Guide to creating AI generated video: Is it a useful tool? We find out.
Guide to creating AI generated video: Is it a useful tool? We find out.
The interface
The interface of Pika is intuitive and user-friendly. Its layout is straightforward, allowing even those with minimal technical expertise to navigate with ease. The main feature is the text prompt box, similar to ChatGPT, where you input your creative ideas. The interface also includes options for specifying the style and length of the animation, which adds a layer of customization to your projects.
There are no obvious instructions on how to use the app, so if you aren't afraid of exploring and making mistakes then you will do just fine. As you can see in the image below the interface is simple, black, well laid out and has clear and familiar icons that provide indicators to users on how to get started. Starting from the top left, I will now describe each aspect in some detail.
The first feature/button you encounter is the main page link icon which is the webpage's name "PiKa" click this to refresh the page or to return to the explore library. In the explore library there is a selection of works completed by other people that you can view, regenerate or share. More on that later.
To the right of the main page link icon are two shareable links X (formerly Twitter) and Discord. When clicked takes you to the X page for PiKa and the Discord server for PiKa (see below for what they look like). Continuing right of the Discord icon is the account icon with your username and a down-arrow which opens a small menu with important options related to your account management.
In the image below you can see the extended account menu options which include Profile, Help, About, Careers and Logout. There are also links to the Pika Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
The image below shows the main control which is located at the bottom of the screen. It seems awkwardly placed and could do with some framing to make it stand out more. This is after all the most important part of the PiKa app/website. This is your text input, your chance to input your prompts, as you would with ChatGPT to try to gain the output of your desire.
Limitations
I found that there is a limit of around 440 characters which limits the detail or instruction that you can enter. However, whether or not you put one word or a dozen words, the results are highly unpredictable, seemingly completely random, and underwhelmingly uncontrollable. This is disappointing as a creator looking to use this tool to generate some original animated content is really limited by the black box and the magic coding hidden within it. By not giving users more agency on how a video turns out I think that PiKa are missing a valuable opportunity here. It may be that due to the app being quite new at the time of this review that in coming years an increased level of functionality and adaptability may be introduced.
Another limitation is the 3-second time limit. This means that although a user can create unique original and inspired content, the duration limits it to nothing more than a flicker on a banner, or a tiny repeating GIF file. Yes, if you want to it is possible to add another four seconds to the video, but this requires a regeneration, and the results may vary. So, just like war, huh, we are left asking, "what is it good for?". I asked my AI friend ChatGPT and here is what it told me...
User (that's me)
"What is Pika good for? What can these 3-7 second videos be used for? Is this a useful app/tech?"
ChatGPT
"Pika, with its capability to create short 3-7 second videos, can be a versatile and valuable tool in various contexts. Here are some potential uses for these brief video clips:"
- Social Media Engagement: In the fast-paced world of social media, short videos are perfect for capturing attention. They can be used for eye-catching posts, stories, or advertisements on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
- Digital Marketing: Brands can use these short animations for online advertising, especially for products or services that can be showcased effectively in a few seconds. They can serve as teaser clips, leading viewers to longer content or a website.
- Educational Content: Educators can use these videos to illustrate complex concepts quickly or to provide visual summaries of topics, making learning more engaging and memorable.
- Website and App Enhancements: Websites and mobile apps can use these animations to improve user experience, such as loading screens, introductory clips, or interactive elements.
- Personalized Messaging: For personal use, these videos can be a fun way to send unique and creative messages to friends and family, or to personalize digital invitations and greetings.
- Art and Creative Projects: Artists and creators can use Pika to experiment with animation, create storyboards, or develop visual art projects.
- Product Demos: For businesses, these short clips can be an efficient way to showcase product features or demonstrate how a product works.
Here you can see the process for adding four more seconds to your initial three second clip. First, you select the three dots, highlighted in the image above. Next you click add 4s, then you regenerate the video at the bottom of the page. You can see in the image below there is a new option that has appeared. There doesn't seem to be a pro version or a premium upgrade that can extend the total duration of individual clips beyond 7 seconds, but maybe this will come in the future. The reason behind keeping the duration so short is probably to do with processing capability and power, cost and fair use.
What I think about ChatGPT's point of view
Well, I mostly agree, although I don't see how the content that is generated would be good enough in a professional context other than for a proof of concept.
Taking each point at a time, for social media and casual creators or those looking to try something eye-catching to accompany their social media post, yes, I can see that this might be a nice change from the stock photo or GPT-generated DALL-e image that have overtaken YouTube and LinkedIn over the past month. Where it was easy to be a trailblazer back in the summer of 2023, other users have quickly found the knowledge and the means and have jumped on an ever-widening bandwagon. You can't browse either platform without bumping into AI-generated content without impunity.
For Digital Marketing purposes, I think the applications of the output videos may be limited, but maybe that is because my experience of the application is itself limited. However, as a tool to help educators deliver something fun and unusual to their students, as perhaps an example of early generative AI capabilities then I can see a lot of benefit. The process of trying out and testing new tools is not only beneficial to the growth of the student, but to the teacher as well. As an educator within tech, its essential to be on the forefront of all technological developments, otherwise what are we providing to the students? In the past, in certain colleges I have worked for, teaching computer science from books published in 2007 where references to 2G and 3G were part of the assessed curriculum is not only demotivating but it's downright clumsy and stupid. Of course, the history of computing has its place to provide much needed context to the beginner in the field, but not at the expense of knowledge that is applicable to their future careers. So as an exercise in trying new things, becoming familiar with new developing tools and interfaces and becoming familiar with the nature and results of prompting, an application like PiKa is invaluable, even if the results can be a tad iffy and sometimes Lynch-like ala Twin Peaks.
The interface (continued)
The second option is for the camera control. I'm unsure of what difference this makes currently but I guess that whatever is selected will make the camera move in that way in the end result. I did not test this feature at the time of writing.
The third and final option window contains the following, Negative Prompt, Seed and Consistency with text. I'm unsure what seed means at this time but the other two options are self-explanatory.
Features
Pika offers a range of features. You can create animations from scratch or use pre-set templates for common scenarios. The ability to adjust the speed, tone, and even the character in your animations provides a decent level of control. However, the range of characters and settings is somewhat limited, reflecting the nascent stage of this technology.
Functionality
Functionality
Output
The quality of the output varies. For straightforward, concise prompts, the animations are smooth and engaging. But with more complex prompts, the animations can sometimes feel disjointed or overly simplistic. It's clear that the AI is still learning to interpret and render nuanced human storytelling.
Videos
The videos created can be easily shared or downloaded. This makes Pika.app a potentially valuable tool for digital marketing, education, or just for fun. The ability to quickly turn concepts into visual stories is undoubtedly appealing, especially in a social media landscape that favours visual content.
Opportunities
Pika presents exciting opportunities, especially for educators, marketers, and content creators. It can be a useful tool for creating engaging, educational content or for adding a visual flair to marketing campaigns. For creative individuals, it offers a new medium to experiment with storytelling and animation.
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