What it is
Ray3.2 is the video model Luma AI released on 9 June 2026, and the one behind the Luma app, the product formerly called Dream Machine; Luma now lists the Dream Machine name and the older Ray2 model as deprecated. It does text-to-video and image-to-video, edits existing footage and reframes clips to new aspect ratios, at up to 20 seconds and 1080p.
Its controls are aimed at studios: up to 16 keyframes per clip, performance tracking of expressions on up to eight faces, and native HDR generation with 16-bit EXR export for grading and compositing. It is the first Ray model sold through an API with its full control set. Luma's launch post publishes no benchmarks.
The API bills per clip. A 5-second text- or image-to-video clip costs $0.15 at 540p, $0.30 at 720p and $1.20 at 1080p in SDR; HDR is twice that and HDR with EXR three times. In the app, Ray3.2 draws on the Plus ($30), Pro ($90) and Ultra ($300) monthly credit plans.
Our review
Ray3.2 is a model for people who finish shots in Nuke or Resolve, and its value rests almost entirely on that pipeline. It is absent from Artificial Analysis's text-to-video board, which ranks 30 models generating video with audio and is led by Wan 3.0 at 1175 Elo. Luma's launch post says nothing about audio and publishes no benchmark of its own, so a buyer comparing raw image quality has no independent number to go on.
The controls are what rivals lack. Sixteen keyframes in one clip is more than FLUX 3's ten, and native HDR with 16-bit EXR means the output can be graded alongside camera footage instead of being treated as a flat SDR plate. Reframing can extend the frame or swap a background while keeping the original lighting, which saves a re-render when a client asks for a vertical cut.
The price list rewards short clips. A 10-second clip costs three times a 5-second one ($3.60 against $1.20 at 1080p SDR), even though the same page says billing is per 5-second block, and an FAQ on that page quotes figures that disagree with its own table. HDR doubles the bill and EXR triples it, so one 10-second 1080p EXR shot is $10.80. Reframe and extend are SDR only; the API rejects HDR requests for both.
For agency work the terms matter more than the price. Luma's terms of service, updated on 14 May 2026, licence it to train on inputs and outputs from paid plans, with no opt-out and a licence that survives account deletion. API users are pointed to separate API terms we could not retrieve; the only published no-training guarantee sits on the Scale tier, dedicated capacity sold through sales with a four-unit minimum. The self-serve Build tier, meanwhile, stops at $5,000 of spend a month.
Where it earns its place
A compositor at a 15-person VFX studio
Generate background plates that grade alongside camera footage
Block the camera move with up to 16 keyframes, render 5-second 1080p HDR+EXR shots at $3.60 each and grade them in Resolve with the live plate. Forty finished plates a month is about $144 before rejected takes; reference footage uploaded on a paid plan becomes Luma training data unless the studio negotiates Scale.
A platform engineer at a creative-tools company
Expose Ray3.2's controls inside an in-house tool
Call the API directly with keyframes and output format per request. Luma's rate-limit docs give the Build tier 10 concurrent video generations and 20 create requests a minute under a $5,000 monthly cap, and presigned output URLs expire after about an hour, so results must be copied to your own storage.
A social video lead at a consumer brand
Recut a hero spot into vertical and square versions
Reframe costs $0.36 a second at 1080p in SDR, so turning a 20-second spot into two new aspect ratios is about $14.40. HDR reframe is not offered and Luma lists no audio generation, so sound comes from the original edit.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Sign up on Luma's API platform, use the Build tier (no minimum commitment) and send a generation request; source videos for editing must be 30 seconds or shorter or they are rejected before billing. App users reach Ray3.2 inside the Luma app on a credit plan.
- Integrations
- REST API exposing keyframes, HDR, EXR, reframe and video-to-video editing; the Luma app on web and iOS uses the same model. EXR output imports into standard compositing and grading tools.
- Data and privacy
- Luma's May 2026 terms licence paid-plan inputs and outputs for training, perpetually and with no opt-out; free-plan content can also be shown publicly. Separate API terms were not retrievable, the Scale tier advertises a no-train guarantee, and output links expire after about an hour.
- Cost at scale
- At 1080p, 500 five-second SDR clips a month cost $600; the same volume in HDR+EXR is $1,800, and as 10-second EXR clips $5,400. The Build tier stops at $5,000 a month, so heavier workloads need Scale, priced through sales.
- Limits
- Up to 20 seconds at 1080p; text- and image-to-video come in 5- and 10-second lengths, edits in 10, 15 or 20. No HDR for reframe or extend. Build tier: 10 concurrent video generations, 20 requests a minute, no latency SLA.
What's good
- Up to 16 keyframes per clip
- Native HDR and 16-bit EXR export
- Reframe extends the frame or swaps backgrounds with lighting kept
- Published per-clip API prices from $0.15
What's not
- No audio in Luma's spec; absent from Artificial Analysis's video board
- A 10-second clip costs three times a 5-second one
- Paid-plan inputs train Luma's models; no-train guarantee only on Scale
- No HDR for reframe or extend
Best for
VFX, post-production and agency teams who need directable shots that drop into an HDR grading pipeline.
Alternatives
Luma Ray3.2: common questions
- Is Luma Ray3.2 worth it?
- A grading-suite tool rather than a leaderboard model: worth its price for directable HDR shots, not for anything that needs sound. We rate it 3.9 out of 5.
- How much does Luma Ray3.2 cost?
- API per clip: 5-second text/image-to-video $0.15 (540p), $0.30 (720p), $1.20 (1080p) in SDR; 10-second $0.45/$0.90/$3.60; HDR 2x, HDR+EXR 3x. App: Plus $30, Pro $90, Ultra $300 a month.
- What are the downsides of Luma Ray3.2?
- No audio in Luma's spec; absent from Artificial Analysis's video board; a 10-second clip costs three times a 5-second one; paid-plan inputs train Luma's models; no-train guarantee only on Scale; no HDR for reframe or extend.
- Who is Luma Ray3.2 best for?
- VFX, post-production and agency teams who need directable shots that drop into an HDR grading pipeline.
- How much does Luma Ray3.2 cost for a team or in production?
- At 1080p, 500 five-second SDR clips a month cost $600; the same volume in HDR+EXR is $1,800, and as 10-second EXR clips $5,400. The Build tier stops at $5,000 a month, so heavier workloads need Scale, priced through sales.
- Is Luma Ray3.2 safe for company data?
- Luma's May 2026 terms licence paid-plan inputs and outputs for training, perpetually and with no opt-out; free-plan content can also be shown publicly. Separate API terms were not retrievable, the Scale tier advertises a no-train guarantee, and output links expire after about an hour.
- What are the best Luma Ray3.2 alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Runway Gen-4.5, FLUX 3, Kling 4.0 and Wan 3.0.
Answers checked Oct 22, 2026.