Video Prompt Templates: The Ultimate Collection

How to use these templates: Bracketed items [LIKE THIS] are fill-in-the-blank placeholders. Replace them with your specific details. Items in {curly braces} are optional modifiers — include them if applicable, remove them if not. Items in (parentheses) are platform-specific and marked accordingly.

A [WIDE/AERIAL/GROUND-LEVEL] cinematic shot of [LOCATION/ENVIRONMENT]. [TIME OF DAY] light, [WEATHER CONDITION]. [DOMINANT COLOR PALETTE] color grading. [CAMERA MOVEMENT DESCRIPTOR] camera. Atmospheric and [MOOD WORD], establishing [THEME/FEELING]. {Shot on 35mm film.} {Film grain visible.} [FILMMAKER REFERENCE] cinematography style.

Example: "A wide cinematic shot of an abandoned industrial waterfront at blue hour. Deep teal and orange color grading. Static wide angle camera. Atmospheric and melancholic, establishing urban solitude. Shot on 35mm film. Film grain visible. Roger Deakins cinematography style."

Midjourney: Add --ar 21:9 --v 6 --style raw | SD: Add (masterpiece:1.2), cinematic still, at start | DALL-E 3: Prepend "A cinematic film still:"

Extreme close-up portrait of [SUBJECT DESCRIPTION]. [LIGHTING TYPE] lighting, [LIGHT COLOR] tones. [EMOTIONAL STATE/EXPRESSION]. [BACKGROUND DESCRIPTION] background, slightly out of focus. Shot with a [FOCAL LENGTH]mm lens. [FILM AESTHETIC — gritty/polished/vintage/modern].

Example: "Extreme close-up portrait of an elderly sea captain with weathered skin and deep-set eyes. Rembrandt lighting, warm amber tones. Thousand-yard stare, quiet authority. Rough wooden cabin interior background, slightly out of focus. Shot with an 85mm lens. Gritty documentary film aesthetic."

[SUBJECT] in motion — [DESCRIBE ACTION]. [CAMERA POSITION AND ANGLE]. [LIGHTING: DRAMATIC/HARSH/MUTED]. [SPEED: slow motion/real time/time-lapse]. [COLOR GRADE]. Kinetic energy. {Motion blur.} {Dust/particles in air.}

Night scene. [LOCATION] lit by [LIGHT SOURCES: neon signs/street lamps/car headlights/moonlight]. [REFLECTIONS ON: wet pavement/windows/water]. [ATMOSPHERE: fog/rain/smoke/clear]. [SUBJECT] [ACTION/POSITION]. Low-key lighting, deep shadows. [COLOR PALETTE]. Cinematic noir aesthetic.

[SUBJECT] silhouetted/lit against [ENVIRONMENT] at golden hour. Warm amber backlight creating rim light halo. [CAMERA ANGLE: low/ground-level/eye-level]. Vast [LANDSCAPE TYPE] in background. Heroic scale, [EMOTIONAL TONE]. Epic wide angle, breathtaking scope.

Professional portrait of [GENDER/AGE GROUP] [OCCUPATION/CHARACTER TYPE]. [DISTINCTIVE PHYSICAL FEATURES]. Wearing [CLOTHING DESCRIPTION]. [LIGHTING SETUP: Rembrandt/butterfly/split/soft box]. [BACKGROUND: simple studio/environmental/blurred]. [EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION]. [PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE: editorial/documentary/fine art].

Example: "Professional portrait of a middle-aged female scientist. Silver-streaked dark hair in a messy updo, confident intelligent eyes. Wearing a white lab coat over a deep blue turtleneck. Soft butterfly lighting. Clean neutral studio background. Expression of focused curiosity. Editorial photography style."

[SUBJECT] photographed in [THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT/WORKSPACE]. [TIME OF DAY] [NATURAL/ARTIFICIAL] light. [CAMERA POSITION: wide enough to show environment but subject clearly dominant]. [ACTIVITY: working/reflecting/resting]. Authentic, [MOOD]. Documentary photography.

[CHARACTER ARCHETYPE: warrior/mage/noble/mystic] with [DISTINCTIVE FEATURES]. Wearing [DETAILED COSTUME DESCRIPTION]. [MAGICAL/SPECIAL ELEMENTS: glowing, ethereal, ancient, otherworldly]. [SETTING THAT SUITS CHARACTER]. [LIGHTING THAT COMPLEMENTS POWER LEVEL: dramatic chiaroscuro/ethereal soft light/harsh battlefield light]. Epic fantasy art style, [ART REFERENCE].

Fashion editorial photograph. Model: [MINIMAL PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION]. Wearing [FASHION PIECE/STYLE DESCRIPTION]. [LOCATION: studio/urban location/natural setting]. [LIGHTING: dramatic studio/available natural]. [POSE: dynamic/minimal/avant-garde]. [MAGAZINE STYLE: Vogue/Harper's Bazaar/i-D/Dazed]. High fashion, aspirational, [COLOR PALETTE].

Epic [LANDSCAPE TYPE: mountain/coastal/desert/forest/plains] photograph. [TIME OF DAY] light. [WEATHER CONDITION]. [DOMINANT COLORS] color palette. Vast scale — {no people, showing nature's grandeur}. [PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUE: long exposure/HDR/telephoto compression/wide angle]. [REFERENCE: National Geographic/Ansel Adams/landscape photography tradition].

Example: "Epic coastal cliffs photograph. Golden hour light. Light fog in the valleys below. Deep ochre, amber, and steel blue color palette. Vast scale — no people, showing nature's grandeur. Wide angle lens with foreground rocks for depth. National Geographic photography tradition."

Midjourney: --ar 16:9 --v 6 --stylize 300 | SD: Add resolution boosters and landscape checkpoint | DALL-E 3: "Landscape photography in the National Geographic tradition:"

Macro/close-up nature photograph. [SPECIFIC PLANT/FLOWER/INSECT/WATER/TEXTURE]. [SOFT/DRAMATIC] natural light. [SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD with beautiful bokeh/all in focus with detail]. [COLOR PALETTE from object]. Scientific wonder, quiet beauty.

[DRAMATIC WEATHER EVENT: approaching storm/lightning/rainbow over landscape/fog rolling in/snow falling]. [LANDSCAPE TYPE] below. [LIGHTING: harsh/dramatic/subdued/eerie]. [EMOTIONAL IMPACT: awe/menace/tranquility/melancholy]. {Human figure for scale.} Landscape photography, [TIME PERIOD] aesthetic.

[WATER BODY: ocean/river/waterfall/lake/rain-filled street/flooded field]. [LIGHT ON WATER: reflections/caustics/surface sparkle/dark depths]. [CAMERA: above/at surface/underwater]. {[SPEED: long exposure for smooth water/high shutter for frozen motion].} [MOOD AND COLOR]. [WEATHER AND ATMOSPHERE].

Street photography in [CITY/AREA TYPE]. [TIME OF DAY], [WEATHER]. [ACTIVITY LEVEL: busy crowds/quiet solitude/moderate foot traffic]. [DOMINANT ARCHITECTURAL STYLE]. {One or two [HUMAN SUBJECTS: commuters/vendors/children/elderly] in [POSITION: foreground/background].} [DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHER STYLE]. Natural light, authentic moment.

Example: "Street photography in a narrow Marrakech souk. Late afternoon, shafts of sunlight cutting through the shade. Busy crowds of locals and occasional tourists. Ornate Moorish architectural details. One elderly man in a jellaba walking away from camera in the foreground. Vivian Maier documentary photographer style. Natural light, authentic moment."

[ARCHITECTURAL SUBJECT: specific building type/landmark/interior space]. [ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: modern/brutalist/art deco/gothic/vernacular]. [TIME OF DAY AND LIGHT]. [CAMERA ANGLE: ground looking up/aerial looking down/eye-level]. [COMPOSITION: symmetrical/dynamic/rule of thirds]. Architecture photography, [MOOD].

[CITY TYPE: Tokyo/Hong Kong/New York/generic megacity] at night. [DOMINANT NEON COLORS]. Rain-slicked [SURFACE TYPE: streets/pavement/alley]. [REFLECTION quality]. [ATMOSPHERIC ELEMENT: fog/drizzle/steam from grates]. [CAMERA: street level/elevated/aerial]. Neon noir, [DENSITY: packed urban/intimate side street/aerial cityscape].

Abandoned [BUILDING TYPE: factory/hospital/theater/school/railway station]. [DECAY LEVEL: slightly worn/heavily dilapidated/nature reclaiming/partially collapsed]. [LIGHT SOURCE: broken windows/holes in roof/single working fixture]. [TEXTURE: rust/peeling paint/moss/graffiti/broken glass]. [MOOD: melancholic/haunting/peaceful/eerie]. Urban exploration photography aesthetic.

Abstract [MEDIUM: oil painting/digital painting/watercolor/photography]. [DOMINANT COLOR PALETTE] color field. [TEXTURE: smooth gradients/impasto brushwork/drips/geometric]. [GEOMETRIC ELEMENTS: circles/lines/layers/fractals]. [MOOD/ENERGY: meditative/explosive/melancholic/joyful]. [ART MOVEMENT REFERENCE: abstract expressionism/color field painting/geometric abstraction].

Macro/extreme close-up of [NATURAL ELEMENT: mineral/ice/rock/wood/leaf/water/sand/bark]. Photographed [LIGHTING: with harsh raking light/in soft diffuse light/with backlight]. Abstract composition finding [GEOMETRIC/ORGANIC] patterns. [COLOR PALETTE]. Scientific and beautiful, nature abstracted.

Long exposure photography/[VISUAL TECHNIQUE: light painting/intentional camera movement/multiple exposure]. [SUBJECT CREATING MOTION: traffic lights/stars/water/fire/neon]. [COLOR TRAILS: warm/cool/multicolor]. [BACKGROUND: dark/night/simple]. Abstract, [ENERGY LEVEL: dynamic and explosive/slow and meditative/rhythmic and ordered].