Linum
Two-person research lab training open-source text-to-video models from scratch
Linum v2 delivers genuine open-source video generation for those who can handle the technical lift. If you need to fine-tune or self-host a video model, it's one of the few viable options. For everyone else, wait for a production wrapper.
- AI researchers and ML engineers exploring generative video
- Independent animators and filmmakers with ML skills
- Open-source enthusiasts who want to fine-tune video models
- Creative technologists building custom video pipelines
- Non-technical creators seeking a ready-to-use video generator
- Projects requiring real-time video generation
- Commercial use needing dedicated support or SLAs
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In short
Linum — Two-person research lab training open-source text-to-video models from scratch. Best for AI researchers and ML engineers exploring generative video, Independent animators and filmmakers with ML skills, Open-source enthusiasts who want to fine-tune video models. Free to use.
Viability Score
How likely is Linum to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 4 signals — momentum (how recently it shipped), wrapper dependency, revenue model, and web presence.
Last calculated: July 2026
How we score →Key Features
- Text-to-video generation from scratch
- Consistent character animation across frames
- Intentional camera movement
- Controllable motion
- 360p video output
- 720p video output
- Model weights download (Apache 2.0)
- Source code availability
- Research blog and Field Notes newsletter
- 2 billion parameter model
About Linum
Linum is a research lab run by two people that builds text-to-video models from scratch. Its latest model, Linum v2, has 2 billion parameters and is released under the Apache 2.0 license at both 360p and 720p resolutions, with downloadable weights for self-hosting. The lab focuses on creative controls that matter to animators—consistent characters, intentional camera movement, and controllable motion—embedding these into the model training rather than adding them as post-processing steps. This makes Linum a unique choice for ML engineers and researchers who want full control over video generation, though it requires technical expertise to run locally. Backed by Y Combinator, Linum also publishes research blogs and a newsletter called Field Notes, sharing candid lessons from training a frontier video model. Unlike polished tools such as Runway or Pika, Linum offers full model weights and a permissive license, enabling fine-tuning and offline use, but lacks a user interface for non-technical creators.
Behind the Verdict
Linum is a rare beast in the AI video space: a genuine open-source text-to-video model with permissive licensing and full weights. The two-person team behind it publishes transparent research — like their VAE experiments and training infrastructure blogs — which is refreshingly honest. If you're an ML engineer who wants to fine-tune or customise a video model, Linum's Apache 2.0 license means you can deploy it anywhere without restrictions. That's its killer advantage over closed alternatives like Runway or Pika. But let's be clear: this is not a consumer product. There's no UI, no API — you need to download the weights, set up a GPU environment (16GB+ VRAM recommended), and run inference yourself. For animators or filmmakers who aren't also developers, Linum remains a research project, not a tool. We'd reach for this when building a custom video pipeline, experimenting with animation control, or needing offline generation. Where it bites: the output resolution tops out at 720p, real-time generation is out of reach, and there's no support or SLA. It's a capable model for the technically inclined, but most users should wait for a more polished interface or a hosted version.
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Use Cases
- Generate short animated clips from text descriptions for prototyping or storyboarding.
- Experiment with controllable motion and camera movements in AI-generated video.
- Fine-tune or adapt the open-source model for custom creative projects.
- Contribute to and build upon a cutting-edge text-to-video foundation model.
- Explore research into video generation primitives like character consistency.
Models Under the Hood
as of 2026-07-18
Limitations
- The model is research-grade and may not produce consistently high-quality results across all prompts.
- Resolution is limited to 720p.
- There is no API, UI, or customer support; users must download weights and run inference themselves.
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
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