Vidu Q3 prompt guide: how to write a prompt that works

Six rules for a Vidu Q3 prompt

1. 1.Start with the person and the action

   Put who is in the shot and what they do first; camera and light go in the middle, sound at the end. The first part of a prompt carries the most weight.

   “A woman in her early thirties ... walks along the top edge of a concrete skate bowl at dusk toward the camera.”

2. 2.Name every garment by fabric and colour

   Fabric tells the model how a piece moves and catches light. Give each one its material and a colour, down to the shoes.

   “a glossy safety-orange (#F26B1D) puffer jacket zipped to the chin, olive (#5E6B2E) baggy cargo trousers”

3. 3.Give every light a source

   Say what the light comes from: floodlights, a neon sign, the low sun. A light with a cause lands where you expect it.

   “a row of white floodlights switching on above the park rims her curls and the jacket's shoulders”

4. 4.One camera move per clip

   Pick one move (track back, push in, arc) and the lens. Two or three moves in one short clip make the picture swim.

   “35mm lens, one slow backward tracking move, full body to waist-up as she stops”

5. 5.Show it with the body, not with adjectives

   Words like stunning or cinematic do not draw anything. Quilting catching the light, a gust lifting the curls, hands going into pockets do.

   “On her last step she tucks both hands into the jacket's pockets and stops”

6. 6.Write the sound and the last frame

   Vidu Q3 makes sound by default, so say what is heard. End with the frame the clip should stop on.

   “Sound: skateboard wheels rolling and clacking in the bowl, her trainers on concrete”

Three prompts to copy

Each prompt follows the six rules, in the same order. Next to it: the length, resolution and aspect it is set for, and the credits it costs on Reviral.

1. 1. Orange puffer at a skate bowl at dusk

   6 s · 720p · 9:16 · 43 credits

   A woman in her early thirties of Brazilian heritage with warm tan skin, a big rounded cloud of dark-brown curls and red cat-eye glasses walks along the top edge of a concrete skate bowl at dusk toward the camera. She wears a glossy safety-orange (#F26B1D) puffer jacket zipped to the chin, olive (#5E6B2E) baggy cargo trousers with side pockets, a small black crossbody bag and chunky grey trainers. The puffer's quilted panels catch the light in bright bands as her arms swing; a skateboarder drops into the bowl behind her and the gust of his pass lifts the curls off her shoulders. On her last step she tucks both hands into the jacket's pockets and stops, face still, eyes on the lens. Camera: 35mm lens, one slow backward tracking move, full body to waist-up as she stops. Light: a row of white floodlights switching on above the park rims her curls and the jacket's shoulders, the last blue light of the sky fills the shadows. Sound: skateboard wheels rolling and clacking in the bowl, her trainers on concrete, the floodlights humming. Final image: she stands with her hands in the pockets, the orange jacket glowing under the floodlights, a skateboard rising out of the bowl behind her.

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2. 2. Teal flare suit outside a diner at night

   6 s · 720p · 9:16 · 43 credits

   A man in his early thirties of Mexican heritage with warm brown skin, black hair slicked down flat with a hard side part and a full black horseshoe moustache walks out of a chrome roadside diner at night toward the camera. He wears a fitted teal (#0E7C7B) single-breasted wool suit with high-waisted trousers flaring wide from the knee, a cream (#F2E8D5) and ochre (#C98E2B) paisley shirt collar laid over the lapels, and tan leather loafers. The diner door swings shut behind him; the flares sweep out at each step and the paisley collar points lift in the night breeze. He buttons the jacket with his right hand as he walks, then lets the hand fall, chin level, face still, eyes on the lens. Camera: 50mm lens, one slow backward tracking move, full body to chest-up as he stops. Light: the diner's red neon sign behind him rims his shoulders and the wet tarmac in red, the white light from the diner windows falls across his face from the side. Sound: the door's bell, his loafers on wet tarmac, a jukebox playing faintly inside. Final image: he stands chest-up, the red neon reflected in a puddle at his feet, the collar points still lifting.

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3. 3. Violet shell suit on a basketball court in the morning

   6 s · 720p · 9:16 · 43 credits

   A woman in her early sixties of Chinese heritage with light skin, a short silver pixie cut swept to one side and thick black rectangular glasses walks across an outdoor basketball court in the morning toward the camera. She wears a shiny violet (#6A2FB5) nylon shell suit with turquoise (#22B8C8) chevron panels, the jacket zipped to the collar and the trousers gathered at the ankle, a white towelling headband and chunky white running shoes. The nylon ripples and rustles at every stride and flashes where the sun hits the creases; a ball bounces past behind her and rolls off the court. She stops on the painted centre circle, pushes her glasses up with one finger and looks into the lens, face still. Camera: 35mm lens, one slow backward tracking move, full body to waist-up as she stops. Light: low morning sun from the left throws her long shadow across the painted lines, the chain-link fence casts a soft grid over the court, the nylon gleams. Sound: the nylon rustling, her running shoes squeaking once on the court, the ball bouncing away. Final image: she stands in the centre circle, the violet suit gleaming, her shadow stretched across the court lines.

   Use this prompt

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