FAL Model Selector

Quick decision guide for choosing fal.ai models. Read references/ for full parameters.

Key Concepts

Image-to-Video vs Reference-to-Video

	Image-to-Video	Reference-to-Video
Input	1 image (starting frame)	Multiple images (1-5 references)
Purpose	Animate that exact image	Maintain subject consistency in new scenes
The image becomes...	The first frame of the video	A "template" for what subject looks like
Camera/scene	Starts from that exact view	Can be completely different scenes

Image-to-Video = "animate this exact image" - Product photo → animate it rotating - Portrait → make the person smile/blink

Reference-to-Video = "generate video featuring this subject" - 3 photos of mascot → video of mascot in new scene - Product from different angles → consistent commercial

Quick Decision Matrix

Video: Text → Video

Need	Model	Price/5s	Why
Best quality	`fal-ai/kling-video/v2.6/pro/text-to-video`	$0.35-0.70	Cinematic, native audio
Google (Veo)	`fal-ai/veo3.1`	$1-2	Google's best, 4K, natural sound
OpenAI (Sora)	`fal-ai/sora-2/text-to-video`	$0.50	Detailed narratives, lip-sync
Budget	`fal-ai/ltx-2/text-to-video`	$0.30	Good quality, includes audio

Video: Image → Video

Need	Model	Price/5s	Why
Best quality	`fal-ai/kling-video/v2.1/pro/image-to-video`	$0.45	Cinematic, precise motion
Google (Veo)	`fal-ai/veo3.1/image-to-video`	$1-2	4K resolution, Google quality
OpenAI (Sora)	`fal-ai/sora-2/image-to-video`	$0.50	OpenAI quality, realistic
Multi-scene	`wan/v2.6/image-to-video`	$0.50-0.75	Scene segmentation
Budget	`fal-ai/pixverse/v5.5/image-to-video`	$0.15-0.40	Multiple styles
Start+End frame	`fal-ai/bytedance/seedance/v1.5/pro/image-to-video`	$0.26	Control both ends

Video: Reference → Video (Multiple Images)

Need	Model	Price/5s	Why
Google (Veo)	`fal-ai/veo3.1/reference-to-video`	$0.50-1.75	Up to 5 refs, best consistency
Multi-ref	`fal-ai/vidu/q2/reference-to-video`	$0.50	Multiple reference images
First+Last frame	`fal-ai/veo3.1/first-last-frame-to-video`	$1-3	Controlled transitions

Video: Extend/Remix

Need	Model	Price/5s	Why
Extend (Google)	`fal-ai/veo3.1/extend-video`	$1-2	Up to 30s total
Remix (OpenAI)	`fal-ai/sora-2/video-to-video/remix`	$0.50	Restyle existing videos

Image: Generate (Text → Image)

Need	Model	Price	Why
Best quality	`fal-ai/flux-2-pro`	$0.03/MP	Zero-config, production-ready
Google (Gemini)	`fal-ai/gemini-3-pro-image-preview`	$0.15-0.30	Up to 4K, web search
OpenAI (GPT)	`fal-ai/gpt-image-1.5`	varies	DALL-E quality, editing
Text/typography	`fal-ai/ideogram/v3`	$0.03-0.09	Best for logos, posters
Budget	`fal-ai/flux-2`	$0.012/MP	Good quality, cheaper
Custom style	`fal-ai/flux-2/lora`	$0.021/MP	Up to 3 LoRAs

Image: Edit

Need	Model	Price	Why
General edit	`fal-ai/flux-2/edit`	$0.012/MP	Multi-image, natural language
OpenAI (GPT)	`fal-ai/gpt-image-1.5/edit`	varies	DALL-E editing quality
Google (Gemini)	`fal-ai/gemini-3-pro-image-preview/edit`	$0.15-0.30	4K editing capability
Text in image	`fal-ai/qwen-image-edit-plus`	-	Superior text editing
Fast iteration	`fal-ai/reve/edit`	$0.04/img	Quick, remix support
Style transfer	`fal-ai/flux/dev/image-to-image`	$0.03/MP	Preserve composition

Image: Specialized Apps

Need	Model	Why
Virtual try-on	`fal-ai/image-apps-v2/virtual-try-on`	Clothing on person
Product photo	`fal-ai/image-apps-v2/product-photography`	Studio lighting
Relighting	`fal-ai/image-apps-v2/relighting`	17 lighting presets
Remove object	`fal-ai/image-apps-v2/object-removal`	Text-based targeting
Style transfer	`fal-ai/image-apps-v2/style-transfer`	26 artistic presets
Outpaint	`fal-ai/image-apps-v2/outpaint`	Extend boundaries

Image: Enhancement

Need	Model	Price	Why
Upscale (portrait)	`clarityai/crystal-upscaler`	$0.016/MP	Facial detail focus
Remove background	`fal-ai/birefnet/v2`	-	Multiple models, up to 2304px
Segmentation	`fal-ai/sam-3/image`	$0.005	Text/point/box prompts

Image: Character/Identity

Need	Model	Why
Consistent character	`fal-ai/photomaker`	Identity-preserving portraits
Brand style	`fal-ai/flux-2/lora`	Custom trained LoRAs

Video: Tools

Need	Model	Price	Why
Upscale	`clarityai/crystal-video-upscaler`	$0.10/MP-sec	Up to 5K
Lipsync	`fal-ai/sync-lipsync/v2/pro`	~1.67x base	Natural features

Other

Need	Model	Price	Why
TTS	`fal-ai/maya`	$0.002/sec	Emotions, accents
Image → 3D	`fal-ai/hunyuan3d-v3/image-to-3d`	$0.375	GLB/OBJ/FBX

Detailed References

references/video-generation.md - 16+ video models (incl. all Veo/Sora endpoints)
references/image-tools.md - 20+ image models (incl. Gemini/GPT Image)
references/other-tools.md - TTS, 3D, upscaling, lipsync

Common Patterns

import fal_client

# Product demo video
result = fal_client.subscribe(
    "fal-ai/kling-video/v2.1/pro/image-to-video",
    arguments={
        "prompt": "Product rotates smoothly, camera zooms in",
        "image_url": "https://example.com/product.jpg",
        "duration": "5"
    }
)

# Remove background
result = fal_client.subscribe(
    "fal-ai/birefnet/v2",
    arguments={
        "image_url": "https://example.com/photo.jpg",
        "model": "General"
    }
)

# Studio product photo
result = fal_client.subscribe(
    "fal-ai/image-apps-v2/product-photography",
    arguments={
        "product_image_url": "https://example.com/product.jpg",
        "aspect_ratio": "1:1"
    }
)

# Virtual try-on
result = fal_client.subscribe(
    "fal-ai/image-apps-v2/virtual-try-on",
    arguments={
        "person_image_url": "https://example.com/person.jpg",
        "clothing_image_url": "https://example.com/shirt.jpg"
    }
)

phy-fal-model-selector

Installation