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minimax/h3-max/styles/vhs

Generates 768p VHS-style video with audio from text prompts or an optional first-frame image. Supports 5–15 second clips and adjustable tape damage, from subtle analog noise to strong tracking distortion.
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Table of contents

About

Vhs Video

1. Calling the API#

Install the client#

The client provides a convenient way to interact with the model API.

npm install --save @fal-ai/client

Setup your API Key#

Set FAL_KEY as an environment variable in your runtime.

export FAL_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"

Submit a request#

The client API handles the API submit protocol. It will handle the request status updates and return the result when the request is completed.

import { fal } from "@fal-ai/client";

const result = await fal.subscribe("minimax/h3-max/styles/vhs", {
  input: {
    prompt: "A camcorder explores an abandoned shopping mall at midnight. A lone carousel starts turning beneath flickering fluorescent lights. Handheld push-in, mechanical creaks and distant music."
  },
  logs: true,
  onQueueUpdate: (update) => {
    if (update.status === "IN_PROGRESS") {
      update.logs.map((log) => log.message).forEach(console.log);
    }
  },
});
console.log(result.data);
console.log(result.requestId);

2. Authentication#

The API uses an API Key for authentication. It is recommended you set the FAL_KEY environment variable in your runtime when possible.

API Key#

In an environment where you cannot set environment variables, you can configure the API key manually on the client.
import { fal } from "@fal-ai/client";

fal.config({
  credentials: "YOUR_FAL_KEY"
});

3. Queue#

Submit a request#

The client API provides a convenient way to submit requests to the model.

import { fal } from "@fal-ai/client";

const { request_id } = await fal.queue.submit("minimax/h3-max/styles/vhs", {
  input: {
    prompt: "A camcorder explores an abandoned shopping mall at midnight. A lone carousel starts turning beneath flickering fluorescent lights. Handheld push-in, mechanical creaks and distant music."
  },
  webhookUrl: "https://optional.webhook.url/for/results",
});

Fetch request status#

You can fetch the status of a request to check if it is completed or still in progress.

import { fal } from "@fal-ai/client";

const status = await fal.queue.status("minimax/h3-max/styles/vhs", {
  requestId: "764cabcf-b745-4b3e-ae38-1200304cf45b",
  logs: true,
});

Get the result#

Once the request is completed, you can fetch the result. See the Output Schema for the expected result format.

import { fal } from "@fal-ai/client";

const result = await fal.queue.result("minimax/h3-max/styles/vhs", {
  requestId: "764cabcf-b745-4b3e-ae38-1200304cf45b"
});
console.log(result.data);
console.log(result.requestId);

4. Files#

Some attributes in the API accept file URLs as input. Whenever that's the case you can pass your own URL or a Base64 data URI.

Data URI (base64)#

You can pass a Base64 data URI as a file input. The API will handle the file decoding for you. Keep in mind that for large files, this alternative although convenient can impact the request performance.

Hosted files (URL)#

You can also pass your own URLs as long as they are publicly accessible. Be aware that some hosts might block cross-site requests, rate-limit, or consider the request as a bot.

Uploading files#

We provide a convenient file storage that allows you to upload files and use them in your requests. You can upload files using the client API and use the returned URL in your requests.

import { fal } from "@fal-ai/client";

const file = new File(["Hello, World!"], "hello.txt", { type: "text/plain" });
const url = await fal.storage.upload(file);

Read more about file handling in our file upload guide.

5. Schema#

Input#

prompt string* required

Describe the scene, action, camera and sound. VHS style and tape damage are applied automatically.

image_url string

Optional first-frame image. Use a 4:3 image for the classic VHS frame; the image's aspect ratio determines the output canvas.

damage_level DamageLevelEnum

Tape wear: light adds subtle analog noise, medium adds visible damage, and heavy adds strong tracking errors and distortion. Default value: "medium"

Possible enum values: light, medium, heavy

duration integer

Requested video duration in seconds. Default value: 5

aspect_ratio AspectRatioEnum

Video aspect ratio for text-only generation. Ignored when image_url is provided. Default value: "16:9"

Possible enum values: 21:9, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, 9:16

seed integer

Random seed. Omit to choose one automatically.

{
  "prompt": "A camcorder explores an abandoned shopping mall at midnight. A lone carousel starts turning beneath flickering fluorescent lights. Handheld push-in, mechanical creaks and distant music.",
  "damage_level": "medium",
  "duration": 5,
  "aspect_ratio": "16:9"
}

Output#

video File* required

Generated 768P VHS-style video with audio.

seed integer* required

Seed used for this generation.

{
  "video": {
    "url": "",
    "content_type": "image/png",
    "file_name": "z9RV14K95DvU.png",
    "file_size": 4404019
  }
}

Other types#

File#

url string* required

The URL where the file can be downloaded from.

content_type string

The mime type of the file.

file_name string

The name of the file. It will be auto-generated if not provided.

file_size integer

The size of the file in bytes.

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