# The seven kinds of AI video tool

Lesson 1 of [AI video tools for buyers](https://aivideogen.fyi/academy/ai-video-tools-foundations.md), 12 minutes.

AI video tools are not one product. They split into seven categories, and each category solves a different job. Learning the categories first keeps you from buying a powerful tool that cannot do your work.

## The seven categories

**Text-to-video** tools generate a clip from a written prompt. You describe the subject, the action, the camera and the style, and the model invents the scene. Runway, Pika, Kling and Luma all describe text-to-video generation on their sites. This category suits ideas, atmosphere, backgrounds and shots where you have no source material.

**Image-to-video** tools animate a still image you supply. A product photo, a generated image or a frame from your footage becomes a moving clip. Luma Dream Machine is built around this workflow and adds camera-motion controls. This category suits product shots and characters you already have in image form.

**AI avatars and presenters** turn a script into a talking-head video. You pick a stock avatar or build a custom one from footage of a real person, choose a voice, and export. HeyGen and Synthesia are the two best-known platforms. This category suits explainers, training and recurring presenter content.

**AI video editing** tools cut, arrange, caption and polish footage you already have. Descript edits video by editing its transcript; DaVinci Resolve is a full desktop suite with a free version.

**Short-form clip makers** turn long footage into vertical clips for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, usually with captions and templates. CapCut and Kapwing are examples.

**AI animation** tools generate stylised motion, motion graphics or character animation. This is the most experimental category and the one where retries are most common.

**Dubbing and lip sync** tools translate or re-voice a video and adjust mouth movement so the audio and lips match. This is a different job from generation: you keep the original footage and change the soundtrack.

## Why the split matters

A tool that is excellent at text-to-video may be poor at dubbing. A clip maker cannot generate footage that does not exist. Before you compare prices, name the job in one sentence and find the category that matches it. The category pages on this site group tools the same way the listings do.

## Categories overlap in practice

Large platforms blur the lines. Runway sells generation, editing and avatars under one credit system. HeyGen combines avatars, video creation and dubbing. When a tool spans categories, judge it on the feature that matches your job and on the price of that feature, not on the size of the platform.

## Sources

- [Runway pricing](https://runwayml.com/pricing)
- [Pika pricing](https://pika.art/pricing)
- [Luma Dream Machine](https://lumalabs.ai/dream-machine)
- [HeyGen pricing](https://www.heygen.com/pricing)
- [Synthesia pricing](https://www.synthesia.io/pricing)


Also on the [web page](https://aivideogen.fyi/academy/ai-video-tools-foundations/the-seven-kinds-of-ai-video-tool).