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Text to Video Generator Guide: Prompt Formulas, Examples, and Best Practices
A text to video generator can feel like magic: you type an idea, and a video appears. But if you’ve tried it before, you’ve probably experienced the other side too—generic visuals, awkward motion, random scene changes, or a clip that looks “AI” in the wrong way.
In most cases, the tool isn’t the problem. The prompt is.
Text-to-video works best when you stop thinking like a writer and start thinking like a director. Your prompt shouldn’t describe your business idea—it should describe what the viewer should see, what happens on screen, how the camera moves, and what style the clip should feel like.
This guide gives you a repeatable system: prompt formulas, scene templates, style controls, and copy-paste examples you can reuse for TikTok, Reels, Shorts, product ads, and storytelling content.
1) Why Most Text-to-Video Prompts Fail
Weak prompts usually fall into one of these traps:
A) The prompt is an “idea,” not a visual
Bad: “A video about saving time with my app.”
Better: “Over-the-shoulder shot of a person using a productivity app on a phone, tapping a to-do list, quick UI transitions, handheld feel.”
Video models need visual information. “Saving time” is not a visual until you show a clock, a faster workflow, or a before/after moment.
B) Too many concepts at once
Bad: “A cinematic ad with a girl running in a city at night, then a sunrise beach, then a phone app demo, then a discount code.”
This overloads the model, causing messy outputs. Split into scenes.
C) Vague adjectives
Words like “beautiful,” “cool,” “premium,” “amazing” don’t translate well to visuals unless you specify lighting, camera, environment, and motion.
D) Missing camera and motion guidance
Without camera language, outputs can look static. A few simple camera cues can drastically improve realism.
E) No format specification
If you want TikTok/Reels/Shorts output, say vertical, and mention you want safe space for captions.
2) The 5-Part Prompt Formula (Works for 80% of Use Cases)
Use this template:
[Subject] + [Action] + [Environment] + [Camera/Motion] + [Style/Lighting]
Example (UGC demo):
“Hands demonstrating a compact kitchen gadget on a countertop, cutting prep time fast, bright modern kitchen, handheld phone camera with quick cuts, natural daylight, realistic UGC style, vertical video.”
Example (cinematic hero):
“A sleek product on a minimal studio table, slow rotation with subtle reflections, clean background, slow dolly-in, high-key studio lighting, premium cinematic feel, vertical 6–8 seconds.”
If your tool supports negative instructions, add:
· “no text artifacts”
· “no watermark”
· “no distorted hands”
· “no extra fingers”
(Keep negative prompts short; too many can confuse.)
3) Add These “Control Blocks” to Improve Output Fast
Think of these as plug-ins you can attach to almost any prompt.
A) Camera Block (choose one)
· Handheld phone camera (UGC / creator ads)
· Over-the-shoulder POV (tutorial / app demo feel)
· Macro close-up (textures, product details)
· Slow dolly-in (cinematic product hero)
· Static tripod shot (clean explainer, stable)
B) Motion Block (choose one)
· “subtle natural movement, gentle camera shake”
· “fast jump cuts, energetic pacing”
· “slow smooth movement, minimal jitter”
· “parallax depth effect, slight background shift”
· “hands moving naturally, realistic timing”
C) Lighting Block (choose one)
· “soft window light, natural daylight”
· “warm indoor tungsten lighting”
· “high-key studio lighting, clean reflections”
· “neon city night lighting”
· “golden hour sunlight”
D) Format Block (always specify)
· “vertical 9:16”
· “6–8 seconds” (for hook tests)
· “15–25 seconds” (for explainers)
· “leave safe space at top for captions”
These blocks reduce randomness and give the model a clear target.
4) The Scene Method: How to Make Multi-Scene Videos That Stay Coherent
If you try to generate an entire story in one prompt, you often get inconsistent scenes. Instead, use a scene pack:
· Scene 1: hook / problem moment
· Scene 2: discovery
· Scene 3: demo / proof
· Scene 4: outcome
· Scene 5: CTA
Write each scene prompt with consistent elements:
· same character description
· same environment (or a deliberate change)
· consistent style and lighting
Scene prompt pattern:
“Scene 1/5: …”
“Scene 2/5: …”
Even if you generate separate clips and stitch them, the final result feels intentional.
5) Prompt Styles for Different Goals (Pick One Per Video)
Style 1: UGC / Creator Ad
Best for conversion and platform-native feel.
Prompt cues:
· handheld phone camera
· natural lighting
· quick cuts
· casual environment (bedroom, kitchen, desk)
Style 2: Cinematic Product Hero
Best for brand perception and product pages.
Prompt cues:
· studio lighting
· slow dolly
· clean reflections
· minimal background
Style 3: Tutorial / How-To
Best for apps, tools, education content.
Prompt cues:
· over-the-shoulder
· clear steps
· stable framing
· readable interface shots (if possible)
Style 4: Trend / Meme Energy
Best for reach and engagement.
Prompt cues:
· fast pace
· exaggerated reactions
· quick zooms
· bold scene changes (but keep to 2–3 scenes max)
Don’t mix all styles in one clip. It usually looks fake.
6) 25 Copy-Paste Prompt Examples (Ads + Shorts + Storytelling)
Replace bracketed parts like [product], [app], [benefit].
UGC Hooks (Short, scroll-stopping)
1. “Handheld selfie video of a creator looking surprised, says ‘I didn’t expect this to work,’ holding [product], natural room lighting, subtle camera shake, vertical 6 seconds, realistic UGC style.”
2. “Creator at a desk frustrated with [problem], quick cut to them using [product], relief expression, handheld phone camera, vertical 8 seconds.”
3. “POV shot: messy countertop, hands show the chaos of [problem], then reveal [product] solving it, fast jump cuts, natural daylight, vertical 8 seconds.”
4. “Creator in bathroom mirror selfie, shows ‘before’ look, then applies [product], smiles, soft window light, UGC style, vertical 10 seconds.”
5. “Creator walking outdoors, talking to camera casually, mentions [pain point], shows [product] in hand, handheld motion, vertical 8 seconds.”
Demo / Proof Prompts
6. “Close-up of hands demonstrating [product] step-by-step on a clean table, macro close-up, smooth motion, bright natural daylight, vertical 10 seconds.”
7. “Over-the-shoulder shot of someone using [app] on phone, tapping features quickly, clean UI transitions, handheld feel, vertical 10 seconds.”
8. “Before/after transformation: scene shows [before state], quick cut to [product] use, then [after state], fast pacing, natural indoor light, vertical 12 seconds.”
9. “Timer proof: hands use [product] while a timer runs, quick cuts showing speed, bright kitchen lighting, vertical 10 seconds.”
10. “Side-by-side comparison: left shows old method, right shows [product], quick alternating cuts, clear lighting, vertical 10 seconds.”
Cinematic Product Hero Prompts
11. “Premium studio shot of [product] on minimal background, slow rotation, glossy reflections, slow dolly-in, high-key lighting, vertical 6 seconds.”
12. “Close-up cinematic shot of [product] texture and materials, macro lens feel, soft shadows, slow camera pan, vertical 6 seconds.”
13. “Product in lifestyle scene: [product] on a modern desk, morning sunlight, subtle dust particles, slow push-in, cinematic feel, vertical 8 seconds.”
14. “Minimal black background, spotlight reveals [product], slow reveal, premium reflections, vertical 6 seconds.”
15. “Outdoor hero shot: [product] held in hand at golden hour, soft bokeh background, slow motion, vertical 6 seconds.”
Storytelling / Brand Narrative Prompts
16. “Short story: person struggles with [problem] at home, looks stressed, then discovers [product], mood shifts to calm, handheld UGC style, vertical 15 seconds.”
17. “Montage: 3 quick scenes showing [benefit 1], [benefit 2], [benefit 3], fast pacing, clean lighting, vertical 12 seconds.”
18. “Day-in-the-life: creator morning routine includes [product], quick scenes, natural light, casual authentic tone, vertical 15 seconds.”
19. “Problem-solution narrative: show the annoying moment of [problem], then show [product] solving it with one simple step, vertical 12 seconds.”
20. “Customer story: creator shows package arrival, unboxing, first try, reaction, then CTA overlay space, vertical 15 seconds.”
Niche: SaaS / App / AI Tool Prompts
21. “Over-the-shoulder laptop view using [tool], quick screen transitions, finger pointing at key features, clean office lighting, vertical 12 seconds.”
22. “Creator explains 3 steps to use [app], each step shown visually, stable framing, minimal background, vertical 15 seconds.”
23. “Before/after workflow: messy notes and chaos, then [app] organizes everything neatly, satisfying transitions, vertical 12 seconds.”
24. “UI-focused demo: phone screen close-up showing [feature], tap interactions, clean lighting, vertical 10 seconds.”
25. “Creator reaction: ‘This replaced 3 tools for me,’ shows [tool] interface briefly, then smiles, handheld UGC, vertical 10 seconds.”
7) The “Prompt Debugging” Checklist (Fix Bad Outputs Quickly)
When outputs look wrong, don’t start over randomly. Diagnose:
Problem: Too generic
Fix: add specific environment + one action + camera.
Problem: Too static
Fix: add motion cues (handheld, dolly, parallax).
Problem: Too chaotic
Fix: reduce concepts; single scene; shorter duration.
Problem: Looks fake
Fix: choose realistic lighting; use “natural daylight”; avoid extreme adjectives.
Problem: Doesn’t fit platform
Fix: specify vertical 9:16, safe space for captions, shorter length.
A small prompt tweak often improves outputs more than adding more words.
8) Build a Prompt Library (So You Don’t Waste Time Every Week)
Create a simple library with:
· 20 hook templates (problem, curiosity, contrarian, story)
· 10 demo templates (hands, POV, timer, comparison)
· 10 environments (kitchen, desk, bathroom, gym, car)
· 5 style presets (UGC, cinematic, tutorial, meme, minimal)
Then production becomes “swap the nouns,” not rewrite everything.
Suggested Internal Links (Anchor Text Ideas)
· text to video generator (link to your text-to-video page)
· AI UGC video generator (link to your AI UGC page)
· image to video animation (link to your image-to-video tool)
· pricing and HD export options (link to pricing)