide new opportunities for deploying innovative content solutions.

The platform enables rapid application of effects via a user-friendly interface while enabling deeper integration across text-to-video (T2V) and image-to-video (I2V) workflows.

Subscription prices

To cater to a diverse user base, Pika Labs offers four subscription plans:

1. Easy (free): This entry-level plan offers 150 monthly video credits and access to Pika 1.5 features, making it suitable for casual users or those curious about the platform.
2. Standard ($8/month, billed annually): With 700 monthly credits, access to Pika 1.5 and Pika 1.0, and faster generation times, this plan offers more flexibility for content creators looking to produce more videos.
3. Pro ($28/month, billed annually): This plan includes 2,000 monthly credits and even faster generation times and is aimed at users with higher content needs.
4. Unlimited ($76/month, billed annually): Designed for power users, this plan allows unlimited video credits and offers the fastest generation times available on the platform.

The updated credit structure (15 credits per five-second clip) enables a scalable approach to video generation. The different subscription levels meet different needs, from simple experiments to intensive productions, ensuring that both individual contributors and larger teams find an affordable solution.

These flexible pricing options make Pika Labs accessible to both smaller teams and larger organizations, allowing AI engineers to manage costs while experimenting with new video capabilities.

Trying to stand out in a crowded sea of ​​competitors

Pika’s move to further differentiate its video AI model from competitors such as Runway, Luma, Kling and Hailuo comes amid increasing competition in the emerging industry and follows Adobe’s move this week at its MAX conference in Miami Beach, Florida, began offering a preview of its own “enterprise-safe” AI video model, Firefly Video, trained on licensed data.

Pika, like most other generative AI startups, has not disclosed its exact training data set. Other competitors like Runway have been sued by artists for alleged copyright infringement in training AI models using data from the Internet, including many other works of art and videos and likely many copyrighted ones. This case, which also involves the AI ​​image generator Midjourney and Stability, is headed to trial but has yet to be decided.