Avoid common beginner mistakes

These are the checks that save the most time. Most of them take less than a minute.

Check which input is selected

• An attached script is only used when From a script is selected. With From an idea, the app writes a new script from your idea.
• Use From audio for a voice recording, and Music Video for a song.
• After an upload, check the file name and the duration shown.

Not sure which to pick? See Start from an idea, script, or audio.

Use the current script format

• Speech is a quoted line after a handle: @Mira: "Wait here."
• Unquoted text describes what the audience sees. It is not read aloud.
• Older instructions about plain narration or [visual beat] do not apply. Follow the script guide.
• When you use Adapt script, check the words, the speakers, the actions, and the timing before you accept it.

Check characters and style before a long video

• A name in the script is not enough. Select the saved characters you want, and check the character mapping shown for your script.
• Use the same handle for a character everywhere in the script.
• Look at a character's images before you use it in a series.
• A universe gives you reusable settings, but check each video anyway.
• Run a short test first. No animation lets you check the images without paying for motion.

Treat the duration as a target

• Spoken words, pauses, and silent actions all need screen time. A long script does not fit a short duration.
• The estimate is approximate. The final length is known after the voices and the shots are made.
• To make a shorter video, make the story smaller.
• Uploaded audio keeps the recording's timing.

See Choose a video length and preset.

Do not expect a preset change to rewrite the story

• Mini, Fast, Pro, and Ultra use the same script. Changing the preset leaves your text as it is.
• On Ultra the app joins your #### Shot headings into longer continuous shots when that serves the moment. Switch on Keep my shot boundaries under the preset to keep every heading as its own shot.
• A different preset does not make a long story fit a short duration.

Review one card before you change more settings

• In Story Cards, open Shots, Script, and Voiceover. Use Preview card to watch them together.
• If one shot needs work, fix that shot. Do not regenerate the whole project.
• Change one thing at a time, so you can compare.
• Check the captions against the speech before you export.
• Read the cost shown before each generation. Use the project's status to follow progress.