1. Can you read the face and relevant hands?
Look at the parts the viewer needs to follow. If the scene depends on a raised eyebrow, the face should be large enough to inspect. If someone will file an envelope, find the fingers holding it and the opening it should enter.
This AI-assisted guide contains original planning exercises with fictional adult characters. The pictures described are imagined examples. We have not generated images or tested video outputs for them.
Runway's image-to-video guide says the image supplies composition, text describes movement, and input defects can intensify during animation. Its guidance concerns Runway; it does not guarantee Luma Atelier's behavior.
A hand outside the picture may be fine for a facial reaction. For a hand action, choose a frame that shows the starting pose.
2. What overlaps the action?
Trace the outline of the person and the object. A scarf may hide the chin; a chair arm may cut across a wrist. Two objects touching in the still can make it hard to tell which edge belongs to which object.
A coat covering a stationary elbow can stay. A railing across the envelope slot deserves another look if posting the envelope is the whole scene.
3. Is there room in the direction of travel?
Point to where the person or object will end up. If a character should move left but already touches the left border, the composition gives that movement little room.
Check the picture against the aspect ratio currently offered for your intended task. A tighter composition may remove the space you were relying on. Choose another image or revise the image brief if the action no longer fits.
4. Which flaws are already present?
Inspect a still before motion distracts you. Look for a handle joined to a finger, a sleeve that changes into the background, or an object edge that stops halfway.
Write down the flaw in plain words: "The lower envelope corner merges with the counter." Choose a cleaner picture or revise that part before requesting video. A motion instruction is a poor place to leave an unresolved drawing decision.
5. Does the starting pose fit the plan?
Write the intended action in one sentence, then look back at the picture. Someone seated with both feet tucked beneath a chair starts in a different position from someone already standing beside it.
Choose the frame that begins closest to the action you want to see. You can also simplify the scene to suit a picture you like.
Practice: keep the usher, change the counter view
Imagine Owen, an original adult theater usher, age 40, wearing a red cardigan behind a wooden counter. His face is clear. A brass rail hides his lower hands, and the envelope in his fingers merges with the counter edge.
You want him to put the envelope into a collection box.
Keep the adult character's appearance and the warm lobby light. Change the view so both the envelope and the box opening are visible. Choose or create a cleaner starting image with separate edges around his fingers. A closer face crop would remove more of the action you need.
Practice: keep the tailor, change the intended action
Picture Mina, an original adult tailor, age 33, in a clear waist-up portrait. She holds a folded green scarf at waist level. Her face and hands are readable, with no visible drawing flaw. A narrow doorway fills the background.
Your first idea was to have her walk away down the corridor. The picture leaves her legs and most of the corridor out of view.
You like the portrait enough to keep it. Change the plan to a small acknowledgment while she holds the scarf. If walking is essential, choose a wider starting image instead. Record which decision you made before writing the motion request.
Check the image's role before submitting
A first frame establishes the intended opening composition. An appearance reference has a different job; an existing character portrait is not automatically the first frame for a video request.
Read the media workflow and motion prompt guide, then use the options available in your character conversation.
Published images and videos are free to browse. Chatting and creating new media use credits. A new starting image may add a generation step and cost. Check the complete task quote and current prices before sending.