diff --git a/components/StudioKindCards.vue b/components/StudioKindCards.vue
index ff2a823..3f3d8c5 100644
--- a/components/StudioKindCards.vue
+++ b/components/StudioKindCards.vue
@@ -38,26 +38,7 @@
         </button>
       </div>
       <p v-else class="border-t border-white/10 px-4 py-2 text-xs text-zinc-500">MiniMax H3</p>
-      <div class="grid grid-cols-2 border-t border-white/10">
-        <button
-          type="button"
-          class="border-r border-white/10 px-3 py-2.5 text-left text-sm transition"
-          :class="engineBtnClass(current === 'video' && videoStart === 'still')"
-          @click="pickStart('still')"
-        >
-          <span class="block font-semibold">Still</span>
-          <span class="text-xs opacity-80">Image to video</span>
-        </button>
-        <button
-          type="button"
-          class="px-3 py-2.5 text-left text-sm transition"
-          :class="engineBtnClass(current === 'video' && videoStart === 'text')"
-          @click="pickStart('text')"
-        >
-          <span class="block font-semibold">Text</span>
-          <span class="text-xs opacity-80">No start still</span>
-        </button>
-      </div>
+      <p class="border-t border-white/10 px-4 py-2 text-xs text-zinc-400">{{ videoStart === 'still' ? 'Image to video' : 'Text to video' }} · automatic</p>
     </div>
 
     <div
@@ -157,7 +138,6 @@ const props = withDefaults(defineProps<{
 const emit = defineEmits<{
   select: [kind: 'video' | 'image']
   'video-engine': [engine: 'minimax' | 'ltx']
-  'video-start': [start: 'still' | 'text']
   'image-engine': [engine: 'flux' | 'krea']
   'music-engine': [engine: 'ace' | 'yue']
 }>()
@@ -172,11 +152,6 @@ function pickVideo(engine: 'minimax' | 'ltx') {
   if (props.current !== 'video') emit('select', 'video')
 }
 
-function pickStart(start: 'still' | 'text') {
-  emit('video-start', start)
-  if (props.current !== 'video') emit('select', 'video')
-}
-
 function pickImage(engine: 'flux' | 'krea') {
   emit('image-engine', engine)
   if (props.current !== 'image') emit('select', 'image')
diff --git a/pages/index.vue b/pages/index.vue
index f7aa2fc..f18e942 100644
--- a/pages/index.vue
+++ b/pages/index.vue
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
         :image-engine="v2Engine"
         @select="selectStudioKind"
         @video-engine="selectVideoEngine"
-        @video-start="selectVideoStart"
         @image-engine="setV2Engine"
       />
       <div class="grid min-w-0 gap-6 lg:grid-cols-[minmax(0,1fr)_minmax(0,1fr)] lg:items-stretch">
@@ -25,7 +24,7 @@
           <h2 class="font-display text-2xl font-bold">Input</h2>
           <p class="text-sm text-zinc-400">{{ studioMode === 'editv2'
             ? (v2Mode === 'generate'
-              ? 'Generate: no reference image. Prompt only.'
+              ? 'Text-to-image: describe what you want. Add a starting image to switch to image-to-image.'
               : v2Mode === 'iterate'
               ? (file
                 ? (editRefFile
@@ -41,7 +40,7 @@
             ? 'Drop the still to edit. An optional second still applies image 2 onto image 1. Files leave the desktop after save.'
             : (textToVideo
               ? 'Text-to-video: write a prompt and generate. No start still required. Shot 2+ still continues from the last frame.'
-              : 'Drop a still, describe the motion, then send the job. Switch the Video card to Text for text-to-video.') }}</p>
+              : 'Describe the motion and generate. Add a starting image for image-to-video; remove it for text-to-video.') }}</p>
         </div>
 
         <div
@@ -85,10 +84,11 @@
           <span class="mt-1 block text-zinc-500">Text-to-video does not need one. Shot 2+ still extends from the last frame.</span>
         </div>
         <div
-          v-else-if="studioMode === 'editv2' && v2Mode === 'generate' && (file || inputStillId)"
+          v-else-if="studioMode === 'editv2' && v2Mode === 'generate'"
           class="rounded-2xl border border-white/10 bg-zinc-950/40 px-4 py-3 text-sm text-zinc-400"
         >
-          Still A is loaded for Edit / Compose / Refine / Iterate. Generate ignores it and uses the prompt only.
+          <button type="button" class="font-medium text-amber-100 hover:underline" @click="openPicker('main')">Optional · add a starting image</button>
+          <span class="mt-1 block text-zinc-400">No image: text-to-image. Add an image to edit it instead.</span>
         </div>
         <div
           v-else-if="studioMode === 'editv2' && v2Mode === 'iterate'"
@@ -131,12 +131,12 @@
           <button
             type="button"
             class="rounded-full border px-3 py-1 text-xs font-medium disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-40"
-            :class="v2Mode === 'edit' ? 'border-amber-300/70 bg-amber-400/10 text-amber-100' : 'border-white/10 text-zinc-400 hover:text-white'"
-            :disabled="v2ModeLocked && v2Mode !== 'edit'"
-            :title="v2ModeLocked && v2Mode !== 'edit' ? 'Remove extra passes to change graphs' : ''"
+            :class="(v2Mode === 'edit' || v2Mode === 'generate') ? 'border-amber-300/70 bg-amber-400/10 text-amber-100' : 'border-white/10 text-zinc-400 hover:text-white'"
+            :disabled="v2ModeLocked && v2Mode !== 'edit' && v2Mode !== 'generate'"
+            :title="v2ModeLocked && v2Mode !== 'edit' && v2Mode !== 'generate' ? 'Remove extra passes to change graphs' : 'Uses your image when one is provided; otherwise generates from text'"
             @click="setV2Mode('edit')"
           >
-            Edit
+            Image
           </button>
           <button
             type="button"
@@ -158,16 +158,6 @@
           >
             Refine
           </button>
-          <button
-            type="button"
-            class="rounded-full border px-3 py-1 text-xs font-medium disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-40"
-            :class="v2Mode === 'generate' ? 'border-amber-300/70 bg-amber-400/10 text-amber-100' : 'border-white/10 text-zinc-400 hover:text-white'"
-            :disabled="v2ModeLocked && v2Mode !== 'generate'"
-            :title="v2ModeLocked && v2Mode !== 'generate' ? 'Remove extra passes to change graphs' : ''"
-            @click="setV2Mode('generate')"
-          >
-            Generate
-          </button>
           <button
             type="button"
             class="rounded-full border px-3 py-1 text-xs font-medium disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-40"
@@ -2253,6 +2243,7 @@
 </template>
 
 <script setup lang="ts">
+import { imageModeForInput, videoStartForInput } from '~/utils/generationInput'
 import { normalizeImageIterations, type ImageIteration } from '~/utils/imageIterations'
 import { composePromptParts, formatPromptParts, resolvePromptWrappers, restorePromptParts } from '~/utils/promptParts'
 import { parseEditPasses, looksLikeShotScript } from '~/utils/parseRecommend'
@@ -2373,7 +2364,6 @@ import {
   minimaxGraphOf,
   parseVideoWorkflow,
   videoEngineOf,
-  videoStartOf,
   type MiniMaxGraphId,
   type VideoEngineId,
   type VideoStartId
@@ -2720,7 +2710,11 @@ const editScaleToTotalPixels = ref(false)
 const editScaleMegapixels = ref(1)
 const editRefFile = ref<File | null>(null)
 const editRefPreview = ref('')
-const v2Mode = ref<ImageV2Mode>('edit')
+const selectedV2Mode = ref<ImageV2Mode>('edit')
+const v2Mode = computed<ImageV2Mode>({
+  get: () => imageModeForInput(selectedV2Mode.value, Boolean(file.value), editPassQueue.value.length > 0),
+  set: mode => { selectedV2Mode.value = mode }
+})
 const v2Engine = ref<ImageV2Engine>('flux')
 const v2Task = ref<ImageV2Task>('scene')
 const v2Negative = ref('')
@@ -2869,7 +2863,7 @@ const lastSelectedKey = ref('')
 const pendingLibraryDelete = ref<PendingLibraryDelete | null>(null)
 const libraryDeleteBusy = ref(false)
 const videoEngine = ref<VideoEngineId>('minimax')
-const videoStart = ref<VideoStartId>('still')
+const videoStart = computed<VideoStartId>(() => videoStartForInput(Boolean(file.value)))
 const minimaxGraph = ref<MiniMaxGraphId>('v2')
 const videoWorkflow = computed(() => composeVideoWorkflow(videoEngine.value, videoStart.value, minimaxGraph.value))
 const textToVideo = computed(() => isTextToVideo(videoWorkflow.value))
@@ -4028,17 +4022,13 @@ onMounted(async () => {
     withSound.value = localStorage.getItem('aigen-generate-sound') !== 'false'
     autoplayEnabled.value = localStorage.getItem('aigen-autoplay') === 'true'
     videoEngine.value = 'minimax'
-    videoStart.value = 'still'
     minimaxGraph.value = 'v2'
     try {
       const saved = parseVideoWorkflow(localStorage.getItem('aigen-video-workflow') || '')
       videoEngine.value = videoEngineOf(saved)
-      videoStart.value = videoStartOf(saved)
       minimaxGraph.value = minimaxGraphOf(saved) === 'v1' ? 'v2' : minimaxGraphOf(saved)
       const engine = localStorage.getItem('aigen-video-engine')
-      const start = localStorage.getItem('aigen-video-start')
       if (engine === 'ltx' || engine === 'minimax') videoEngine.value = engine
-      if (start === 'text' || start === 'still') videoStart.value = start
       if (!ltxEnabled.value && videoEngine.value === 'ltx') {
         videoEngine.value = 'minimax'
         applyEngineDefaults('minimax')
@@ -7171,7 +7161,7 @@ async function editImage() {
 }
 
 function setV2Mode(mode: ImageV2Mode) {
-  if (v2Mode.value === mode) return
+  if (v2Mode.value === imageModeForInput(mode, Boolean(file.value), editPassQueue.value.length > 0)) return
   if (editPassQueue.value.length && v2PassChaining.value) {
     toast('Remove extra passes to change graphs. Extra passes stay in the current mode.')
     return
@@ -7491,15 +7481,9 @@ function selectVideoEngine(engine: VideoEngineId) {
   applyEngineDefaults(engine)
 }
 
-function selectVideoStart(start: VideoStartId) {
-  videoStart.value = start
-  if (studioMode.value !== 'video') selectStudioKind('video')
-}
-
 function applyVideoWorkflow(raw?: string) {
   const parsed = coerceVideoWorkflow(raw, ltxEnabled.value)
   videoEngine.value = videoEngineOf(parsed)
-  videoStart.value = videoStartOf(parsed)
   minimaxGraph.value = minimaxGraphOf(parsed) === 'v1' ? 'v2' : minimaxGraphOf(parsed)
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/generation-input.test.mjs b/tests/generation-input.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..21e5c68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/generation-input.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import test from 'node:test'
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict'
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import ts from 'typescript'
+const source = readFileSync(new URL('../utils/generationInput.ts', import.meta.url), 'utf8')
+const code = ts.transpileModule(source, {compilerOptions:{module:ts.ModuleKind.CommonJS}}).outputText
+const api = {}
+new Function('exports', code)(api)
+
+test('image generation follows adding and removing the starting image, regardless of saved basic mode', () => {
+  for (const saved of ['edit','generate']) {
+    assert.equal(api.imageModeForInput(saved,false),'generate')
+    assert.equal(api.imageModeForInput(saved,true),'edit')
+    assert.equal(api.imageModeForInput(saved,false),'generate')
+  }
+})
+test('video generation follows the starting image', () => {
+  assert.equal(api.videoStartForInput(false),'text')
+  assert.equal(api.videoStartForInput(true),'still')
+  assert.equal(api.videoStartForInput(false),'text')
+})
+test('removing a batch input preserves the batch as text-based iterations', () => {
+  assert.equal(api.imageModeForInput('edit',false,true),'iterate')
+  assert.equal(api.imageModeForInput('edit',true,true),'edit')
+})
+test('explicit compose, refine and iterate modes remain explicit', () => {
+  for (const mode of ['compose','refine','iterate']) {
+    assert.equal(api.imageModeForInput(mode,false),mode)
+    assert.equal(api.imageModeForInput(mode,true),mode)
+  }
+})
diff --git a/utils/generationInput.ts b/utils/generationInput.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73ef754
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/generationInput.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import type { ImageV2Mode } from './imageV2'
+
+export function imageModeForInput(mode: ImageV2Mode, hasImage: boolean, hasPasses = false): ImageV2Mode {
+  if (mode === 'compose' || mode === 'refine' || mode === 'iterate') return mode
+  if (!hasImage && hasPasses) return 'iterate'
+  return hasImage ? 'edit' : 'generate'
+}
+
+export function videoStartForInput(hasImage: boolean): 'still' | 'text' {
+  return hasImage ? 'still' : 'text'
+}