One film, one look
Nothing makes an AI film look amateur faster than a new style in every shot. Decide the look once, write it down, and reuse it word for word.
Write a style line
The style line is the part of the prompt that never changes. It names four things: the medium, the light, the colour and the lens or finish.
[what we see: changes with every shot], [medium], [light], [colour palette], [lens or finish] --ar 16:9 --raw
Describe the look itself. Don’t lean on the name of a living artist or a studio: it is unfair to them and it gives you less control.
Six style lines to start from
| Look | Style line |
|---|---|
| Cinematic realism | 35mm film still, soft window light, muted teal and amber, shallow depth of field, fine grain |
| Cel animation | 2D cel animation frame, flat colour fills, clean ink outlines, painted background, limited palette |
| Gouache storybook | gouache illustration, visible brush texture, warm paper tone, soft edges, simple shapes |
| Paper cut-out | layered paper cut-out, soft shadows between the layers, matte colours, hand-cut edges |
| Ink wash | ink wash painting, loose brush strokes, black and grey with one accent colour, generous empty space |
| Hand-drawn anime | hand-drawn anime film frame, painted background, soft bloom on highlights, light film grain |
For anime looks, switch to the Niji model by adding --niji 7. Change two or three words in a line until the look is yours.
Hold it with a style reference
When one frame comes out exactly right, make it the reference for every shot after it. --sref followed by the image link (or a style code) copies the look, not the content. --sw sets how strongly: 0 to 1000, default 100.
[next shot], [your style line] --sref [link to your best frame] --sw 200 --ar 16:9 --raw
To explore, try --sref random and keep the code of any look you like.
Keep the same character
In V8.2, the default model since July 2026, the Edit Model does this job. It replaced the older character and omni references (--cref and --oref), so tutorials that use those were written for earlier versions.
- Generate one clean, front-facing frame of your character and treat it as the master.
- Give that frame to the Edit Model as a reference (it takes up to four images) and describe the new shot.
- Change only the pose, the place and the framing. Keep the clothing description identical every time.
Judge the set, not the shot
- Lay every still out in one grid before you animate anything.
- Squint. If one frame jumps out, it is the wrong one, however good it looks alone.
- Regenerate the odd one with the same style reference, then move on to camera moves.
Tools, prices and platform rules change often. Everything here was checked in November 2026; confirm on the tool’s own page before you rely on it.