Want to create something completely your own? Playground gives you a flexible space to create your own images and videos with AI. You can start with a prompt, bring in one or more reference images, or put together an image first and turn it into a video.
Here’s how to do it:
Log in to your Zeely account: https://app.zeely.ai
From the left menu, go to Image ads, then pick out Playground from the tiles at the top.
At the top of the page, choose Image from the options above the workspace.
Add reference images
Click the add image icon to open the reference picker. From here you can either upload a new file or pull one in from your existing gallery.
To upload: drag and drop a file into the upload area, or click it to browse your device. Zeely accepts WEBP, PNG, JPEG, JPG, and HEIC files up to 10 MB each. If you upload your own image, you could be asked to accept Zeely’s Terms of Use.
To reuse an existing image: browse the left-hand panel (Uploads, Projects, Assets) or pull one from your gallery under Image ads, Video ads, Viral videos, or Avatars.
You can select several images at once. As you tap through them, each one gets numbered in the order you picked it, which sets how they'll show up as references.
Once you're done picking, click Continue with [number] images to bring them into your prompt.
Tell AI how to use your references.
Each image you add shows up above the prompt box as a small tag, like @img1 or @img2. You can call these out directly in your prompt to tell the AI exactly what each one should be used for.
For example: "Use @img1 as the main subject, holding @img2, in the editorial style of the scene."
That lets you line up one reference for a person's appearance, another for a product, and another for the overall style or composition.
Tagging is optional. If you leave your prompt without any @ tags, all your selected images still get sent to the model, and it works out on its own how to use them.
Describe your idea. Type your prompt into the text box. You can start from scratch or walk through how you want your references to appear in the scene, covering things like what the subject should be doing, where it's set, the mood, the lighting, and the overall style.
Open the AI model dropdown and pick a model. The settings available underneath change depending on which one you choose:
Nano Banana Pro: 1k, 2k, or 4k resolution
Nano Banana 2: 0.5k, 1k, 2k, 4k resolution
GPT Image 2: 1k, 2k, or 4k resolution, plus Low, Medium, or High quality
Below the model picker you'll also find:
Aspect Ratio: sets the shape of your image (square, portrait, landscape, and so on). Some ratios are flagged for specific uses, like 9:16 for Stories and Reels, or 4:5 and 1:1 for feed posts and ads. Default is 9:16.
Resolution: choose the output resolution available for your selected model.
Quality: If you choose GPT Image 2, you can also select the image quality: Low, Medium, or High.
Output count: how many versions to generate in one go, from 1 up to 4.
If you switch models partway through, your prompt and references carry over. Should the new model not support a setting or reference you've already picked, Zeely will flag it and suggest alternatives instead.
Once everything's set, click Generate. Each generation draws down a credit cost, shown right on the button.
Nano Banana models usually take about a minute to generate, while GPT Image 2 may take closer to three minutes.
When your images come through, you'll find them in the Projects panel on the right.
Use the filters at the top to quickly find what you're looking for:
All shows everything you've generated.
Images shows only your image generations.
Videos shows only your video generations.
If you want to mark a generation as a favorite, hover over it to reveal the heart icon in the top-left corner, then click it to add the generation to your favorites.
To bring an image to life, open it and click Create video to jump over to the Video tab with that image already set as your starting frame.
Want to take your image a step further? Open it and click Create video. This opens the Video tab with your image already set as the starting frame. For the next steps, see How to create a video in Playground.
Use Playground whenever you want to experiment with an idea. Describe what you have in mind, and watch it come to life ✦
If something doesn’t look right or you need a hand, reach out to our Support team through the in-app chat or email us at [email protected].