HunyuanVideo 1.5: Tencent's Lightweight Open-Source Text-to-Video Model

Tencent's Hunyuan AI team officially released HunyuanVideo 1.5, a powerful yet lightweight open-source video generation model. Unlike many state-of-the-art video models that demand ultra-high-end GPUs, this version is optimized to run on more accessible consumer hardware while supporting high-quality motion, multi-style generation, and both text-to-video and image-to-video capabilities. For developers, creators, and AI researchers, HunyuanVideo 1.5 represents a significant step toward democratizing video generation. In this article, we'll dive deep into its architecture, performance, use cases, and practical limitations-so you can understand exactly what makes this model stand out.

Part 1: What Is HunyuanVideo 1.5?

HunyuanVideo is Tencent's foundation model series designed for video generation. The 1.5 version is its latest publicly released iteration, open-sourced by Tencent's Hunyuan team. According to official reports, HunyuanVideo 1.5 has 8.3 billion parameters and uses a Diffusion-Transformer (DiT) architecture. This model supports both text-to-video (T2V) and image-to-video (I2V) generation, making it extremely flexible for creators.

Key Improvements in Version 1.5

Info Resource: Tencent Hunyuan

• Lightweight yet high-performing: At just 8.3B parameters, it is significantly smaller than many flagship open-source video models, but still delivers strong video quality.
• Low hardware barrier: Tencent claims the model can run smoothly on consumer GPUs (~14 GB VRAM).
• Advanced motion coherence: Thanks to a new sparse attention mechanism called Selective and Sliding Tile Attention (SSTA), the model balances motion fidelity with inference efficiency.
• Cross-modal understanding: It supports bilingual (Chinese/English) prompts and can follow detailed instructions, such as camera movements, realistic human motion, emotional expressions, and scene transitions.
• Multiple visual styles: Users can generate realistic scenes, animated or "brick/blocky" (积木) styles, and even text overlays within the video.
• Video duration & resolution: Natively supports 5-10 second clips at 480p and 720p, and with a super-resolution model, it can be upscaled to 1080p.

HunyuanVideo 1.5 Model Supported Workflows

HunyuanVideo 1.5 is flexible and supports multiple generation modes:

1. Text-to-Video (T2V): Generate short video clips directly from prompts
2. Image-to-Video (I2V): Animate static images with motion instructions
3. Stylization & creative generation: Anime, cinematic, surreal, brick-style, and more
4. Fine-tuning & LoRA extensions: Extend training for specific styles, characters, or creative tasks

Part 2: How HunyuanVideo 1.5 Works

HunyuanVideo 1.5 builds on a hybrid Diffusion Transformer (DiT) architecture. Its key components include: a transformer backbone, selective sparse attention (SSTA) to reduce computation, and a unified latent space that supports both image and video generation. The team also introduced glyph-aware text encoding, enhancing its understanding of both Chinese characters and English text.

One of the standout features of HunyuanVideo 1.5 is its ability to produce smooth and coherent motion over time. The SSTA mechanism enables efficient attention across frames, which helps the model maintain consistent structure, lighting, and physical plausibility in generated sequences. This is combined with a progressive training strategy that gradually reinforces motion coherence.

Hardware Requirements & Inference Efficiency

Info Resource: Tencent Hunyuan

According to Tencent, the model targets consumer-level GPUs, such as those with around 14 GB VRAM. Reddit users report that with quantization or caching, inference becomes more efficient. The open-source release also supports lightweight quantization formats, which help make it more accessible for lower-spec machines.

Part 3: Real-World Performance & Comparisons

In practical tests and user reports, HunyuanVideo 1.5 can generate visually coherent 5-10 second video clips with fluent motion, realistic human-like expressions, and direction instructions such as camera panning or zoom.

It supports different artistic styles-realistic, animated, blocky-and can even overlay text directly into video frames.

The model's super-resolution extension further allows users to upsample from native 480p/720p to 1080p.

HunyuanVideo 1.5 vs Proprietary / Closed Models

Compared to large closed-source video generation systems, HunyuanVideo 1.5 offers a compelling balance of quality and accessibility. While some enterprise-grade models require tens of billions of parameters and high-end hardware, HunyuanVideo 1.5 significantly lowers the barrier by supporting more affordable hardware without sacrificing too much in visual fidelity.

This democratization makes it much more usable for individual creators, startups, or academic researchers who lack massive compute infrastructure.

Info Resource: Tencent Hunyuan

HunyuanVideo vs Other Open-Source Alternatives

In the open-source video model space, HunyuanVideo 1.5 competes with tools like CogVideoX, AnimateDiff, or Mochi-style video models. Its key advantages are:

• Fewer parameters (thus faster inference)
• Strong bilingual prompt understanding
• Efficient attention mechanism for consistent temporal dynamics
• A balanced trade-off between video resolution and generation speed

That said, some specialized open-source models may outperform Hunyuan in niche areas like extremely long-form video, 3D-aware scenes, or highly stylized fantasy content.

Part 4: How to Use HunyuanVideo 1.5

Text-to-Video (T2V) Workflow

• 1. Prepare your prompt:Write a concise, descriptive text scene (e.g., "a calm river at sunset, a small boat drifting, golden light") in either English or Chinese.
• 2. Load the model:Use a UI or a compatible tool (like ComfyUI) to load HunyuanVideo 1.5 (ensure you are using a quantized or cached version if your GPU is limited).
• 3. Set generation parameters:Choose duration (e.g., 5-10 seconds), resolution (480p or 720p), and number of frames.
• 4. Run inference:Generate the video. With caching or optimized inference, the process can be significantly faster.
• 5. Optional post-process:Use a super-resolution model to upscale to 1080p if needed, or apply color grading externally.

Image-to-Video (I2V) Workflow

• 1. Upload or provide an image:Use a still photo or artwork that you want to animate.
• 2. Add a prompt:Write a description of how the scene should animate (e.g., "the tree branches sway gently, sunlight flickers").
• 3. Configure model mode:Select inference options suitable for I2V (e.g., DiT, SSTA settings).
• 4. Generate the video:Run model to produce a short animated clip. Many users successfully create natural motion from static images.
• 5. Review and refine:Adjust prompt or settings if needed to improve motion consistency or fidelity.

Advanced Usage (Optional)

• Fine-tuning / LoRA: Technically possible, though most users leverage quantized or cached weights.
• Multi-step pipelines: Combine HunyuanVideo with other open-source models for upscaling, style transfer, or post-editing.
• ComfyUI integration: Community workflows support ComfyUI nodes for efficient generation even on mid-tier GPUs.

Bonus: A Real-World Alternative - HitPaw Online AI Video Generator

While HunyuanVideo 1.5 is an excellent open-source choice for users who are comfortable setting up models and running inference locally, not everyone wants to deal with GPU requirements, model weights, or technical workflows. For creators who prioritize quick, polished output without the complexity, HitPaw Online AI Video Generator serves as a highly practical alternative.

HitPaw operates fully in the cloud, eliminating the need for any local installation or powerful hardware. This makes it ideal for marketers, educators, social media creators, and business owners who want to generate high-quality AI videos with minimal friction. You can achieve a workflow similar to HunyuanVideo's capabilities - including text-to-video and image-to-video - but via a point-and-click browser interface. This democratizes access to cinematic and animated video generation, especially for teams without strong ML infrastructure.

Key Features of HitPaw Online AI Video Generator

• AI-Driven Text-to-Video: Simply type in your script or narrative prompt, and HitPaw's AI engine will convert it into a dynamic video. Perfect for explainer content, storytelling, or marketing messages.
• Image-to-Video Animation: Upload a static image - whether a product photo, character illustration, or background - and animate it with smooth motion and camera effects.
• Rich Template Library: HitPaw provides professionally designed templates for different use cases: social media ads, promotional videos, corporate presentations, and more.
• AI Soundtrack Options: Leverage AI-generated background music to add emotional depth.
• High-Quality Export: Export your video in HD (1080p) or other resolutions depending on your output needs.
• No Software Setup: Since it's entirely browser-based, there is no need to install or maintain any model locally - creating a much simpler user experience.

How to Use HitPaw to Make Your Own AI Video

• Step 1: Open your browser, navigate to the Online Video Generator, and log in. Select either "Text-to-Video" for script-based generation, or "Image-to-Video" for animating a static picture.
• Step 2: For text-based video, enter your narrative or scene description. For image-based video, upload the image you want to animate.
  
• Step 3: Pick from a motion style that matches the tone you want. Adjust video length, resolution, and audio choice.
• Step 4: Click "Generate" to start the rendering process. Once the preview is ready, review it and make any necessary tweaks. When satisfied, export your video in the resolution you need, then download or share.

FAQs about HunyuanVideo 1.5 Model

Conclusion

HunyuanVideo 1.5 shows how far open-source video generation has advanced, offering stronger motion consistency, higher resolution, and fully unified T2V/I2V workflows. It's an excellent choice for researchers and creators who need flexibility and model-level control. But for users who simply want fast, high-quality results without hardware or setup, HitPaw Online AI Video Generator provides a far more practical path. It delivers professional AI videos through an intuitive, browser-based workflow-making advanced video creation accessible to everyone.