What is Vidu Q4 Preview?
Vidu Q4 Preview is ShengShu Technology's next flagship video model, released as a public preview on October 7, 2026, ahead of a full Q4 with no published date. ShengShu grew out of Tsinghua University's AI labs. The model is available in the Vidu web app and through the Vidu API, and resold on hosts such as fal.
It has two modes only: image-to-video (one start frame, 3 to 16 seconds) and reference-to-video (1 to 15 reference images for characters, wardrobe, props, products and settings, plus 0 to 3 voice clips of 3 to 12 seconds, 1 to 16 seconds out). There is no text-to-video. Output runs at 540p, 720p, 1080p, 2K and 4K with 10-bit colour, and sound, including dialogue, is generated with the picture.
Launch coverage lists standard rates from $0.045 a second at 540p to $0.39 at 4K, with 30% off both modes until November 30, 2026; on fal that discount gives $0.084 a second at 1080p and $0.273 at 4K.
Is Vidu Q4 Preview worth it?
Vidu Q4 Preview's case rests on consistency rather than length. Up to 15 reference images and 3 voice clips in one request is more casting control than most rivals offer, and the voice references are the unusual part: they let a character sound the same from one 16-second clip to the next, which matters for short dramas cut from many generations.
The benchmark picture has moved. At launch, Artificial Analysis placed it third on its image-to-video board (v1.0) at 1,179 Elo, 16 points behind the leader. On the current with-audio board (v2.1) it sits 20th at 1,030, behind Seedance 2.5 at 1,161 and Wan 3.0 at 1,108, and ahead of Kling 3.0 Pro, the board's 1,000 reference. The method changed between versions, so the drop is not a like-for-like fall, but the launch ranking should not be quoted as current.
Price is the strong suit. The standard 1080p rate of $0.12 a second is $7.20 a minute; with the launch discount on fal it is $0.084. 4K costs $0.39 a second, or $23.40 a minute, before discount. ShengShu also advertises a starting price of $0.014 a second without saying which resolution or plan it applies to.
The limits are real. Clips stop at 16 seconds while Seedance 2.5, Wan 3.0 and Kling 4.0 reach 30, there is no text-to-video, and every spec is labelled preview. Vidu's consumer terms also take a perpetual, irrevocable licence over uploads, including for AI training, which is a poor fit for client faces and voice recordings.
Where it earns its place
A three-person studio producing a vertical short drama of 60 one-minute episodes
Keep the lead actor's face, costume and voice identical across hundreds of clips
Load the character sheet, wardrobe shots and a 10-second voice sample as references for every generation. At the standard 1080p rate of $0.12 a second, 60 minutes of final footage is about $432 before retries.
An e-commerce team making product videos for 40 SKUs
Show the same presenter holding each product in the same set
Reference images fix the presenter, set and product; only the product image changes per run. Ten-second 1080p clips cost about $1.20 each at standard rates, $0.84 with the discount on fal.
A developer adding video generation to a storyboard app
Call one API for image-to-video and reference-to-video
Vidu's API takes model viduq4-preview at the img2video and reference2video endpoints, with prompts up to 20,000 characters. Result URLs expire after 24 hours, so the app must copy files to its own storage.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Sign in to vidu.com for the web app, or get an API key on Vidu's open platform; fal and other hosts offer the same model with their own keys.
- Integrations
- REST API with img2video and reference2video endpoints; start images up to 50 MB; voice references as mp3 files of 3 to 12 seconds; ShengShu publishes agent skills on GitHub.
- Data and privacy
- Vidu's consumer terms (updated July 3, 2026) grant Vidu a perpetual, irrevocable licence to uploaded content, including for AI training; outputs from free accounts may not be used commercially.
- Cost at scale
- At standard rates, 100 ten-second 1080p clips a month is $120 and the same at 4K is $390; on fal with the launch discount, $84 and $273.
- Limits
- Clips of 1 to 16 seconds; reference-to-video in 1:1, 9:16, 16:9, 3:4 or 4:3; no text-to-video; preview specs and prices may change before the full Q4.
What’s good
- Up to 15 reference images and 3 voice clips per request
- 4K and 10-bit colour, with sound generated alongside
- $0.12 a second at 1080p before the launch discount
What’s not
- 16-second ceiling against 30 seconds for leading rivals
- No text-to-video; image or reference input required
- Consumer terms licence uploads for AI training, perpetually
Best for
Short-drama and ad teams who need the same character's face and voice across many short clips and want to pay less than Seedance.
Vidu Q4 Preview alternatives
Vidu Q4 Preview: common questions
- Is Vidu Q4 Preview worth it?
- Vidu Q4 Preview is the reference-heavy option for keeping one character's face and voice steady across shots, at a fair price, but its blind-vote rank has slipped since launch. We rate it 3.9 out of 5.
- How much does Vidu Q4 Preview cost?
- Standard rates $0.045/second at 540p, $0.12 at 1080p, $0.39 at 4K; 30% off until November 30, 2026 (fal: $0.084/second at 1080p, $0.273 at 4K). Vidu app plans sold separately.
- What are the downsides of Vidu Q4 Preview?
- 16-second ceiling against 30 seconds for leading rivals; no text-to-video; image or reference input required; consumer terms licence uploads for AI training, perpetually.
- Who is Vidu Q4 Preview best for?
- Short-drama and ad teams who need the same character's face and voice across many short clips and want to pay less than Seedance.
- How much does Vidu Q4 Preview cost for a team or in production?
- At standard rates, 100 ten-second 1080p clips a month is $120 and the same at 4K is $390; on fal with the launch discount, $84 and $273.
- Is Vidu Q4 Preview safe for company data?
- Vidu's consumer terms (updated July 3, 2026) grant Vidu a perpetual, irrevocable licence to uploaded content, including for AI training; outputs from free accounts may not be used commercially.
- What are the best Vidu Q4 Preview alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Seedance 2.5, Wan 3.0, Kling 4.0 and MiniMax H3 (Hailuo 3.0).
Answers checked Nov 11, 2026.