How to Generate Video with Grok xAI (2026)

xAI's June 16, 2026 note says Grok Imagine Video 1.5 Fast produces a 6-second, 720p clip in about 25 seconds, down from 40-plus seconds on the previous model. That is the 2026 how-to: get onto grok.com/imagine, feed one still or one scene, wait for the clip, then stop before you burn the weekly pool on retries.

If you skip the setup, the usual cost is a SuperGrok invoice for a job that still has a Grok watermark, or a paused paid feature after the shared weekly usage pool is gone (Grok FAQ). After this walkthrough you will know which path to use (consumer Imagine, the Imagine API, or this independent workspace), how to generate the first clip, and what to do when 720p falls back to 480p or the Usage tab says you are out.

This is not a ranked alternatives list. For $0 starts, use free Grok Imagine alternatives. For a day-one credit sequence on this site, use how to make AI videos for free. GrokImagineApp, which this site operates, is independent of xAI, Grok, and X.

Key Takeaways

• Official image and video generation sits on SuperGrok at $30 a month, not on the Free row (xAI pricing). SuperGrok Plus at $100 a month is the plan that calls out 1080p video.
• Open grok.com/imagine in Chrome or Chromium. The Grok FAQ says grok.x.ai can hide features such as Projects.
• Grok Imagine Video 1.5 Fast is the consumer image-to-video path: better motion, in-pass audio, and a 6-second 720p draft in about 25 seconds (xAI news, 16 June 2026).
• Generated official media keeps a Grok watermark with no removal setting. 720p can fall back to 480p after a tier cap (Grok FAQ).
• When the weekly pool pauses paid Imagine, Extra Usage Credits start at $5 on the web, or continue the same still on this workspace with 30 welcome credits.

Before you begin

By the end of this checklist you will know which meter you are spending.

• Official consumer path: a grok.com login and SuperGrok if you need native Imagine image and video (xAI pricing).
• Official API path: an xAI API key and the Imagine overview. Video is billed per second. This site's older roundup listed $0.050 or $0.080 per second; confirm the live developer pricing table before you script a batch.
• This workspace: Google signup and 30 welcome credits. A short video costs 25 credits, so signup covers one clip. It does not unlock grok.com.
• One rights-cleared still (JPG, PNG, or WebP) if you want image-to-video. High-resolution stills read better; the FAQ prefers ≥1000×1000 for visual work.
• Time: 20–40 minutes for the first official clip, including login and Usage check.
• Difficulty: Beginner, if you can paste a one-sentence motion prompt.

Wyzowl's Video Marketing Statistics 2026 surveyed 266 people in late 2025 and found that 63% of video marketers had used AI tools to create or edit marketing videos. The same report says 24% of marketers who skip video name cost as the reason. That is why this guide splits SuperGrok, Extra Usage Credits, and a counted independent grant instead of pretending Imagine is a free factory.

Step 1: Pick the Grok xAI video path

By the end of this step, you will have chosen consumer Imagine, the API, or this workspace—not all three at once.

Official Imagine image and video generation is a SuperGrok feature on the current pricing table, not a standing Free factory. Paid users also share one weekly usage pool across Chat, Imagine, Voice, Build, and related products, rolled out in June 2026 (Grok FAQ). A high-quality video costs more of that pool than a chat turn.

1. If you need the native grok.com look, watermark included, stay on SuperGrok and continue to Step 2.
2. If you are writing an app, use grok-imagine-video-1.5 on the Imagine API. Requests are asynchronous: start a job, poll, then take the video URL (Imagine docs).
3. If the $30 plan is the wall, open the SuperGrok free alternative or claim welcome credits on the Grok video generator.
4. If you already had official access and a banner stopped you, diagnose it on Grok limit reached, then use the Grok Imagine alternative.

Verify: You can say which wallet you will spend. Do not mix grok.com quota, API credits, and GrokImagineApp credits. They are three meters.

Step 2: Open grok.com/imagine, not chat

By the end of this step, you will be on the Imagine canvas instead of a Grok chat thread.

The FAQ is blunt: use grok.com in a standard Chrome or Chromium browser. Some people on grok.x.ai lose features such as Projects. Imagine Video 1.5 Fast is on grok.com/imagine and the iOS and Android apps (xAI news).

1. Sign in at grok.com with the same account that holds SuperGrok. Web, App Store, and Google Play subscriptions do not always appear if the login is different.
2. Open grok.com/imagine. Do not ask Chat to "make a video" and assume that is Imagine.
3. If the product shows Projects in the left sidebar, create one named for this clip so later library search can find it.
4. Optional: open Settings → Usage now and note the weekly reset time before you generate.

Verify: The Imagine UI is on screen, not a chat transcript. If the page asks you to upgrade for image and video generation, you are on the plan wall—use is Grok Imagine free before you retry.

A third-party walkthrough that stays on this consumer-versus-API split is How to Generate Videos with Grok Imagine (xAI) | 2026 Guide. Treat it as a UI tour. Trust xAI pricing and the FAQ over any thumbnail that says unlimited.

Step 3: Start from one still or one written scene

By the end of this step, you will have either an uploaded first frame or a single-scene prompt, not both fighting each other.

xAI's Video 1.5 write-up is an image-to-video story: give a starting image, describe the motion, choose duration and resolution. The Imagine API also documents text-to-video with configurable duration up to 15 seconds, aspect ratio, and resolution (Imagine docs). On this independent site, those two jobs are split into image to video and the Grok video generator.

1. Image-to-video (default for Video 1.5): upload one still. Keep the subject large in frame. Crop to the publish ratio first if you already know 9:16 or 16:9.
2. Text-to-video: write one scene: subject, action, camera, light, mood. Do not stack three locations in one prompt.
3. Put motion in the prompt, not a second identity change. Example: "Slow cinematic push-in as embers drift; the helmet stays still; wind moves the crest." That is the shape of xAI's own sample prompt.
4. Add audio direction only if you want in-pass sound. Video 1.5 generates sound effects, ambience, and dialogue in the same pass (xAI news).

Verify: You can point to one file or one paragraph. If the still still needs a label fix, edit the image first. Official edits follow the same paid Imagine row; this site's Grok image editor is a separate credit wallet.

Step 4: Set duration, ratio, and resolution before you spend the pool

By the end of this step, the generation chip (consumer or API) will show a length and size you actually wanted.

Video 1.5 Fast's public speed claim is a 6-second, 720p clip. The API example uses duration=10 and resolution="720p". Docs also allow duration up to 15 seconds. SuperGrok Plus is the consumer plan that calls out 1080p video (xAI pricing). 720p can fall back to 480p after a tier cap (Grok FAQ).

1. Pick 6 seconds for the first official test. Longer clips cost more of the weekly pool.
2. Pick 9:16 for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok. Pick 16:9 for YouTube or a storyboard. The API lists 16:9, 9:16, and 1:1 in current Imagine materials cited by the 2026 UI tour above; confirm the live control before you batch.
3. Pick 720p only after a 480p draft works, if the product exposes both.
4. If you are on the API, set model="grok-imagine-video-1.5" and poll until status is done.

Verify: Duration, ratio, and resolution match the post you will actually publish. Do not generate 16:9 and crop to 9:16 after you have already paid with the weekly pool.

Step 5: Generate once, then review watermark and resolution

By the end of this step, you will have one downloadable clip and a pass/fail note, not five near-duplicates.

1. Submit one generation. Video 1.5 Fast should return a 6-second 720p draft in about 25 seconds when that preset is what you ran.
2. Watch it with sound on. Video 1.5 is sold on in-pass audio. If speech is present, check lip sync against the action.
3. Look for the Grok watermark. There is no setting to remove it. Altering or hiding it violates xAI's Acceptable Use Policy (Grok FAQ).
4. If you asked for 720p and got 480p, you hit the 720p cap for the tier. That is a plan cap, not a broken file.
5. Save the clip and the prompt in the Imagine library or a Project. Search exists so you do not scroll for the keeper.

Verify: You can play a local file, you can see the watermark, and you know whether the resolution matched the control. If identity drifted, fix the still and rerun once—do not spray the same motion prompt.

On this workspace, the matching model page is Grok Imagine Video 1.5. Credits, safety, and rights still apply. Signup is not official grok.com.

Step 6: Read Usage, then wait, top up, or continue here

By the end of this step, you will have a next action that is not "hit Generate again."

Paid Imagine pauses when the weekly pool is gone. Chat and Voice free-tier limits are a different meter. Extra Usage Credits start at $5 on the web, expire in a year unless stated otherwise, and cost more per action than included weekly usage (Grok FAQ). Auto Top Up is optional. Mobile in-app extra credits were still listed as coming later on that FAQ.

1. Open Settings → Usage. Note percentage used, Imagine's share, reset time, and any Extra Usage Credits balance.
2. If paid features are paused and the job can wait, wait for the reset shown in that tab.
3. If you must stay on official grok.com, buy Extra Usage Credits on the web or upgrade the official plan. This site does not sell those credits. Compare wallets on the Grok Imagine credits guide.
4. If you only need the next still, edit, or short clip, continue in GrokImagineApp. New accounts receive 30 welcome credits. Images cost 20. Videos cost 25.

Verify: You either have a reset time, an official top-up, or a draft open on this site. Spamming Generate after a pause does not refill the pool.

Common mistakes

The expensive mistake is treating SuperGrok as unlimited Imagine. The June 2026 weekly pool is shared. Video is one of the expensive products in that pool (Grok FAQ).

1. Generating from Chat instead of Imagine. Chat can talk about a clip. Imagine is the image and video product. Open grok.com/imagine.

2. Using grok.x.ai. Missing Projects or Imagine controls are a known host issue. Switch to grok.com (Grok FAQ).

3. Retrying after the weekly pause. Paid features wait for reset, Extra Usage Credits, or a plan upgrade. Retries do not create a hidden free bucket.

4. Expecting a clean file without a Grok mark. There is no removal toggle. Plan the composition around the mark, or use a different product whose license you have read.

5. Mixing API seconds with SuperGrok. The Imagine API is pay-per-second. SuperGrok is a subscription pool. GrokImagineApp credits stay on this site.

What success looks like

If the walkthrough worked, you have a short Grok clip on disk, a saved prompt, a watermark you did not try to hide, and a Usage reading you could explain to a teammate. Stretch goal: generate a second 6-second variation only after the first still and motion line are worth the pool.

Need a Grok-style continuation without waiting on grok.com? Open the Grok video generator or image to video. Need the limit banner decoded first? Use Grok limit reached.

Frequently asked questions

How do I generate video with Grok xAI in 2026?

Open grok.com/imagine on SuperGrok, start from a still for Video 1.5 or write one scene, set duration and ratio, generate once, then check Settings → Usage. That is the consumer path. Developers use grok-imagine-video-1.5 on the Imagine API.

Does Grok Imagine Video 1.5 support audio?

Yes. xAI says sound effects, ambience, and dialogue generate in the same pass and should land on the action (Video 1.5 news). Always preview with sound on.

How long can a Grok xAI video be?

The Fast consumer claim is a 6-second 720p clip. The Imagine API documents duration up to 15 seconds. Do not assume every grok.com control exposes 15 seconds. Read the on-screen duration control.

Can I remove the Grok watermark?

No. Official generated images and videos include a Grok watermark. There is no removal setting. Altering it is prohibited (Grok FAQ).

Is this the same as how to make AI videos for free?

No. How to make AI videos for free is a counted $0 sequence on this workspace. This article is the official grok.com / xAI 2026 walkthrough. Use the free guide when SuperGrok is not the plan you want to buy.

Conclusion

You now have a 2026 path to generate video with Grok xAI: Imagine on grok.com, one still or one scene, a short duration, one review, then a Usage decision. Official Imagine is paid, watermarked, and pooled weekly. If that is the product you need, stay on SuperGrok. If you only need the next clip, continue on this independent workspace and follow terms.

Next: Grok Imagine Video 1.5 for the workbench, Grok Imagine alternative after a limit, or SuperGrok free alternative when the plan is the wall. Editorial ownership is on about. Corrections go to contact.