Name: Happy Horse 1.0 Text and Image to Video API
Brand: magicapi
SKU: api-magicapi-video-from-text-or-image-generation-alibaba-happyhorse-1-0
Availability: InStock
Author: API Market

Shashank Agarwal

# 🎬 Text-to-Video and Image-to-Video Generator API (Happy Horse 1.0)

## Overview
Happy Horse 1.0 is a video model from Alibaba. It generates a video from a text `prompt`, or animates a single `image` into a video that starts from that frame.

Choose a `resolution` of `720p` or `1080p`, a `duration` from 3 to 15 seconds and, for text-to-video, one of five aspect ratios. Each request returns the URL of one MP4 video.

## Features
- **Text-to-video**: describe the scene in `prompt` and the model generates the video.
- **Image-to-video**: pass an `image` as the first frame. In this mode `prompt` is optional and the video uses the image's aspect ratio.
- **Two resolutions**: `720p` or `1080p` (default).
- **Durations**: any whole number of seconds from `3` to `15` (default `5`).
- **Aspect ratios** (text-to-video only): `16:9` (default), `9:16`, `1:1`, `4:3`, `3:4`.
- **Seed**: set a seed (0 to 2147483647) to reproduce a result.

## Use Cases
1. **Animating stills**: bring a product shot, illustration or portrait to life with a short motion clip.
2. **Social video**: vertical `9:16` clips for stories and reels, or square `1:1` clips for feeds.
3. **Concept and storyboard clips**: turn a written scene description into a short video to review before a shoot.
4. **Ads and banners**: short looping scenes for landing pages and display placements.

## Visual Examples
### Example Input
Image (`image`):

![Input image: a woman in a yellow raincoat on a rainy street under a pink neon glow](https://blog.api.market/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/kling-v2-1-input-api-market.webp)

Prompt: "The woman in the yellow raincoat turns toward the camera and smiles as rain falls through the pink neon glow, puddles rippling at her feet. Slow cinematic push-in, reflections shimmering on the wet street."

Settings: `resolution` `720p`, `duration` `3`. `aspect_ratio` was not sent because an image was provided.

### Example Output
[Watch the example output](https://blog.api.market/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/happyhorse-1-0-output-api-market.mp4)

## Input Parameters
| Field | Type | Required | Default | Allowed values | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `prompt` | string | No | `""` |  | Text prompt for video generation. Optional when an image is provided |
| `image` | string (URL) | No | none |  | First-frame image to animate. When provided, the model runs in image-to-video mode. Accepts jpg, png, bmp or webp, up to 10 MB, aspect ratio between 1:2.5 and 2.5:1, each side at least 300 px |
| `resolution` | string | No | `1080p` | `720p`, `1080p` | Output video resolution |
| `aspect_ratio` | string | No | `16:9` | `16:9`, `9:16`, `1:1`, `4:3`, `3:4` | Aspect ratio of the generated video. Only applies to text-to-video; when an image is provided, the image's aspect ratio is used |
| `duration` | integer | No | `5` | `3`, `4`, `5`, `6`, `7`, `8`, `9`, `10`, `11`, `12`, `13`, `14`, `15` | Duration of the generated video in seconds |
| `seed` | integer | No | none |  | Random seed for reproducible generation. Range: 0-2147483647 |

## Pricing
- **Pay As You Go (PAYG) pricing**: you only pay for what you use.
- **Price**: $0.175 per API unit.
- **1 API unit = 1 second of output video at 720p.** You are billed on the requested `duration`, and the `resolution` multiplies the price:

| `resolution` | API units per second | Price per second of video |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `720p` | 1 | $0.175 |
| `1080p` | 2 | $0.35 |

- If you omit `resolution`, the default `1080p` applies. If you omit `duration`, the default 5 seconds applies, so a request that sets neither costs 5 x $0.35 = $1.75.
- The example above (3 seconds at `720p`) costs 3 x $0.175 = **$0.525**. The longest video (15 seconds at `1080p`) costs $5.25.
- Text-to-video and image-to-video are billed the same.
- **Failed or cancelled predictions are not billed.**
- **GET requests to check prediction status** are free and don't count toward API unit usage.
- **No monthly subscription fee.**

## API Documentation

### Base URL
All API requests go to: `https://prod.api.market/api/v1/magicapi/video-from-text-or-image-generation-alibaba-happyhorse-1-0`

### Authentication
Send your api.market API key in the `x-api-market-key` header:
```
x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_MARKET_KEY
```

### Asynchronous Processing
**IMPORTANT**: This API is asynchronous. The flow is:
1. Send a POST request to `/predictions`. A successful request returns **201 Created** with a prediction `id` and a `status` of `starting` or `processing`.
2. Poll GET `/predictions/{id}` with that ID.
3. Keep polling while `status` is `starting` or `processing`.
4. Stop when `status` is `succeeded` (read `output`), `failed` or `canceled` (read `error`).

Video generation takes longer than image generation. A polling interval of 2 seconds and an overall timeout of 600 seconds (10 minutes) work well.

### Endpoints

#### Create a Prediction
```bash
curl -X POST "https://prod.api.market/api/v1/magicapi/video-from-text-or-image-generation-alibaba-happyhorse-1-0/predictions" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_MARKET_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "version": "d867e39d045d6449a05b8dd3bc10ea3acca69b99aebc34b831809c09cd523527",
    "input": {
      "image": "https://blog.api.market/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/kling-v2-1-input-api-market.webp",
      "prompt": "The woman in the yellow raincoat turns toward the camera and smiles as rain falls through the pink neon glow, puddles rippling at her feet. Slow cinematic push-in, reflections shimmering on the wet street.",
      "resolution": "720p",
      "duration": 3
    }
  }'
```

Response (201 Created):
```json
{
  "id": "ddmzwqmkwdrmt0d17fqb0z2f5m",
  "version": "d867e39d045d6449a05b8dd3bc10ea3acca69b99aebc34b831809c09cd523527",
  "status": "starting",
  "created_at": "2026-10-14T19:40:53.922Z"
}
```

#### Check Prediction Status
```bash
curl -X GET "https://prod.api.market/api/v1/magicapi/video-from-text-or-image-generation-alibaba-happyhorse-1-0/predictions/{id}" \
  -H "x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_MARKET_KEY"
```

Response when the prediction has finished (200 OK):
```json
{
  "id": "ddmzwqmkwdrmt0d17fqb0z2f5m",
  "status": "succeeded",
  "output": "https://blog.api.market/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/happyhorse-1-0-output-api-market.mp4",
  "error": null,
  "created_at": "2026-10-14T19:40:53.922Z",
  "started_at": "2026-10-14T19:40:54.922Z",
  "completed_at": "2026-10-14T19:41:58.922Z"
}
```

`output` is a single URL string pointing to the generated MP4 video.

### Status Codes
- **201 Created**: prediction created (POST `/predictions`). This is the normal success response.
- **200 OK**: prediction details returned (GET `/predictions/{id}`).
- **400 Bad Request**: invalid input, for example a `duration` outside 3 to 15 or a `resolution` that is not `720p` or `1080p`.
- **401 Unauthorized**: missing or invalid API key.
- **404 Not Found**: no prediction with that ID.
- **429 Too Many Requests**: rate limit exceeded.
- **500 Internal Server Error** or **503 Service Unavailable**: temporary server problem; retry later.

## Rate Limits

All plans allow 10 requests per second. Requests above that return `429 Too Many Requests`; back off before retrying and honour any `Retry-After` header. Polling a prediction with GET is free but still counts toward the per-second limit, so poll every 1 to 5 seconds rather than in a tight loop.

## Error Handling
- Check the HTTP status code of every request and read the response body for the error message.
- A prediction can also end with `status` set to `failed`; the `error` field then explains why. Failed predictions are not billed.
- Retry 429, 500 and 503 responses with exponential backoff. Fix the input before retrying a 400.

## Implementation Guide
### Example Code

#### JavaScript
```javascript
const apiKey = "YOUR_API_MARKET_KEY";
const baseUrl = "https://prod.api.market/api/v1/magicapi/video-from-text-or-image-generation-alibaba-happyhorse-1-0";

async function createAndWaitForPrediction(input) {
  const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/predictions`, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      "x-api-market-key": apiKey
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({ version: "d867e39d045d6449a05b8dd3bc10ea3acca69b99aebc34b831809c09cd523527", input })
  });

  if (response.status !== 201) {
    throw new Error(`API error: ${response.status} ${await response.text()}`);
  }

  const prediction = await response.json();
  return pollForResults(prediction.id);
}

const delay = (ms) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));

async function pollForResults(predictionId) {
  const maxTimeout = 600000;
  const pollInterval = 2000;
  const startTime = Date.now();

  while (Date.now() - startTime < maxTimeout) {
    const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/predictions/${predictionId}`, {
      headers: { "x-api-market-key": apiKey }
    });

    if (!response.ok) {
      throw new Error(`API error: ${response.status} ${await response.text()}`);
    }

    const prediction = await response.json();

    if (prediction.status === "succeeded") {
      return prediction.output;
    }

    if (prediction.status === "failed" || prediction.status === "canceled") {
      throw new Error(`Prediction ${prediction.status}: ${prediction.error || "Unknown error"}`);
    }

    await delay(pollInterval);
  }

  throw new Error("Prediction timed out after 10 minutes");
}

createAndWaitForPrediction({
  "image": "https://blog.api.market/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/kling-v2-1-input-api-market.webp",
  "prompt": "The woman in the yellow raincoat turns toward the camera and smiles as rain falls through the pink neon glow, puddles rippling at her feet. Slow cinematic push-in, reflections shimmering on the wet street.",
  "resolution": "720p",
  "duration": 3
}).then((output) => console.log(output));
```

#### Python
```python
import time
import requests

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_MARKET_KEY"
BASE_URL = "https://prod.api.market/api/v1/magicapi/video-from-text-or-image-generation-alibaba-happyhorse-1-0"

def create_and_wait_for_prediction(input_data):
    headers = {"Content-Type": "application/json", "x-api-market-key": API_KEY}
    response = requests.post(
        f"{BASE_URL}/predictions",
        headers=headers,
        json={"version": "d867e39d045d6449a05b8dd3bc10ea3acca69b99aebc34b831809c09cd523527", "input": input_data},
    )

    if response.status_code != 201:
        raise Exception(f"API error: {response.status_code} {response.text}")

    return poll_for_results(response.json()["id"])

def poll_for_results(prediction_id):
    max_timeout = 600
    poll_interval = 2
    headers = {"x-api-market-key": API_KEY}
    start_time = time.time()

    while time.time() - start_time < max_timeout:
        response = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/predictions/{prediction_id}", headers=headers)

        if response.status_code != 200:
            raise Exception(f"API error: {response.status_code} {response.text}")

        prediction = response.json()

        if prediction["status"] == "succeeded":
            return prediction["output"]

        if prediction["status"] in ("failed", "canceled"):
            raise Exception(f"Prediction {prediction['status']}: {prediction.get('error') or 'Unknown error'}")

        time.sleep(poll_interval)

    raise Exception("Prediction timed out after 10 minutes")

print(create_and_wait_for_prediction({
    "image": "https://blog.api.market/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/kling-v2-1-input-api-market.webp",
    "prompt": "The woman in the yellow raincoat turns toward the camera and smiles as rain falls through the pink neon glow, puddles rippling at her feet. Slow cinematic push-in, reflections shimmering on the wet street.",
    "resolution": "720p",
    "duration": 3
}))
```

## FAQ
- **How do I switch between text-to-video and image-to-video?**
  - Send only `prompt` for text-to-video. Add `image` to animate that image as the first frame; `prompt` then becomes optional.
- **Why is `aspect_ratio` ignored for my request?**
  - When `image` is provided, the video uses the image's aspect ratio. `aspect_ratio` only applies to text-to-video.
- **Why did a request without `resolution` cost twice as much per second?**
  - The default `resolution` is `1080p`, which is billed at 2 API units ($0.35) per second. Set `resolution` to `720p` to pay $0.175 per second.
- **How long can a video be?**
  - 3 to 15 seconds, in whole seconds, set with `duration`. You are billed on the duration you request.
- **Is the 201 response from POST an error?**
  - No. 201 Created means the prediction was accepted. Use the returned `id` to poll GET `/predictions/{id}` until `status` is `succeeded`, `failed` or `canceled`.
- **What if my prediction fails?**
  - Failed predictions are not billed. Read the `error` field, adjust the input and try again.

## Contact Us

If you have any questions or need assistance, you can reach out to us through the embedded chat on the bottom right corner of the page or send an email to hello@magicapi.com.


Generate 3 to 15 second videos at 720p or 1080p from text or a single image with Alibaba's Happy Horse 1.0. From $0.175 per second of video, pay as you go.