Terms of Service

1. Who we are

PhotoThaw is an online service that turns a still photograph into a short video. In these terms, "PhotoThaw", "we", "us" and "our" mean the operator of this website and service. These terms form an agreement between you and us when you use our website and services. You can reach us at support@photothaw.com.

By creating an account or using the service, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.

2. What the service does

PhotoThaw turns a still photograph into a short video using third-party artificial intelligence models. You upload an image, we send it to an AI model provider, and the resulting video is returned to you.

The models we use are third-party video generation models: currently Alibaba Wan 2.2 and MiniMax H3, accessed through commercial API providers (currently WaveSpeedAI, Singapore). We may add, replace or retire a model as the technology develops. This paragraph is the authoritative list of the models in use at any time.

The results are generated by automated systems. They are unpredictable by nature: quality varies with the input photo, and a generation may fail or produce something you do not like. We do not guarantee any particular outcome.

3. Your account

• You must be at least 18 years old, or the age of majority where you live.
• You are responsible for keeping access to your account secure.
• You must provide accurate information and keep it up to date.
• One person, one account. Do not share accounts or resell access.

4. Credits, plans and payment

• Generating a video costs credits. The credit cost of each model and setting is shown before you confirm a generation.
• Credits are included with a paid plan, or can be bought in packs.
• If a generation fails, the credits reserved for it are returned to your account automatically.
• Credits have no cash value, are not transferable, and are not redeemable for money.
• We may change prices. Changes do not affect credits you have already bought.
• Subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel. Cancelling stops future renewals; it does not refund the current period.

5. Your content

You keep ownership of the photos you upload and the videos we generate for you.

To operate the service, you grant us a limited licence to store, process, transmit and display your content — only as needed to run the service, including sending it to our AI model providers.

You confirm that you have the right to use every photo you upload. In particular, you must have permission from any identifiable person in the photo. Do not upload photos of other people without their consent.

6. Acceptable use and content standards

Your use of the service must follow our Acceptable Use Policy (/acceptable-use), which forms part of these terms.

In short, you may not use PhotoThaw to create sexual or NSFW content, graphic violence or gore, hate speech or harassment, any content that sexualises or harms a minor, deepfakes or impersonations of real people, or content that infringes copyright or trademark. Our Acceptable Use Policy lists these categories in full, explains what happens when they are broken, and tells you how to report content that breaks them.

7. Our content and intellectual property

The PhotoThaw name, website, design, and underlying software belong to us. These terms do not give you any rights to them beyond what is needed to use the service.

8. Availability

We aim to keep the service available, but we do not promise uninterrupted service. Generations may be queued during busy periods, and we may modify or discontinue features.

Some features depend on third-party providers. If a provider becomes unavailable, the affected models may stop working.

9. Disclaimers and limits

The service is provided "as is". To the extent permitted by law, we exclude implied warranties.

To the extent permitted by law, our total liability to you is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, or (b) USD 50. We are not liable for indirect or consequential losses.

Nothing here limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including for fraud or death and personal injury caused by negligence.

10. Ending the agreement

• You can stop using the service and close your account at any time.
• We may suspend or close your account if you breach these terms, if required by law, or if your use creates risk for us or other users.
• If we close your account for a reason other than your breach, we will refund unused credits.

11. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. If a change is significant, we will give reasonable notice — for example by email or a notice on the website. Continuing to use the service after a change means you accept the updated terms.

12. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of China, and the courts of that jurisdiction have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes.

13. Contact

Questions about these terms: support@photothaw.com