Short answer: Dola is ByteDance's free AI assistant app (it used to be called Cici). In the regions where video is switched on, the Dola AI video generator is reported to run on ByteDance's Seedance models, so it can turn a text prompt or a photo into a short clip with sound. The thing that decides whether your clip looks great or falls apart is the prompt. Below you'll find how to use it, a prompt formula built for Seedance, and 15 copy-paste prompts. If you'd rather not write prompts by hand, describe your idea in our free AI video prompt generator, copy the result and paste it into Dola.
Facts in this guide were checked on October 25, 2026. Dola changes often and features differ by country, so check your own app before you rely on a limit or a setting.
What Is Dola AI?
Dola is an everyday AI assistant from ByteDance, the company behind TikTok and CapCut. It launched in 2023 as Cici and was renamed Dola around November 2025. The App Store and Google Play list the developer as Spring (SG) Pte. Ltd., a ByteDance company. Dola runs on iOS, Android, Windows, the web at dola.com, and as a browser extension.
Dola is mainly a chat assistant. It writes, translates, summarizes and makes images. It grew quickly in Southeast Asia, Latin America and the UK and passed 10 million daily users by the end of 2025. In 2026 it became known for something else too: short AI videos. Tutorials showing Dola making 10- to 30-second Seedance clips spread across YouTube and TikTok, and searches for "Dola AI video generator" took off.
Watch out for look-alike "Dola AI" websites
Once the name started trending, many unrelated websites added "Dola AI" to their domain. Some of them sell credit packs or subscriptions. They are not the official app. The official Dola is the app from Spring (SG) Pte. Ltd. on the App Store and Google Play, plus dola.com. Before you pay for anything or upload a personal photo, check who runs the site.
Can You Make Videos in Dola?
Yes, but not everywhere. As of October 2026, this is what we can say:
- The video model: Dola's video feature is reported to use ByteDance's Seedance family, most recently Seedance 2.5, which was released on July 31, 2026. Seedance 2.5 can make up to 30 seconds of video in one go, with sound generated together with the picture.
- Text-to-video and photo-to-video: you can describe a scene from nothing, or upload a photo and have it animated.
- Sound: Seedance creates ambient sound, effects, music and short lines of speech as part of the clip.
- Quality: Seedance 2.5 shipped at up to 720p. The 4K version ByteDance announced on October 23, 2026 is limited to selected business customers for now.
- Availability: Dola isn't offered in every country. Reports list the US, Canada, Australia and mainland China among the places where it isn't available, and some users in supported countries still don't see the video option. Free allowances aren't published and seem to change, so treat any "unlimited free videos" trick you see online with caution.
- If Dola isn't available where you live, the prompts in this guide still work. ByteDance's Dreamina runs the same Seedance models, and the same prompt structure works in Veo 3 and Kling. A good prompt carries over from one tool to another.
How to Use the Dola AI Video Generator (Step by Step)
Text-to-video
- Open Dola on your phone, desktop or at dola.com and sign in.
- Start a new chat and choose the video option, or just ask for a video: "Create a video of…"
- Paste a detailed prompt. A one-line idea gives a random-looking result. A prompt that names the action, camera, setting and sound gives you a clip you can actually post. You can build one in seconds with the free video prompt generator.
- Pick the shape and length if your version offers them: 9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, 16:9 for YouTube. Start short. A 5–10 second test shows you whether the prompt works before you spend a long generation on it.
- Generate, review, change one thing, and repeat. If something is wrong, change one detail in the prompt at a time so you can tell what fixed it.
Photo-to-video (animate a picture)
- Choose a clear photo with space around the subject so it has room to move. A tight crop with the head touching the edge almost always warps.
- Upload it in the Dola chat and ask it to animate the photo.
- Describe only the motion. The photo already shows what the scene looks like, so your prompt should say what moves, how the camera moves and what has to stay the same, such as the face, the outfit or the product's shape.
- Don't have a good starting image? Make one first. Use the Nano Banana prompt generator or the AI image prompt generator to create a sharp first frame. If you've found a picture whose style you love, image to prompt turns it into a prompt you can reuse.
The Dola Video Prompt Formula
Seedance does best with prompts that read like instructions for a camera operator, not like a poem. Use these five parts, in this order:
- Subject + one action: who or what is on screen, and the single thing they do. "A barista pours latte art into a white cup."
- Camera: one movement, such as a slow push-in, an orbit, a handheld follow or a locked-off tripod shot.
- Setting and light: where it happens and what the light looks like. "Small café at sunrise, warm window light, steam in the air."
- Keep consistent: what must not change. "Same face throughout, the logo stays readable, no extra fingers."
- Sound: what we hear. "Soft café ambience, milk steaming, no music."
Four rules make most clips better:
- One action per shot. "Turns, smiles, waves, then walks away" makes faces and bodies drift. Pick one.
- Describe what we see, not vague adjectives. "Cinematic" on its own does very little. "Low angle, shallow depth of field, golden backlight" works.
- Label the shots in multi-shot prompts. Seedance can cut between shots in one clip. Write "Shot 1:", "Shot 2:" and so on, and describe the character the same way each time.
- Keep spoken lines short. One speaker and one short sentence lip-sync far better than a paragraph of dialogue.
That's a lot to remember for every clip, which is why we built the GeneratePrompt video prompt generator. Type a rough idea in any language ("my cat as a chef on a cooking show") and it writes a complete prompt with action, camera, light and sound. Copy it, paste it into Dola, and generate.
15 Dola AI Video Prompts You Can Copy and Paste
Each prompt below follows the formula. Swap in your own subject, keep the structure, and you'll get steadier results than with a one-line idea.
Short videos for TikTok, Reels and Shorts (9:16)
1. Morning routine (POV)
Vertical 9:16. A young woman in a cream knit sweater opens bright linen curtains and sunlight floods a small apartment bedroom. Handheld camera from her point of view, gentle natural sway. Soft morning light, dust drifting in the sunbeams, plants on the windowsill. Keep her hands and the room layout consistent. Sound: curtain rings sliding, distant birds, quiet city hum, no music.
2. Street food close-up
Vertical 9:16. A street vendor flips sizzling noodles in a flaming wok at a night market. Slow push-in from medium shot to close-up on the wok. Neon signs in the background blurred into colorful bokeh, steam and sparks rising. The vendor's face and clothing stay the same throughout. Sound: loud sizzle, metal spatula on wok, busy crowd chatter.
3. Outfit transition
Vertical 9:16. A man in a plain grey hoodie spins once in front of a mirror and finishes the spin in a tailored black suit. Locked-off camera at chest height, framing does not change. Clean white bedroom, soft daylight from the left. His face, hairstyle and the room stay exactly the same; only the outfit changes. Sound: whoosh on the spin, upbeat bass hit when the suit appears.
Product and business videos
4. Product reveal
16:9. A matte black wireless earbud case slowly opens on a dark slate surface and the earbuds rise slightly with a soft glow. Slow 90-degree orbit around the product, macro lens, shallow depth of field. Moody studio lighting with a thin rim light, light haze. The product's shape, color and logo stay sharp and unchanged. Sound: soft magnetic click, low ambient synth tone.
5. Skincare splash
Vertical 9:16. A glass serum bottle stands on wet white stone while a gentle wave of clear water splashes around it in slow motion. Locked-off camera, slight slow push-in. Bright, clean studio light, soft pastel green background. The label stays readable and the bottle doesn't change shape. Sound: soft water splash, calm airy tone.
6. Café promo
16:9. A barista pours latte art into a white ceramic cup and a heart shape forms on the surface. Top-down camera slowly lowering toward the cup. Cozy café at sunrise, warm window light, steam rising. Keep the cup, the barista's hands and the latte art pattern consistent. Sound: milk steaming, cups clinking, soft café ambience.
Animate a photo (photo-to-video)
7. Portrait comes alive
Animate this photo. The person slowly turns their head toward the camera and gives a small natural smile, blinking once. Camera stays still with a very subtle push-in. Keep the face, hairstyle, clothing and background exactly as in the photo. Light breeze moves a few strands of hair. Sound: quiet room tone, no music.
8. Old family photo
Animate this old photograph gently. The people breathe naturally and one of them looks toward the camera and smiles softly. Locked-off camera, no zoom. Keep the original grain, colors, faces and clothing; do not modernize or sharpen the image. Sound: soft vintage film projector hum.
9. Pet photo
Animate this photo of my dog. The dog tilts its head to one side, ears lifting, then wags its tail. Camera at the dog's eye level, still, with a slight handheld feel. Keep the fur color, markings and the background the same as the photo. Sound: one curious soft bark, tail thumping on the floor.
Cinematic and story clips
10. Rainy neon city
16:9. A woman in a long red coat walks alone down a rain-soaked alley at night, holding a clear umbrella. Slow tracking shot following her from behind at shoulder height. Neon signs reflecting in puddles, light rain, fog in the distance. Her coat, umbrella and walk stay consistent. Sound: rain on the umbrella, footsteps in puddles, distant traffic.
11. Three-shot mini story
16:9, three shots. Shot 1: wide shot of a small red fox stepping out of a snowy pine forest at dawn. Shot 2: close-up of the fox's face as it sniffs the cold air, breath visible. Shot 3: low-angle shot of the fox leaping into deep snow. The same fox in every shot: red-orange fur, white chest, black-tipped ears. Soft blue dawn light. Sound: wind through pines, crunching snow, a muffled thump on the landing.
12. Talking character (short line)
16:9. A friendly elderly fisherman in a yellow raincoat sits on a wooden dock and says to the camera: "The sea always tells you the truth." Medium close-up, camera still. Overcast harbor, boats gently rocking behind him. Natural lip sync, the same face throughout. Sound: his calm, warm voice, seagulls, small waves against the dock.
Trending effects
13. Miniature world
16:9. A tiny city made of cardboard and paper on a wooden desk comes to life: little paper cars drive along the streets and tiny lights switch on in the windows. Slow overhead drift across the desk, tilt-shift look with shallow focus. Warm desk lamp light, evening. Keep the paper textures and buildings consistent. Sound: soft paper rustling, tiny car engines, gentle music box melody.
14. Turn into a figure
Animate this photo. The person slowly freezes and turns into a glossy collectible action figure standing on a display base, the same pose and outfit. Camera slowly orbits halfway around. Clean studio light and a soft shadow on the base. The face stays recognizable throughout the change. Sound: soft plastic click, sparkle chime at the end.
15. Food explosion
Vertical 9:16. A burger is layered in mid-air: the bun, lettuce, tomato, cheese and patty fall into place one by one and land perfectly stacked. Locked-off camera, slow motion, dark background. Dramatic top light, crumbs and sesame seeds floating. Every ingredient keeps its shape and color. Sound: soft thuds as each layer lands, sizzle at the end.
Want a prompt for your own idea? These 15 are starting points. For anything else, from a birthday clip to a product ad, write one sentence in the free video prompt generator and you'll get a full Seedance-ready prompt to paste into Dola. You can also browse ready-made ideas in the prompt library.
Dola Video Problems and How to Fix Them
I can't find the video option
- Make sure you have the official Dola app (developer: Spring (SG) Pte. Ltd.) and that it's updated.
- Video may not be offered in your country yet, or may roll out to your account later. Try asking in the chat: "Create a 10-second video of…"
- If Dola isn't available where you live, use the same prompt in Dreamina (same Seedance models), Veo 3 or Kling.
- The face or product changes during the clip
- Cut the action down to one simple movement.
- Add a "keep consistent" sentence that names what must stay the same.
- For photo-to-video, use a sharper photo with more space around the subject.
- The clip looks random or boring
- Add a camera move and a lighting description. They make the biggest difference.
- Replace words like "beautiful" and "epic" with things the viewer can see.
- Run your idea through the video prompt generator to fill in the missing details.
- The voice or lip sync is off
- Use one speaker and one short line, and put the exact words in quotation marks.
- Describe the voice: "calm, warm, low voice".
- Dola AI vs Veo 3 vs Kling: Which One Should You Use?
- Dola (Seedance): built into a free chat app, quick for short social clips and animating photos, with sound included. Availability depends on your country.
- Veo 3 (Google): strong realism and native audio. It's available through Gemini and Google's creative tools, mostly on paid plans.
- Kling: popular for smooth motion and photo-to-video, with a credit-based plan.
Our advice: write your prompt once and test it in two tools. The GeneratePrompt video prompt generator writes prompts for Veo 3, Kling, Higgsfield and similar tools, and the same detailed prompt works in Dola.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Dola AI video generator free?
The Dola app itself is free to download and use. As of October 2026, ByteDance hasn't published a fixed free allowance for video, and users report different limits, so check inside your own account. Be careful with third-party "Dola AI" websites that charge for credits. They aren't the official app.
Which AI model does Dola use for video?
Dola's video feature is reported to run on ByteDance's Seedance models, most recently Seedance 2.5 (released July 31, 2026). Seedance 2.5 generates up to 30 seconds of video with sound in a single pass.
How long can Dola videos be?
Seedance 2.5 supports clips of up to 30 seconds. The lengths you can pick in Dola depend on your version and account. Start with 5–10 second tests and go longer once your prompt works.
Why isn't Dola available in my country?
ByteDance releases Dola country by country. It's reported to be unavailable in the US, Canada, Australia and mainland China. Where Dola isn't available, Dreamina runs the same Seedance models, and your prompts will work there too.
What's the best way to write a Dola video prompt?
Use the five-part formula: subject and one action, camera movement, setting and light, what must stay consistent, and sound. Or type your idea into the free AI video prompt generator and paste the result into Dola.
Can I turn a photo into a video with Dola?
Yes. Upload the photo in the chat and describe only the motion, the camera move and what must stay the same. For the best results, start from a sharp image. You can make one with the Nano Banana prompt generator.
Start Creating
The Dola AI video generator makes short AI video easy to try, but the prompt decides the result. Save this page for the 15 prompts, and when you have an idea of your own, open the free video prompt generator, describe your scene in one sentence, copy the prompt and paste it into Dola. It's free and you don't need to sign up.