How to create mixed-media videos with AI
October 8, 2026
Create a mixed-media video in invideo Editor by adding your footage, giving the agent a style direction, and refining the result on the timeline. For the illustrated treatment shown below, the agent extracts stills, restyles them with an AI image model, and arranges them into a sequence. Separately placed elements remain editable; details inside a generated image stay part of that image.
A white outline follows the subject. Sketch-like marks surround a shoe. A plain background becomes a blue, textured surface. These changes give filmed movement an illustrated, collage-like finish.
You’ll find the full video tutorial at the end of this page, showing the finished result and the footage-to-stills workflow behind it.
What is a mixed-media video?
A mixed-media video combines visual materials or treatments, such as filmed footage, photographs, illustration, typography and paper textures. You can place those materials in separate layers or use AI to restyle images taken from your footage.
Those approaches give you different editing options. A separate title can be moved or rewritten. A star generated inside an image cannot be selected independently just because that image is on a timeline.
When should you use mixed media?
Use it when the graphic treatment supports the idea: an illustrated accent around a movement, a textured passage in a music video, or a collage treatment for a fashion or lifestyle campaign. For an Instagram Reel, try it on the moment you want viewers to notice first.
Choose a specific visual language. A limited palette and one recurring motif give you something concrete to repeat across shots. For a product edit, keep labels and important details readable; if they must stay exact, build around the original footage with separate graphics.
What you need before starting
A source clip and a selected range. Choose a short passage with a clear subject or movement so you can judge the treatment.
A style description or reference. Identify the palette, texture and marks you want. A reference can be an image or a video.
Any materials you want to supply. For example, your own texture, illustration or title artwork. These are optional for the generated-still method below.
A clear boundary. Decide what may change, what should stay recognizable, and whether the original cut and audio timing should remain intact.
How to create a mixed-media video in three steps
Follow the steps below, then watch the full video tutorial at the end of the page to see them in action.
1. Add your footage and extract stills
Open invideo Editor, create a project and place your clip on the timeline. Choose the passage you want to treat.
In the tutorial, the creator asks the agent to extract stills at 12 frames per second, then shows them on a layer above the source video. This is the cadence used in that example, not a required setting for every mixed-media edit.
Try this adapted starting prompt, replacing the range with your own:
Extract stills from 00:02–00:04 of my clip at 12 frames per second. Place them in order on a separate layer, aligned with the source passage. Keep the original video and audio in place.
At 00:21 in invideo’s tutorial, extracted stills sit on V2 above the original clip on V1. The annotation identifies the example’s 12-frame-per-second cadence.
Check that the still sequence covers the intended passage and follows the source action. Keeping the source underneath gives you a comparison when you review the styled version.
2. Describe the style and review one frame
Tell the agent where the treatment belongs and what it should look like. The tutorial shows both a written style brief and visual references before the generation request.
If you use a visual reference, point out the feature you want to borrow: its chalk texture, outlined subject or palette. Include your own direction so the result fits your footage.
For a lifestyle clip, you might ask:
Restyle the first extracted still with an off-white paper background, blue sketch-like texture and a thin white outline around the subject. Keep the face and clothing recognizable. Show me this frame before continuing with the sequence.
This and the other prompts here are suggested adaptations. In the demonstrated request, the creator also asks to see the first image before generating the rest.
Inspect that first frame for subject readability, texture and composition. If the marks compete with the face or product, simplify the brief before extending it. A direction such as “keep the blue texture in the background and remove marks over the face” gives you a specific change to check.
3. Build the sequence and refine the timeline
Once the first frame works, ask the agent to apply the approved direction to the selected stills and arrange the results against the source timing.
Apply this approved look to the remaining stills in the selected passage. Keep the palette and outline style consistent. Place the styled sequence above the original footage, aligned to the same passage, and leave the original audio unchanged.
The tutorial’s finished timeline shows styled images on V3, untreated stills on V2 and the source clip on V1. It demonstrates a layered image sequence, rather than a single universal mixed-media control panel.
At 00:43, the generated treatment is visible above the untreated material. Outlines and stars visible within an image are not necessarily separate graphic layers.
Play the sequence with the surrounding shots, then inspect any frames that feel wrong. Check the subject’s shape, the consistency of the texture, and where the treatment starts and ends.
What you can change depends on the construction:
Element | What to refine |
|---|---|
Original footage | Use it to compare the action and judge whether the treatment obscures important detail. |
Styled image clips | Review their order, duration and alignment. Revise an image if its contents need to change. |
Separately placed titles or textures | Adjust their placement and timing; use available scale, opacity or animation settings where appropriate. |
Invideo’s mixed-media editing FAQ explains these layer-level refinements. If you need a particular graphic to remain independently editable, ask for it as a separate element and check the resulting project.
Once the sequence works, review the exported video as well as the timeline preview. For a different treatment built around generated inserts such as smoke or energy, see the AI video-effects workflow.
To see how the styled frames sit above the source footage, watch the full video tutorial at the end of this page.
What to check when the result looks wrong
These checks help you decide what to revise:
Problem | Next adjustment to try |
|---|---|
The texture or outline jumps between frames | Compare neighboring images. Restate the same palette and mark style, then revise the inconsistent images before extending the passage. |
The face, clothing or product changes | Compare with the source. If exact detail matters, retain that footage and use separate graphic elements around it. |
The style feels generic or too busy | Reduce the brief to one texture and one motif. Supply your own material or a more specific reference. |
The treatment arrives too early or lasts too long | Adjust the affected clip range against the surrounding cuts and original action. |
You cannot move one star, stroke or paper edge | Check whether it is baked into the generated image. Revise the image or request a separate asset for that detail. |
Frequently asked questions
How many credits and seats do I need for a mixed-media edit?
Credits cover agent work and media generation; seats are for workspace members. There is no single credit figure for every mixed-media edit. Start with a small passage and inspect its usage before extending the job. Invideo’s editor-credit FAQ explains per-exchange and project usage. For collaborators, check the current team-seat details.
Is AI mixed media the same as hand-drawn animation?
No. This workflow generates styled images from footage and assembles them into a sequence. Sketch-like marks describe the appearance; they do not mean someone drew each frame by hand. You can include your own drawings or scanned materials, but describe which parts you made and which parts AI generated accurately.
Start with one short passage, one visual direction and one reviewed frame. Then build out the sequence and refine it around your edit.
Watch the full mixed-media video tutorial
Invideo’s mixed-media tutorial shows that result first, then breaks down the footage-to-stills workflow behind it.
Mixed-media treatment and timeline walkthrough by invideo. The opening shows the result; the build begins around 00:11.