Nano
Nano is ACT3 AI's fastest video generation engine — designed for one thing: getting a visual answer in seconds so you can keep creative momentum moving.
Nano does not produce final-quality output. It produces fast output — enough to tell you whether a shot concept is working, whether a scene structure makes visual sense, and whether you're on the right track before investing in a full-quality render.
What Nano does
- Sub-10-second generation — Most Nano shots generate in under 10 seconds from prompt submission
- Instant visual feedback — See a rough version of your shot immediately without waiting for a full render queue cycle
- Ultra-low credit cost — Nano is the lowest cost-per-shot of any engine in ACT3 AI
- Rapid iteration — Generate 5 or 10 variations of a shot in the time it takes Wan 2.1 to produce one
- Offline brainstorming — Block out an entire scene's shot list visually in minutes before committing to full production
How to use Nano
In the Shot Editor:
- Click AI → Nano from the engine selector
- Enter or review the shot prompt (Nano works with the same prompt structure as other engines)
- Click Generate Now
- The result appears in the Shot Preview panel in seconds
Nano results are automatically tagged as Preview quality — they appear in the Shot Panel as a visual reference, not as an approved production clip. To promote a Nano preview to a production clip, generate the same shot with Wan 2.1, Grok Video, or Veo 3 at the appropriate quality tier.
Nano in the production workflow
Nano fits into the earliest stage of production:
- Nano — Generate many rough previews to find shot concepts that work. Free-form, fast, disposable.
- Wan 2.1 — Refine the winning concepts at preview quality. Share with the team for feedback.
- Grok Video / Veo 3 — Final-quality renders for the approved shot direction.
Think of Nano as the rough thumbnail pass — the stage where you figure out what you want before spending anything to make it look good.
When to use Nano vs. Wan 2.1
| Use case | Nano | Wan 2.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Solo brainstorming on shot composition | ✓ | |
| Checking whether a scene structure works visually | ✓ | |
| Client or team preview for feedback | ✓ | |
| Collaborative generation session with multiple users | ✓ | |
| Blocking a full scene shot list (10+ shots) quickly | ✓ | |
| Pre-production visual planning document | ✓ | |
| First-pass before overnight render queue | ✓ |
Both engines are fast and inexpensive. Use Nano when speed matters more than clarity. Use Wan 2.1 when you need a result you can show someone.
Credit usage
Nano is billed at a flat rate per generated clip, regardless of duration (up to 10 seconds). Nano clips cost approximately 15% of a standard Wan 2.1 preview clip.
For rough shot planning on a 30-shot scene, Nano preview costs are minimal — less than a single Wan 2.1 final preview clip.
Limitations
- Nano is low fidelity. Characters may not be consistent, small details may not render correctly, and lighting may be approximate. This is intentional — Nano is optimized for speed, not accuracy.
- Nano previews are not production clips. They are tagged as Preview only. Do not export Nano clips as final video.
- Nano does not support all shot types. Highly complex camera movements (crane with multiple keyframes) and multi-character blocking scenes produce better results with Wan 2.1 or higher.
- Nano clips do not sync lipsync. Dialogue timing and character lip movement are not calculated at Nano quality.
Related
- Wan 2.1 — The next step up: fast previews with collaborative sessions
- Grok Video — High-quality stylized generation
- Google Veo 3 — Maximum quality final renders
- Render Queue — Managing the full generation pipeline
- Credits — Understanding generation costs