# Live video editing from a webcam with a text instruction

> Edit a live webcam or uploaded clip using text instructions. Compare SANA-Streaming and JoyAI-Video-Edit inputs, reference conditioning and responsiveness.

Source: https://windflow.online/use-cases/live-video-editing-from-a-webcam · Updated 2026-10-11 · Windflow Labs

Real-time AI video editing takes a live webcam track or an uploaded clip, applies an edit described in text, and returns the edited stream with the original motion preserved. Windflow hosts two models for it, **SANA-Streaming at $0.0019 per ready second** and **JoyAI-Video-Edit at $0.0021**, behind the same session API.

You send "put him in a red jacket" or "make it look like watercolour" as a prompt, change it while the stream runs, and the model edits only what the instruction names.

## The two models

| | SANA-Streaming | JoyAI-Video-Edit |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 2 billion parameters | 16 billion parameters |
| Source | Webcam track or uploaded clip (at least 41 frames) | Webcam track or uploaded clip |
| Instruction | Edit prompt | Edit instruction, optional reference image |
| Output | 1280 × 704 native edit and delivery | 840 × 480 interactive tier; 1248 × 720 detail tier |
| Price per second | $0.0019 | $0.0021 |
| From | NVIDIA's SANA family | JD's open-source group |

Pages: [SANA-Streaming](https://windflow.online/models/sana-streaming) and [JoyAI-Video-Edit](https://windflow.online/models/joyai-video-edit).

## Which one to start with

- **Start with SANA-Streaming** when you want the smaller model, a fixed 1280 × 704 output and the lowest price in the editing pair. It is a good default for live restyling and effects.
- **Start with JoyAI-Video-Edit** when you want a larger model with a reference-image option for carrying a specific look onto a subject, or when you want the 720p detail tier. SANA-Streaming is prompt-only.

Both preserve the motion of the source, so a speaker keeps moving the way they did while clothing, background or style change. JoyAI-Video-Edit also preserves identity.

## What you can build

- **Live effects for streamers and video calls:** costumes, settings and art styles driven by a text box or a button.
- **Prompt-driven filters** that are described rather than shipped as fixed presets.
- **Clip editing** from a text instruction, without a re-render from scratch.
- **Virtual try-on style experiences** with JoyAI-Video-Edit, where a reference image guides the change.

## Design notes

- **Edits are scoped.** Parts of the source the prompt does not name are preserved. Write instructions that name what should change.
- **JoyAI-Video-Edit holds the picture briefly on a prompt change.** A new instruction, or a new reference image, reopens the model's session at the next boundary. Design the interface so that beat does not read as a freeze.
- **SANA-Streaming re-anchors periodically** to limit drift in long live runs, and a refresh frame can be visually abrupt. Listen for the anchor event and mask it if you need a seamless stream.
- **Fix the camera resolution before you start** a SANA-Streaming live session; a resolution change mid-stream can destabilise it.
- **Consent and disclosure.** Editing a person's face or clothing in live video is sensitive. Tell users when the stream is AI-edited and get consent from anyone on camera.

## Getting started

1. Request access and choose a model.
2. Mint a short-lived token on your server and open a session from the client.
3. Publish the camera track, or upload a clip, and send the first edit prompt.
4. Change the prompt as the user asks; release the session when they leave.

The general flow is in [add live AI video to your app](https://windflow.online/guides/add-live-ai-video-to-your-app). A ten-minute SANA-Streaming session costs $1.14 and a ten-minute JoyAI-Video-Edit session costs $1.26.

## FAQ

### Is there an API for real-time AI video editing from a webcam?

Yes. Windflow hosts SANA-Streaming and JoyAI-Video-Edit, which accept a live webcam track or an uploaded clip plus a text edit instruction and return the edited stream in real time, billed per ready second.

### Does it edit the whole frame?

No. Edits are scoped to what the instruction names; unmentioned parts of the source are preserved, including its motion. JoyAI-Video-Edit also preserves identity.

### Can I use a reference image?

With JoyAI-Video-Edit, yes: an optional reference image helps carry a specific look onto the subject. SANA-Streaming is driven by the edit prompt alone.

### What resolution do I get?

SANA-Streaming edits and delivers at 1280 × 704. JoyAI-Video-Edit offers an 840 × 480 interactive tier and a 1248 × 720 detail tier, and super-resolution can be applied to the delivered stream.

### Does it work on a live camera, or only on files?

Both. Live mode edits a camera track as it arrives; file mode edits an uploaded clip.