Techniques & Methods
Keyframe Conditioning (Video) in plain English.
Also known as: keyframes,first and last frame,multi-keyframe control
The one-sentence version
Supplying one or more fixed frames that a video model must hit at set points, so you control where a generated clip starts, passes through, and ends.
Keyframe conditioning gives a video model anchor images it must match at particular moments. The simplest form is image-to-video, where the supplied image is frame one. First-and-last-frame conditioning fixes both ends and lets the model interpolate the motion between them. Multi-keyframe control extends that to several anchors through a clip, which is how a creator plans a sequence rather than hoping a prompt produces it. The autumn 2026 models made this the headline control: Kling 4.0 accepts up to 10 keyframe images across a 30-second generation, Seedance 2.5 lets you direct and revise sections by timestamp, and Runway, Luma, and Veo offer first-and-last-frame modes. Keyframes solve the biggest complaint about text-to-video, which is lack of control, and they pair naturally with reference images for consistent characters. The trade-off is that the model has to invent plausible motion between anchors, and when the anchors are far apart in content it can morph or cut awkwardly, so professionals keep keyframes close and clips short.