# Alibaba Wan Alpha API

> Wan Alpha is Alibaba's text-to-video AI model. Turn written scripts and prompts into professional-quality video clips with realistic motion, lighting, and scene composition.

Source: https://www.sandbase.ai/models/alibaba/wan/alpha
API reference: https://www.sandbase.ai/models/alibaba/wan/alpha#api

## Facts

- Provider: Alibaba
- Type: Video model
- Model ID: `alibaba/wan/alpha`
- Price: From $0.10 per run
- Capabilities: text to video
- Billing: pay per use from one SandBase balance; no provider account or subscription needed

## Call it

- Unified Run API: `POST https://api.sandbase.ai/v1/run`

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.sandbase.ai/v1/run \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SANDBASE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "model": "alibaba/wan/alpha",
  "fps": 16,
  "prompt": "Medium shot. A little girl holds a bubble wand and blows out colorful bubbles that float and pop in the air. The background of this video is transparent. Realistic style.",
  "resolution": "480p",
  "binarize_mask": false,
  "mask_clamp_lower": 0.1,
  "mask_clamp_upper": 0.75,
  "video_output_type": "VP9 (.webm)",
  "mask_binarization_threshold": 0.8
}'
```

The response returns a run id; poll `GET https://api.sandbase.ai/v1/run/{id}` until the status is `completed` or `failed`.

## FAQ

### How do I call Alibaba Wan Alpha through SandBase?

Create a SandBase API key, then send requests with the model ID "alibaba/wan/alpha" to Unified Run API (/v1/run) at https://api.sandbase.ai. The request examples on this page show the exact payload.

### Do I need a separate Alibaba account?

No. One SandBase API key and balance gives you access to Alibaba Wan Alpha and the other models in the catalog; you do not need to sign up with Alibaba separately.

## README

### Wan Alpha

Wan Alpha creates professional text-to-video clips from scripts and descriptive prompts, emphasizing realistic motion, lighting, and scene composition. It serves as an exploratory Wan generation model for converting narrative ideas into moving visual concepts without requiring a source image or reference clip.

Use a complete scene description with subject, action, environment, camera position, movement, time of day, lighting, and mood. It works best for concept development and cinematic ideation where the creator wants the model to invent the full visual world rather than preserve an existing asset.

#### Highlights

- **Script-to-scene translation.** Turns written narrative direction into a staged moving sequence.
- **Realistic motion rendering.** Produces subject and environmental movement intended to feel physically connected.
- **Lighting-aware cinematography.** Builds illumination and atmosphere into the generated scene rather than adding them as flat style labels.
- **Composed visual storytelling.** Coordinates subject placement, background, camera, and action into a readable shot.

#### Pricing

| Resolution | Price per generated second |
|---|---:|
| 240p | $0.010 |
| 360p | $0.010 |
| 480p | $0.020 |
| 720p | $0.040 |

#### When to Use

| ✅ Good fit | ❌ Consider alternatives |
|---|---|
| The project needs this exact multimodal creation workflow | The intended task belongs to a different media route |
| Available source media matches every required field | Required assets or usage rights are unavailable |
| The brief can define subject, action, camera, and style | Output must be deterministic at frame or pixel level |
| Supported duration, resolution, and framing fit delivery | Final placement requires unsupported specifications |
| An asynchronous generation job fits production | A live or frame-synchronous response is mandatory |

#### Prompt Guide

Describe the result as a shot or design brief: identify subjects and references, state the action or transformation, specify environment and composition, then add camera behavior, lighting, pacing, style, sound, and preservation constraints where relevant. Use exact reference identifiers exposed by the local schema.

```json
{
  "fps": 16,
  "prompt": "A cinematic scene with clearly directed subject action, camera movement, lighting, pacing, and atmosphere",
  "resolution": "240p",
  "seed": 1
}
```

#### Technical Specs

| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Model ID | `alibaba/wan/alpha` |
| Input fields | `fps` (integer; 1–60)<br>`seed` (integer)<br>`prompt` (string)<br>`resolution` (string; `240p`, `360p`, `480p`, `720p`)<br>`aspect_ratio` (string; `21:9`, `16:9`, `3:2`, `4:3`, `5:4`, `1:1`, `4:5`, `3:4`, `2:3`, `9:16`)<br>`binarize_mask` (boolean)<br>`mask_clamp_lower` (number; 0–1)<br>`mask_clamp_upper` (number; 0–1)<br>`video_output_type` (string; `X264 (.mp4)`, `VP9 (.webm)`, `PRORES4444 (.mov)`, `GIF (.gif)`)<br>`mask_binarization_threshold` (number; 0–1) |
| Required input | `prompt` |
| Output fields | `url`, `content_type` |
| Execution | Asynchronous job |

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