Introducing WaveSpeedAI Depth Anything Video on WaveSpeedAI

Depth Estimation Meets Video: Introducing Depth Anything Video on WaveSpeedAI

Understanding the three-dimensional structure of a scene from flat, two-dimensional footage has long been one of the most challenging problems in computer vision. For filmmakers, game developers, AR engineers, and 3D artists, extracting reliable depth information from video traditionally required specialized hardware like LiDAR sensors or stereo camera rigs. That changes today.

We’re excited to announce Depth Anything Video is now available on WaveSpeedAI — bringing state-of-the-art, temporally consistent video depth estimation to your workflow through a simple API call.

What is Depth Anything Video?

Depth Anything Video (VDA) is a specialized AI model that transforms standard 2D video into dense, pixel-wise depth maps. Based on the acclaimed Depth Anything V2 foundation — which earned a CVPR 2025 Highlight for its groundbreaking approach to consistent depth estimation in super-long videos — this model predicts the distance of every pixel from the camera, frame by frame, while maintaining smooth temporal coherence.

The result is a grayscale depth-encoded video where white represents objects closest to the camera and black represents the farthest distances. Unlike applying single-image depth estimation frame-by-frame (which produces distracting flickering artifacts), Depth Anything Video is purpose-built for video, ensuring stable and consistent depth predictions across every frame of your footage.

Key Features

Temporal Consistency: The model’s spatial-temporal architecture eliminates the flickering and jittering that plagues frame-by-frame depth estimation. Depth values remain stable across frames, producing smooth, production-ready output.
Three Model Sizes: Choose the right balance of speed and quality for your project:
- VDA-Small — Fastest inference, ideal for real-time applications, mobile previews, and rapid prototyping
- VDA-Base — Balanced performance for general creative projects and social media content
- VDA-Large — Maximum precision for professional VFX, cinematography, and 3D environment scanning
Fine-Grained Detail: Excels at capturing thin structures and complex silhouettes — hair strands, tree branches, distant architectural elements, and intricate foreground objects are rendered with impressive accuracy.
Zero-Shot Generalization: Performs reliably across diverse environments without scene-specific tuning. Indoor studios, outdoor landscapes, urban streets, underwater footage — the model adapts to whatever you throw at it.
Super-Long Video Support: Built with a key-frame-based inference strategy, the model handles videos of any length without degradation in quality or consistency.

Real-World Use Cases

Cinematography and Visual Effects

Depth maps are a VFX artist’s secret weapon. With per-pixel depth data from Depth Anything Video, you can:

Add realistic depth-of-field blur in post-production, simulating expensive cinema lenses
Create atmospheric fog and volumetric lighting effects that respond naturally to scene geometry
Generate parallax effects for 2.5D motion in still photos and video
Produce convincing object compositing where virtual elements interact correctly with real-world depth

3D Scene Reconstruction

Extract spatial geometry from any video to build point clouds and 3D meshes. This is invaluable for architecture visualization, cultural heritage preservation, real estate virtual tours, and creating game-ready environments from real-world footage — all without a single LiDAR scan.

Augmented Reality

Depth maps enable realistic AR occlusion, allowing virtual objects to pass behind physical objects in a video scene. This is critical for believable AR experiences where digital content must respect the spatial layout of the real world.

Motion Graphics and Creative Content

Use depth data as a displacement map for striking visual transitions, particle effects that respond to scene geometry, or dynamic text placement that wraps around objects in the scene. Content creators on social media are already leveraging depth-based effects for eye-catching reels and videos.

Monocular depth estimation from video provides spatial awareness for robotic systems and autonomous vehicles, offering a cost-effective alternative to expensive sensor arrays while delivering reliable distance information in real time.

Getting Started on WaveSpeedAI

Running Depth Anything Video on WaveSpeedAI takes just a few lines of code. No GPU provisioning, no model setup, no cold starts — just upload your video and get results.

import wavespeed

output = wavespeed.run(
    "wavespeed-ai/depth-anything/video",
    {
        "video": "https://example.com/your-video.mp4",
        "model": "VDA-Large",
    },
)

print(output["outputs"][0])  # URL to your depth-encoded video

Choosing the Right Model Size

Model	Best For	Performance
VDA-Small	Real-time apps, mobile previews, quick iterations	Optimized speed
VDA-Base	Creative projects, social media, general use	Balanced
VDA-Large	Professional VFX, 3D scanning, cinematography	Best quality

For most users, we recommend starting with VDA-Large for the highest quality output. If you need faster turnaround for iterative workflows or real-time applications, scale down to VDA-Base or VDA-Small.

Pro Tips

Read the histogram: In your output, pure white = closest to camera, pure black = farthest away. This convention is standard for depth map compositing.
Steady lighting matters: Consistent lighting in your source footage produces the most accurate depth estimation.
Use VDA-Large for fine detail: If your video contains intricate foreground elements like hair, thin wires, or foliage, the Large model captures these structures with significantly higher fidelity.

Why WaveSpeedAI?

Running depth estimation models locally demands significant GPU resources and technical setup. WaveSpeedAI removes that friction entirely:

No cold starts — Your inference begins immediately, every time
Blazing-fast inference — Optimized infrastructure delivers results faster than self-hosted alternatives
Affordable pricing — Pay only for what you use, with no upfront GPU costs
Simple API — A clean REST interface that integrates into any pipeline in minutes

Whether you’re a solo creator adding depth effects to a YouTube video or an enterprise VFX studio processing thousands of shots, WaveSpeedAI scales with your needs.

Unlock the Third Dimension in Your Video

Depth Anything Video represents a significant leap forward in making professional-grade depth estimation accessible to everyone. The combination of temporal consistency, zero-shot generalization, and flexible model sizes makes it a versatile tool for creators, developers, and researchers alike.

Ready to add depth intelligence to your video pipeline? Try Depth Anything Video on WaveSpeedAI today and start transforming flat footage into rich, spatially-aware content.