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A prompt is not better just because it is longer.
In most cases, clearly writing the subject, action, scene, and camera is more useful than stacking adjectives. This guide summarizes the most common prompt-writing issues, so you can compare and edit your own prompts directly.
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When getting started, you can write in three layers:
| Order | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence 1 | Subject, action, and scene | An astronaut walks slowly across the moon surface |
| Sentence 2 | Camera, lighting, and style | Low-angle tracking shot, cold moonlight, Earth in the distance |
| Sentence 3 | What needs to stay consistent | Natural movement, stable face, consistent lighting |
In general, 50–80 English words, or 2–3 short sentences, can cover most creative needs.
When too many details about appearance, scene, mood, and camera are packed into one prompt, the main focus can become scattered. Start by making the core image clear, then add camera direction and consistency requirements.
| Original | Improved |
|---|---|
| A very beautiful, cinematic, epic, high-quality girl stands in a forest, wearing a white dress, with many leaves, nice light, dreamy atmosphere, and a moving camera. | A girl in a white dress stands on a forest path, her hair and dress moving in the wind. The camera slowly pushes in, with morning backlight through the trees. Keep the face stable, motion natural, and lighting consistent. |
Remove vague adjectives, make “forest” more specific as “forest path,” and replace “nice light” with “morning backlight through the trees.”
Words like cinematic, high quality, and epic are broad. Before using them, think about the exact lighting, composition, or camera style you want.
| Broad description | Direct rewrite |
|---|---|
| cinematic | golden hour backlight, long shadows, soft contrast |
| beautiful / refined / delicate | soft morning light, clean skin texture, low-saturation tones |
| epic | wide shot, low-angle shot, massive clouds, strong backlight |
Camera movement can add energy to a video, but putting too many directions in the same sentence, such as push, pan, and rotate at the same time, can make the shot unstable.
| Original | Improved |
|---|---|
| Camera pushes in while panning left and rotating around the subject. | Slow push-in camera, slight handheld feel. |
| Fast zoom, pan, tilt, and orbit shot. | Slow orbit shot around the subject, smooth camera movement. |
Choose one main movement direction, then add a small texture, such as slight handheld motion or smooth movement.
Instead of writing a list like “negative: jitter, bad hands, deformation,” describe the visual state you want to keep. The prompt becomes clearer and easier to control.