Getting Started With Wan 2.5

The silent era of AI video is officially over. Just as Hollywood evolved from silent films to "talkies" in the 1920s, we're witnessing a similar revolution in AI-generated content. While 2024 gave us impressive but muted visual loops from models like Sora and Kling, late 2025 has ushered in the age of native audio-visual storytelling – and Wan 2.5 is leading this transformation.

As someone who's been testing AI video models since their inception, I can confidently say that Wan 2.5 represents a significant leap forward in what creators can accomplish without specialized audio engineering skills. Let's dive into what makes this model special and how you can start using it in your creative workflow.

What is Wan 2.5?

Wan 2.5 is Alibaba Cloud's flagship multimodal model released in September 2025. Unlike previous generations that generated silent video requiring post-production sound design, Wan 2.5 integrates video generation with synchronized audio (sound effects, music, and voice) in a single pass.

The "Wan" (meaning "Myriad" in Chinese) series has evolved rapidly. Early 2025 saw the release of the open-weight Wan 2.1, which democratized 720p video generation. The current 2.5 version targets what I call the "Director's workflow" with 1080p/4K support and extended 10-second durations – all with native audio.

Why Upgrade? Wan 2.5 vs. Wan 2.1

If you've been using Wan 2.1 or other video generation models, here's why you should consider upgrading:

Feature	Wan 2.1	Wan 2.5
Audio	Silent	Native synchronized audio
Duration	5 seconds	10+ seconds
Resolution	720p	Native 1080p
Prompting	Text/Image	Multimodal (Text+Audio+Image)

The key technological advancement in Wan 2.5 is its Unified Multimodal Transformer architecture. Unlike competitors that generate video first and then layer audio as a post-processing step, Wan 2.5 generates both simultaneously. This means if a car crashes in frame 24, the corresponding crash sound is generated precisely for that frame – creating a much more immersive and realistic experience.

Quick Start: Using Wan 2.5 in the Cloud (The Easy Way)

For creators, marketers, and non-technical users who want to start experimenting immediately, cloud platforms offer the simplest entry point.

Platform Options:

• Official: Alibaba Wan AI Video Generator (DashScope)
• Aggregators: Poe, Kie.ai, and Higgsfield AI

The cloud approach eliminates hardware concerns and offers intuitive interfaces that simplify complex prompting. Most platforms charge by generation, with costs averaging around $0.06-$0.10 per second of generated video – significantly cheaper than many competing high-end models.

Step-by-Step Cloud Workflow:

1. Select the Model: Choose "Wan 2.5" from the available model list
2. Set Motion Controls: Use the platform's camera control options (dolly, truck, pan sliders)
3. Upload Reference Images: For character consistency, upload high-quality reference images
4. Enable Audio: Make sure "Native Audio" is toggled on
5. Craft Your Prompt: Follow the prompting guidelines in section 5 below
6. Generate: Wait approximately 1-2 minutes for your 10-second clip

Deep Dive: Local Installation & ComfyUI (The Pro Way)

For developers, power users, and studios who need more control and lower per-generation costs, running Wan 2.5 locally is the preferred option – though it comes with significant hardware requirements.

Hardware Requirements:

• Minimum: 16GB VRAM (for quantized 8-bit versions)
• Recommended: 24GB+ VRAM (RTX 4090/5090) for full FP16 14B model performance

If your hardware meets these specifications, here's how to set up Wan 2.5 in ComfyUI:

Installation Overview:

1. Install ComfyUI: Follow the standard installation process
2. Add the Wrapper: Install ComfyUI-WanVideoWrapper or Kijai's wrapper through the manager
3. Download Required Models:
   • wan2.5_14b_t2v.safetensors (or I2V version)
   • wan_2.5_vae.safetensors (The 3D VAE)
   • umt5_xxl_fp8 (Text Encoder)

Basic ComfyUI Workflow:

The standard workflow connects these nodes: Load Checkpoint → WanVideoTextEncode (Prompt) → WanVideoSampler (Flow Matching) → VAE Decode

Pro Tip: Use "Flow Matching" schedulers for faster inference – you can generate 10-second clips in under 60 seconds on high-end hardware.

The "Director's Cut" Prompting Guide

Effective prompting is crucial for getting the most out of Wan 2.5. I've found this formula works consistently well:

[Subject] + [Action] + [Camera Movement] + [Audio/Atmosphere] + [Lighting]

Audio Triggers (New for 2.5):

The most exciting aspect of Wan 2.5 is its audio generation capabilities. Here are some effective keywords:

• Ambient Sound: "Ambient noise of busy restaurant," "Sound of forest at night"
• Specific Effects: "Sound of footsteps on gravel," "Glass breaking," "Door creaking"
• Music: "Soft piano music," "Dramatic orchestral score," "Upbeat electronic music"
• Voice: "Character says hello," "Voiceover narrating the scene"

Negative Audio Prompts: "Muted, distorted audio, robotic voice, audio glitches"

Camera Control:

• Movement Terms: "Slow pan right," "Dolly in," "Aerial shot," "Tracking shot"
• Focus Terms: "Rack focus," "Shallow depth of field," "Tilt-shift lens"
• Style Terms: "Handheld camera," "Steadicam," "FPV drone shot"

Example Prompt:

"A cyberpunk street vendor cooking noodles in rain. Camera pushes in slowly toward the steam. Audio: Sizzling sounds of cooking, distant thunder, and faint synthwave music. Cinematic lighting, 1080p."

Advanced Workflows & Best Practices

After extensive testing, I've found that a hybrid approach yields the best results with Wan 2.5.

The "Hybrid" Workflow:

1. Generate a high-resolution still image in your preferred image generation tool
2. Import this image into Wan 2.5 (using I2V mode)
3. Focus your prompt only on motion and audio: "The chef smiles and flips the pancake with a sizzling sound"
4. Result: You get perfect visual fidelity combined with Wan's superior motion and audio

This approach leverages the strengths of specialized image generators while taking advantage of Wan 2.5's motion and audio capabilities.

Handling Audio Hallucinations:

Sometimes Wan 2.5 generates unwanted sounds. If you need silence in specific parts:

• Use negative prompts like "no sound, no noise, silence" for completely quiet scenes
• For scenes with specific sounds only, be explicit: "Only the sound of waves, no music, no voices"

Cultural Advantage:

One interesting observation: Wan 2.5 excels at Chinese cultural aesthetics and themes. If you're creating content featuring Wuxia, Hanfu fashion, or traditional Chinese settings, Wan 2.5 often outperforms Western models in accuracy and nuance.

Pros, Cons, and Final Verdict

After weeks of testing Wan 2.5 across various projects, here's my assessment:

Pros:

• All-in-One Solution: Generate finished video with synchronized audio in one pass
• Physics Simulation: Excellent handling of fluids, smoke, and natural phenomena
• Cost-Effective: High value per credit compared to many competitors
• Extended Duration: 10+ second clips enable more complete storytelling
• Cultural Range: Strong performance across both Eastern and Western visual styles

Cons:

• Hardware Intensive: Local use requires high-end GPUs beyond most consumer laptops
• Face Consistency: Some morphing can occur in longer clips with close-up faces
• Limited Voice Generation: While it can generate simple phrases, complex dialogue still benefits from specialized voice AI

Final Verdict:

Wan 2.5 represents the best "price-to-performance" model currently available for creators who need finished clips (video + audio) quickly. While some models may have a slight edge in photorealism, Wan 2.5 wins on workflow efficiency and audio integration.

For businesses creating short-form content like social media ads, product demonstrations, or concept visualizations, Wan 2.5 offers a compelling all-in-one solution that can dramatically reduce production time and costs.

At Akool, we've integrated Wan 2.5 into our video creation platform to give our users access to this powerful technology without the technical complexity of running it themselves. This allows businesses to focus on their creative vision rather than wrestling with prompts and parameters.

FAQ Section

Is Wan 2.5 free to use? Wan 2.5 is available with limited daily credits on some aggregator platforms. For production use, you'll likely need a paid API tier, which operates on a per-generation credit system.

Can I use Wan 2.5-generated videos commercially? This depends on the specific platform and license tier. The official Alibaba DashScope API allows commercial use on paid tiers, but always check the terms of service for your specific provider.

Does Wan 2.5 support 4K resolution? Wan 2.5 generates at native 1080p, but the outputs are optimized for AI upscaling to 4K. For best results, generate at 1080p and then use a specialized video upscaler.

How long can Wan 2.5 videos be? The standard generation is 10 seconds, but some platforms offer "continuation" features that can extend clips to 20-30 seconds while maintaining consistency.

Does Wan 2.5 support different languages? Yes, Wan 2.5 has strong multilingual capabilities, particularly excelling in English and Chinese. For audio generation, it can produce simple phrases in multiple languages.

Can I edit the generated audio separately from the video? Most platforms provide the audio track separately, allowing you to edit or replace it in your preferred video editing software.

What's the typical generation time? In the cloud, expect 1-2 minutes for a 10-second clip. On local high-end hardware using optimized settings, generation can be as fast as 30-60 seconds.

How does Wan 2.5 handle text in videos? While Wan 2.5 can generate scenes with text elements, the text is often not legible or consistent. For videos requiring text overlays, it's best to add these in post-production.