16 AI art styles for your videos
One look for the whole video, so every scene belongs together.
When a TallyReel video uses AI art, every scene is painted in one style you pick from 16: six photo-like looks (Cinematic, Realism, Documentary, Dark, Noir, Desi) and ten drawn ones (Storybook 3D, Soft anime, Modern cartoon, Comic book, Creepy comic, Pixel art, Painting, Watercolor, Fantasy, Miniature). The style is applied to the whole video, and you can repaint any single scene afterwards.
Plans: Stock footage on every plan, Free included. AI pictures come with any paid plan or credits, in all 16 art styles.
A style is more than a filter. TallyReel writes each scene's picture description for the style, so a drawn look leads the description and camera words like "35mm" are taken out, while a photo look keeps them. That is why a Comic book scene comes out inked and flat, not as a photo with outlines on top.
Picking one style for a whole channel is one of the easiest ways to look like a real series instead of a pile of clips. Viewers learn the look, and your thumbnails start to match each other. The Make page shows a preview of every style, made by TallyReel itself, so you can see it before you spend a credit.
Updated 18 October 2026 ยท by Danish, who makes TallyReel
How it works
- Choose AI art. On Create set the pictures to AI art. Some niches start on a fitting style: Dark for scary stories, Cinematic for mythology and heists, Miniature for desi history, Desi for festivals.
- Pick a style from the previews. Tap any of the 16 picture cards. On Free, AI pictures show a plan tag instead of picking.
- Make the video. Each scene is painted in that style from a description written for its line, and the camera moves over it so the picture isn't still.
- Repaint what you want changed. In the editor, repaint one scene. You can type your own description for it, and it stays in the video's style.
What people use it for
All 16 styles
- Cinematic: dramatic light and film detail. A good default for almost anything.
- Realism: natural light and sharp focus, as close to a photograph as it gets.
- Documentary: photojournalism, natural light, unposed.
- Dark: fog, low light and muted color for horror and mystery.
- Noir: black and white film noir with hard shadows.
- Desi: South Asian settings in warm golden light, marigold, brass and carved wood.
- Storybook 3D: a stylised 3D animated film still.
- Soft anime: hand-painted background art with clean line work.
- Modern cartoon: flat vector shapes, bold colors and thick outlines.
- Comic book: ink outlines, halftone shading, one full-frame picture per scene.
- Creepy comic: horror comic ink and halftone, with two-panel pages for clue scenes.
- Pixel art: 16-bit retro game scenes.
- Painting: oil on canvas with visible brush strokes.
- Watercolor: soft washes and paper texture.
- Fantasy: glowing, magical concept art.
- Miniature: in the manner of Mughal miniature painting.
Picking a style that fits
Match the style to the feeling, not just the topic. A scary story in Watercolor can work if it is a quiet, sad ghost story; a loud jump-scare story wants Dark or Creepy comic. Facts channels usually do best with Cinematic or Realism, because the pictures are there to show, not to tell a mood.
Style names describe the look in plain words. They don't copy a studio's or an artist's name, and the descriptions behind them don't either. If you want your channel to have a look nobody else has, pair a style with one of the four color finishes (Cinematic, Golden, Vintage, Clean) and keep that pairing for every video.
Honest limits
- The style covers the whole video. You can't mix two styles in one video, though you can upload your own picture for any scene.
- AI pictures can get hands, small faces and written text inside the picture wrong. Repaint that scene if it matters.
- Pictures are stills with camera motion, not animation. For characters that move and talk, use the Animated format instead.
- A video with AI pictures takes about 10 minutes to make in the cloud, longer than a stock footage video.
Questions
Can I make an anime style video with AI?
Yes. Pick AI art and the Soft anime style. Every scene is painted as soft, hand-painted anime background art, with the voice, captions and music added on top. Soft anime needs Starter or higher.
Which AI art styles are free?
None on Free, which makes stock videos. Any paid plan or credits opens all 16.
Do AI art videos cost more credits?
Yes. An AI picture video uses about 207 credits a minute, whichever style you pick. A stock video uses 100.
Can I change the style after the video is made?
Not for the whole video in one step. You can repaint single scenes in the editor, or make the video again with another style.
What makes the pictures?
FLUX.2 klein, an open image model, paints each scene from a description written for its line in the style you picked. In TallyReel Studio on a Mac it can run on your own computer.
Pick one. Make it tonight.
Type the idea into TallyReel, read the script, and it makes the video for you: in the browser, on your phone, or in Studio on your own computer. Start on the free plan.