Luma AI Dream Machine: What it is, how to try it (2024)

Another competitor has entered the AI-generated video ring, this time an open text-to-video model intent on building a rabid fanbase.

Known as Dream Machine, the tool is, of course, already being compared to the "impressively complex" outputs of OpenAI’s Sora, with some users saying it blows the pioneering model out of the water. Time will tell.

What is Luma AI Dream Machine?

Dream Machine was created by San Francisco artificial intelligence startup Luma AI, known as the minds behind 3D model generator Genie.

Rather than dump its video offering behind a subscription fee, Luma AI has decided to launch a free model available for anyone to use and experiment with. There are also plans to release a developer-friendly API in the coming months—Sora, but for the masses.

AI enthusiasts immediately began pushing the limits of the new generator, including some interconnected experiments using Dream Machine to animate static AI images made using non-Luma tools like Midjourney.

A fair amount of early user examples also include eerily-moving, "living" recreations of famous art, like The Girl with the Pearl Earring and Doge (rest in peace).

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But beyond Harry Potter-esque living portraits, Beta testers say the tool can "faithfully render specified objects, characters, actions, and environments while maintaining fluid motion and coherent storytelling," VentureBeats reported. The company's larger aim, it says, is to create a "universal imagination engine" that could "dream" up just about any video concept, including storyboarding and character supports, music videos, and eventually full-length movies.

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How can I try Luma AI Dream Machine?

Dream Machine is available now on the Luma Labs website.

To begin, users must sign in with a personal Google account. Due to high, post-launch traffic, Luma AI is currently limiting users to just 10 free video generations per day.

However, it should be noted that early video outputs sometimes take a while to be generated. Be sure to block out most of your day if you're dead set on using it to make your full-length independent movie.