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. Where the service is available

The service is offered to users outside mainland China. It is not directed at, marketed to, or offered to users located in mainland China, and we do not accept orders from there. We may decline or cancel an account or an order that does not meet this condition.

Access is determined by your location when you use the service. If you believe this affects you in error, contact us at support@photothaw.com.

4. 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.

5. 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. Credit packs are available to subscribers.
• 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. Refunds are covered by our Refund Policy (/refund-policy), which forms part of these terms.
• We may change prices. Changes do not affect credits you have already bought.
• Subscriptions renew automatically until you turn off auto-renewal. You can turn it off at any time yourself, on the Credits & payments page of your account — no need to contact us. Turning it off stops future renewals; it does not refund the current period.
• Prices are shown in US dollars. Where taxes apply to a purchase, they are handled by our payment provider at checkout.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. Ending the agreement

• You can close your account at any time from your account page. Closing it deletes your photos and videos, signs you out, and cannot be undone.
• When you close your account, any unused credits are forfeited and are not refunded. If you are still within the withdrawal window described in our Refund Policy and want a refund, contact us before closing your account.
• Purchase, subscription and credit records are kept after closure for accounting and tax purposes, as described in our Privacy Policy. They no longer contain your name, email or photos.
• If your subscription is still auto-renewing, turn off auto-renewal first (Credits & payments page) — you can do this yourself, at any time. If it is still renewing when you close your account, it would keep charging you.
• 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.

12. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. If a change is significant, we will give reasonable notice on the website before it takes effect. Continuing to use the service after a change means you accept the updated terms.

13. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of China, where we are established.

If you are a consumer, you also benefit from any mandatory protections of the law in your country of residence, and you may bring proceedings in your local courts where the law allows. Otherwise, disputes are subject to the courts of China.

Before starting formal proceedings, please contact us — most issues are settled faster by email.

14. Contact

Questions about these terms: support@photothaw.com