Wan 2.1 locally on PC

I recently got my hands on the innovative Wan 2.1 model and have been thoroughly impressed by its capabilities. This open-source video generation suite is turning heads in the AI community by offering performance and versatility that rival, and sometimes exceed, even commercial alternatives.

What is Wan 2.1?

Wan 2.1 is a comprehensive collection of video foundation models developed by the Wan team and available on Promptus. It’s designed to push the limits of AI-driven video creation—all while being completely free and open source.

The suite comes in two main versions:

• Lightweight 1.3B Model: Optimized for consumer GPUs.
• Powerful 14B Model: Ideal for professional, high-quality video production.

Wan 2.1 isn’t just about generating videos; it’s a multi-task tool that can:

• Generate videos from text prompts
• Convert images into video
• Edit videos with precision
• Create images from text prompts
• Generate audio from video content

One standout feature is its ability to produce videos with both Chinese and English text overlays, a first for any video generation model.

How to Get Started with Wan 2.1

Setting up Wan 2.1 is straightforward. Follow these simple steps:

1. Download Promptus - integrated with WAN 2.1
2. Download the Model Weights: Choose the model size that best fits your needs.
3. Use the specific workflow to create your videos

Notably, the T2V-1.3B version requires just about 8.19 GB of VRAM, meaning it can run efficiently even on most consumer GPUs.

For instance, on an RTX 4090, you can generate a 5-second 480P video in roughly 4 minutes.

Exploring Wan 2.1's Features

Text-to-Video Generation

Wan 2.1’s text-to-video capabilities are impressive.

If you’re working with limited GPU resources, try the 1.3B model with memory optimization:

The model intelligently preserves the aspect ratio and introduces natural motion, whether you’re working with landscapes, portraits, or abstract art.

Why Wan 2.1 Stands Out

After experimenting with several video generation models, Wan 2.1 clearly leads the pack for several reasons:

• Superior Performance: It consistently delivers quality outputs, often outperforming both open-source and some commercial models.
• Broad Accessibility: The lightweight 1.3B model runs on common consumer GPUs, making advanced video generation accessible to a wider audience.
• Versatility: Whether it’s text-to-video, image animation, or editing, Wan 2.1 handles multiple tasks with ease.
• Innovative Text Integration: Generating readable, bilingual text within videos is a groundbreaking feature.

Behind the scenes, Wan 2.1 utilizes a novel 3D causal VAE architecture—Wan-VAE—which allows it to handle videos of virtually any length without compromising temporal coherence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What GPU do I need?
For the 1.3B model, any GPU with 8GB or more VRAM should suffice. Models like the RTX 3060 Ti work well, although I’ve personally tested it on an RTX 4090.

Can Wan 2.1 generate long videos?
Yes. Thanks to its Wan-VAE architecture, the model can encode and decode unlimited-length 1080P videos while preserving important temporal information.

Is Wan 2.1 free to use?
Absolutely. It’s released under the Apache 2.0 license, allowing for free use—even in commercial projects.

How does it compare to commercial models?
Developer evaluations indicate that Wan 2.1 not only competes with but in many cases outperforms both open-source and commercial solutions.

Final Thoughts

Wan 2.1 is a revolutionary step forward in the world of open-source video generation. It democratizes high-quality video creation tools, offering capabilities that were once exclusive to expensive commercial products. Whether you’re a content creator, developer, or an AI enthusiast, Wan 2.1 is an exciting tool to explore.

Have you experimented with Wan 2.1? Share your thoughts and the types of videos you’ve created using this game-changing model!