The Secret to Better AI Videos: Stop Writing Prompts

[Music] I've been writing prompts ever since text to video has been around back when it looked like this.

So now videos look and sound more like this.

M that is absolutely divine.

The freshness of the basil really comes through.

I've been using a technique I assumed everyone used, but based on a poll I did, what I'm about to show you is apparently a well-kept secret. So let's

make it the worstkept secret. And the

secret is this. I don't actually write my prompts. I train a GPT on the

my prompts. I train a GPT on the official documentation for the model I'm using. Then I give it my idea and let it

using. Then I give it my idea and let it format the perfect model optimized prompt for me. Now before you say this is cheating, this is cheating.

The art is not your prompt. The art is your idea. Art is a perspective or an

your idea. Art is a perspective or an intention. Prompting is like a

intention. Prompting is like a translator that turns your idea into words that the video model understands.

So, we're going to look at why we should do this. But first, let's look at how do

do this. But first, let's look at how do we do this.

The first thing we need is documentation for the model we're using. So, here's

where you find it in Hyo. Here's Cling.

Here's Luma Dream Machine.

Here's VU.

Here's where you find it in Runway. You

actually have to find it in multiple places in Runway.

For VO, you've got to go to the DeepMind site and then click build with Gemini.

Go to the documentation and then VO video generation and then prompt writing basics.

And I usually just pretend like I'm going to print it and then I save it as a PDF. Uh, but you just need to save it.

a PDF. Uh, but you just need to save it.

Once you have the documentation for the model, you can either upload it to a chat if you're on a free plan or create a custom GPT or GEM if you're on a paid

plan for chat GPT or Gemini.

In chat GPT, you go to GPTs and then create, then upload the file in the knowledge. Here's the knowledge and one

knowledge. Here's the knowledge and one that I've been using for a while, but I also have ones that are specific just to certain models. All right, in Gemini,

certain models. All right, in Gemini, make sure that this menu is out. Go to

explore gems, then click new gem, and then add the knowledge.

In the instructions section, I usually just put that this provides optimized prompts for the user's ideas based on the documentation. If you're on the free

the documentation. If you're on the free version of either of these tools, um, and this includes DeepSeek, you can upload the documentation to the chat window. Just remember that the longer

window. Just remember that the longer you chat, the more it's going to start forgetting about the uploaded document.

So, I'd recommend a new chat for every project. Looking at these two clips, I

project. Looking at these two clips, I actually like my original one more because the other one is a little too dramatic and over the top. So, rather

than trying to rewrite that prompt myself, I can just say it feels too over-the-top drama. I want something

over-the-top drama. I want something more cinematic and emotionally subdued.

Now, just reading this sounds much closer to what I had in mind than reading this. And I like that it gives

reading this. And I like that it gives you some additional suggestions, too.

Let's try to change what the camera is doing just by describing the shot as we picture in our mind. So, I want a closeup of her face and then I want to reveal what she's looking at.

And if I don't like that camera direction, I can say, what if we start on her face and pull back and orbit around her to see her view?

Let's go back to the fog shrouded pier prompt, but let's give her a Victorian era attire.

For this one, I like it, but it's not exactly what I'm looking for. I want her to look at the ship at the end. I want

it to be a little bit more cinematic.

So, I can just go back to the prompt and add that in there.

[Music] So, now we're going to ask for a lone sailor on the ship looking back at Short where the woman is barely visible.

[Music] [Music] I'll show you what I like about the prompt sidekick that I was showing you earlier. So, some of my placeholders are

earlier. So, some of my placeholders are like outline the best practices. So I

can just click that and it will look at all of the knowledge I've uploaded and it gives you a good list of best practices. So if I have an idea for a

practices. So if I have an idea for a movie, I can give it this idea and then say I want model optimized prompts for whatever models I want to use. In this

case, runway, hyo, vu, vo, and cling.

And see which model gets closest to what I had in mind. All right, so let's see

how this goes.

[Music]

That was the dumbest movie I ever saw.

I liked it.

You liked it.

What I like about this is I'm just coming up with my ideas and I get to focus on the story I want to tell or the video I want to make. The big reason I like this can be summarized in that meme

about I don't want AI to make movies. I

want AI to wash the dishes so I can make movies. Like I said earlier, prompting

movies. Like I said earlier, prompting is a translator between your human idea and the structured language of an LLM.

If I write a prompt manually, I'm putting a lot of creative energy into translating for my translator. I just

want to be an idea machine. And this

way, when I chat about my ideas, I'm focused on my creative vision. Not just

what the picture should look like, but how the person watching it should feel.

That conversation forces me to clarify my thinking. It's what making art or

my thinking. It's what making art or telling stories is all about. And

something I've been saying since one of my very first videos on this channel, generate and iterate.

When you get a bad result, tell your GPT what went wrong or even attach a screenshot and give it your perspective on what went wrong and what you want to see done to make it closer to what your

vision is.

Remember like two years ago when people were saying the highest paid new job is prompt engineer. I think that convinced

prompt engineer. I think that convinced a lot of people to think that manually writing prompts was a valuable skill.

But the real focus should be on how to express your idea. How can you communicate what's in your imagination?

Being able to articulate what you want to express is the skill you need for the future. So focus on your own creative

future. So focus on your own creative expression and let AI translate for another AI. Another way to say that is

another AI. Another way to say that is if a computer is going to read it, I trust a computer to write it. But if a human is going to read it, I need a

human to write it. You've got a story to tell. Leave the prompting to the

tell. Leave the prompting to the machines. My name is Mike. Thanks for

machines. My name is Mike. Thanks for

watching this episode of AI Video School.

This is cheating.

cheating.