Kling 4.0 Launches With 30-Second Native Generation and 10-bit HDR Output

The model focuses on high-dynamic, complex camera-movement scenes. According to Leiphone, Kling 4.0 is built to hold picture stability and continuity through high-speed motion, continuous action and wide camera moves such as tracking and orbiting shots. On the image side, it supports up to 10-bit HDR, which the company says preserves more highlight and shadow detail in backlit, night and neon scenes and leaves more room for color grading. It will also support 4K, 1080p and 21:9 ultra-wide framing.

Native generation time has been raised to a maximum of 30 seconds, allowing long takes and continuous narrative. The model's handling of push, pull, pan, tilt, tracking and orbit movements has been strengthened, with smoother shot-size transitions and scene changes. Prompt input length now reaches up to 8,000 tokens, and the model applies what the company calls director-style reasoning to expand and supplement prompts.

The upgraded all-purpose reference function accepts a flexible combination of images, videos, subjects and voice in a single task, up to 15 items in total, including up to 10 images, five video clips and seven subjects. Supported image inputs include subject references, three-view images, grid images, storyboards and wireframes; video inputs can carry character performance, action, camera movement and narrative rhythm, and white-model and depth-map videos can also be submitted. Creators can input up to 10 keyframes to set character states, scene changes and plot points. The video-extension function will later support multiple extensions, extending output to as long as two minutes.

At the 31st Busan International Film Festival's Asian Contents and Film Market, director Kim Sung-su, whose credits include "12.12: The Day," described using Kling AI in production. For his in-progress AI short film "Worm Train," a core scene shows passengers squeezed into a carriage with a giant insect, their bodies colliding repeatedly. After Kling 4.0 entered internal testing in September, Kim and his team completed the scene. "With the upgrade of Kling 4.0, we can get closer to filmmaking in the true sense, and AI-generated images have richer cinematic expressiveness," Kim said.

Kling AI also pointed to industry recognition. At this year's Cannes International Festival of Creativity, which for the first time included AI in its judging system, two works made with Kling AI won Gold Lions. At the recent Toronto International Film Festival market, the company hosted industry guests to discuss generative technology in creative development and production; the in-progress "MINIBOTS" incorporated Kling 4.0 into its professional workflow, using functions such as all-purpose reference for action design and shot scheduling. "The consistency of camera movement and between multiple characters was especially impressive," said John Adams and Diane Shorthouse, co-founders of Evolutionary Films. "It feels more and more like directing a film rather than just writing prompts for an AI."

Kling AI said it has completed more than 30 major iterations since launch. Public information cited by the company shows it has attracted over 100 million users across 224 countries and regions, serves more than 50,000 enterprises and has reached an annual revenue scale of $500 million. Kling 4.0 also connects to Kling MCP and CLI, allowing creators to call capabilities such as all-purpose reference and keyframe-to-video through AI agents. Beyond the consumer-facing upgrade, the model's capabilities will soon be opened to enterprise customers and developers through an API.