Overview
Video quality issues are frustrating and can waste credits. This guide helps you diagnose what's causing poor output (blurriness, low bitrate, flickering, low resolution, or visual artifacts) and shows you exactly how to fix it. Most quality problems fall into one of five categories: resolution settings, plan limitations, input file quality, video length or frame rate settings, or AI variability.
AI generation isn't fully deterministic — sometimes a single render won't produce your desired result, even with identical settings. This is normal. The fixes below help you improve consistency and quality, and often involve testing shorter clips first before scaling up to save credits.
Quick Checklist
Before troubleshooting, verify these basics:
Check your current subscription plan and its resolution cap
Confirm you have enough credits for your generation
Ensure your input video or image meets quality standards (clear, well-lit, correctly formatted)
Test with shorter videos (15–30 seconds) first to validate settings
Common Issues and Solutions
Issue 1: Low Resolution or Blurry Output
Symptoms:
Output video appears pixelated, grainy, or blurry
Text or fine details are hard to read
UI shows "Video quality will be significantly lower"
Likely Causes:
Your plan limits resolution. Each plan has a resolution cap — if you're on a lower plan, you're hitting your resolution ceiling.
You didn't select the highest available resolution. The default may not be the maximum for your plan.
Input quality is poor. If you upload a low-resolution source, the AI can only enhance it so much.
Solutions:
Check your plan and resolution settings:
Go to My Plan and note your maximum export resolution.
When creating a video, look for the Output Resolution selector and choose the highest available for your plan.
Upgrade your plan for higher resolution output:
Plan | Max Resolution | Watermark |
Free (Basic) | 576px | Yes |
Creator | 1024px | No |
Pro | 1472px | No |
Business | 4K (select modes) | No |
Improve input quality:
Upload high-resolution source videos (ideally 1080p or higher in MP4 format with H.264 video and AAC audio).
For images, use clear, well-lit photos with visible detail.
Avoid low-resolution or compressed inputs.
Use AI Video Upscaler for existing videos:
If you've already generated a low-resolution video, use the AI Video Upscaler to enhance it.
Available on Creator, Pro, and Business plans.
Issue 2: Low Bitrate or Poor Download Quality (Face Swap & Lip Sync)
Symptoms:
Downloaded video is compressed or pixelated despite selecting high resolution
Bitrate is much lower than your source video
Video quality degrades after applying Face Swap or Lip Sync
Likely Causes:
High Bitrate mode is not enabled. By default, Face Swap and Lip Sync use standard bitrate encoding, which reduces file size but also quality.
Your plan doesn't support High Bitrate. Free and Creator plans cannot use this feature.
Solutions:
Enable High Bitrate for Face Swap or Lip Sync:
Upload your video to Face Swap or Lip Sync.
In the creation form, look for the High Bitrate toggle.
Toggle it on (the option is locked for Free and Creator plans).
Generate the video — the output will preserve more detail and closely match your source bitrate.
Plan requirements for High Bitrate:
Free and Creator: High Bitrate not available.
Pro and Business: High Bitrate available.
High Bitrate uses more processing time than standard mode, but the quality difference is significant for professional work.
Issue 3: Flickering, Distortion, or Frame Inconsistency
Symptoms:
Face or objects flicker between frames
Video shows distorted faces, missing limbs, or impossible geometry
Faces swap places with each other incorrectly
Likely Causes:
AI variability (non-deterministic output). AI generation can produce different results even with identical prompts and settings.
Complex shot composition. Side profiles, multiple faces, or occlusions are harder for the AI to process consistently.
Input video issues: Poor lighting, fast motion, or low source quality increase flickering.
Solutions:
Test with shorter clips first:
Generate a 15–30 second test video instead of your full-length video.
If quality is good, scale up to longer durations.
Improve source video quality:
Ensure adequate lighting — dim or backlit footage causes recognition issues.
Use frontal footage where possible; side profiles and complex angles are more error-prone.
Avoid very fast motion or rapid scene cuts.
Re-render and iterate:
If a single render produces poor results, try again with slightly adjusted settings.
Sometimes the second or third attempt yields much better results.
Contact support if flickering persists — you may be eligible for a credit refund for consistently poor outputs.
Issue 4: "Burn" Effect or Visual Degradation on Longer Videos
Symptoms:
Longer videos show excessive burn, color shifts, or visual degradation partway through
Quality starts strong but deteriorates toward the end
Likely Causes:
Video length exceeds optimal processing range. Some generation modes struggle with very long videos and produce visual artifacts as processing accumulates errors.
Solutions:
Shorten the video:
Split long videos into 15–60 second chunks instead of generating one long video.
Generate each chunk separately, then combine them in a video editor.
For Video-to-Video:
Use the Half FPS option if the output shows burn — this reduces frame count and often improves quality.
Use Full FPS only if your source video is short (under 60 seconds) and you need smooth motion.
Splitting long videos into shorter chunks is the #1 fix for burn effects and produces noticeably better quality.
Issue 5: Incorrect Frame Rate or Resolution Mismatch
Symptoms:
Output video has a different frame rate than expected
Resolution doesn't match what you selected
Likely Causes:
FPS mode selection. In Video-to-Video, you can choose between Full FPS (matches input) and Half FPS (reduces frame count).
Plan-based resolution capping. If you select a resolution above your plan's limit, the system automatically downgrades to the highest allowed resolution.
Solutions:
For Video-to-Video frame rate:
In the creation form, locate the Final Video FPS setting.
Select Full to match your input video's frame rate exactly.
Select Half only if you want to reduce frame count.
For resolution mismatches:
Check your plan's resolution cap at My Plan.
Ensure your selected resolution doesn't exceed your plan limit.
Issue 6: Poor Quality Despite Good Settings (Prompt or Composition Issues)
Symptoms:
Output quality is far worse than showcase examples on the Magic Hour website
AI misinterprets your instructions or creates unexpected results
Likely Causes:
Vague or generic prompts. Showcase videos use highly specific, detailed prompts with creative modifiers.
Poor source material. The showcase examples use high-quality, well-lit source images or videos.
Preview-to-output mismatch. In Video-to-Video, the preview shows only the first frame of your output.
Solutions:
Write detailed, specific prompts:
Instead of: "a person walking"
Try: "a woman walking slowly through a sunlit forest, soft golden lighting filtering through trees, peaceful atmosphere, cinematic"
Use high-quality source material:
Start with clear, well-lit images or videos.
Match lighting and angles closely to your desired output.
Avoid heavily compressed or low-resolution sources.
Review the preview carefully:
In Video-to-Video, examine the preview frame before rendering. If you don't like it, adjust your prompt or source and preview again.
The gap between Magic Hour showcases and your output often comes down to prompt specificity and source quality, not the platform.
Plan-Based Quality Comparison
Feature | Free (Basic) | Creator | Pro | Business |
Max Export Resolution | 576px | 1024px | 1472px | 4K (select modes) |
Watermark | Yes | No | No | No |
High Bitrate Mode | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Upload Limit | 200 MB | 2 GB | 5 GB | 10 GB |
Concurrent Generations | 1 | 3 | 5 | Unlimited |
Priority Processing | No | No | No | No |
Input Format Requirements
Video quality depends partly on your input files. Use these standards:
Supported Video Formats
Recommended: MP4 with H.264 video codec and AAC audio
Also supported: MOV (QuickTime), WEBM, M4V
Aspect ratios: 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, or custom
Bitrate: 8–12 Mbps for 1080p (higher bitrate = better quality)
Max file size: Varies by plan (see table above)
Supported Image Formats
PNG, JPG, JPEG, WEBP, HEIC, AVIF, JP2, TIFF, BMP
Resolution: At least 512×512 pixels recommended
Avoid heavily compressed or low-quality images
AVI and other unsupported formats will fail to upload. Convert to MP4 (H.264/AAC) before uploading if you encounter format errors.
When to Contact Support
Reach out to support if:
You've tried the fixes above and quality issues persist
You receive an error message that isn't explained in this guide
Flickering or distortion appears consistently across multiple renders despite short-form testing
You believe a render was of unusually poor quality and want to discuss a credit refund
When contacting support, include:
Your plan type (Free, Creator, Pro, Business)
Tool used (Face Swap, Lip Sync, Video-to-Video, etc.)
Input file format and resolution
Selected output resolution and any other relevant settings
Screenshot of the error or example of the poor quality output if possible
Key Takeaways
Resolution is plan-based: Upgrade to Creator (1024px), Pro (1472px), or Business (4K) for higher-quality exports
High Bitrate improves downloads: Pro and Business users should enable it for Face Swap and Lip Sync
Test short videos first: Always generate 15–30 second test clips before investing credits in full-length renders
Input quality matters: Use well-lit, high-resolution sources and detailed prompts for better AI outputs
Split long videos: Break content into 15–60 second chunks to avoid burn effects and improve quality
AI is non-deterministic: Sometimes you'll need to re-render — this is normal and expected