Seedance 2.0 Prompt Guide: Your First 'Dictionary' for AI Video Generation

Editor’s Note

CogVideo / Seedance has been blowing up lately, and the results are genuinely impressive. I’ve seen many people creating AI comics and short videos, but as someone with zero experience in video generation, my first reaction was the same as when I first started web development — if you don’t know the “jargon” of a field, you can’t get the results you want.

When coding, if you don’t know what an API is called, you can’t call it. Same deal with prompts — if you don’t know terms like “slow push-in,” “half-orbit,” or “facial stability without distortion,” your generated videos won’t look great.

So I believe the first two things you should do when entering any new field are:

1. Master the domain vocabulary — know which words actually work and which are useless filler
2. “Buy” a “dictionary” for that field — find a solid reference you can flip through anytime

The following post from 半糖星星✨ (@YZCStella) is exactly that kind of dictionary. It covers everything from basic structure to advanced techniques — action descriptions, camera movement, character consistency, visual quality, and style. Well worth bookmarking and practicing with.

1. Core Structure (Universal Formula)

Subject + Action + Scene + Lighting + Camera Language + Style + Quality + Constraints

Example:

A young woman walking slowly along the beach, breeze gently moving her hair, smiling at the camera, warm golden-hour light, 4K HD, cinematic feel, stable camera movement, smooth and shake-free, crisp details.

2. Action Description Tips (Seedance’s Sweet Spot)

• Don’t just write “dancing” or “walking” — make it continuous, natural, slow-motion
• Prefer: slow, gentle, continuous, natural, smooth, not stiff
• Avoid: exaggerated, high-speed, complex multi-person interactions, extreme contortions

Useful verb combinations:

• Slowly turning around, gently raising a hand, light footsteps, slightly bowing head, swaying in the wind
• Camera slowly pushing in, slight orbit, steady tracking shot

3. Camera & Movement (Instant Cinematic Upgrade)

Seedance 2.0 has strong camera movement recognition. Write directly:

• Shot types: Close-up / Medium shot / Wide shot / Extreme close-up
• Movement: Slow push-in / Slight pull-back / Steady pan / Half-orbit
• Stability: Fixed camera, handheld-stable, no shake, silky smooth

Example:

Medium shot, slow push-in, stable tracking, silky smooth without stuttering

4. Character Stability (Anti-Face-Warp, Anti-Distortion)

Constraint words are absolutely critical:

• Clear facial features, stable face, no distortion, no warping
• Normal body structure, natural proportions, movements not stiff
• Same character, consistent clothing, unchanged hairstyle

Example:

Character’s face remains stable without distortion, normal body structure, natural and smooth movement

5. Visual Quality (Always Include — Boosts Clarity)

Universal quality terms (copy and paste):

• 4K, ultra HD, rich details, sharp clarity
• Cinematic quality, natural colors, soft lighting
• No blur, no ghosting, no flickering, stable image

6. Style & Atmosphere (Quick Results)

• Healing & fresh, aesthetic & artistic, Japanese-clean, Korean-mood
• Cyberpunk, dark & premium, vintage film, dreamy soft-focus
• Minimalist & clean, premium texture, realistic photography

7. Multi-Shot / Storyboard Writing (Seedance 2.0’s Strength)

Describe using time/shot sequence — don’t over-fragment:

Opening with a close-up of the face, slowly pulling back to a wide shot, character walking slowly, camera following steadily, ending with a freeze on a smile

8. Common Pitfalls (Never Write These)

• ❌ Complex multi-person interactions, fighting, intense running/jumping, extreme dancing
• ❌ Vague words: beautiful, pretty, cool (they describe nothing)
• ❌ Contradictory requirements: ultra-fast + extremely stable
• ❌ Sexual content, violence, dangerous actions, copyrighted characters

9. Ready-to-Use Universal Templates

Template 1: Aesthetic Portrait Short Video

A young woman walking slowly through a forest, breeze gently ruffling her hair, natural smile, warm light and shadow, medium shot, slow push-in, smooth and stable footage, 4K HD, cinematic feel, clear face without distortion, normal body structure, rich details.

Template 2: Atmospheric Landscape

Beach sunset, waves gently lapping the shore, camera slowly panning horizontally, warm orange tones, healing and fresh, silky smooth footage, 4K ultra HD, no flickering, no ghosting.

Template 3: Image-to-Video (Fixed First Frame)

Based on reference image, maintain character’s appearance and clothing consistency, slow hand-raise and turn, natural and smooth, no stiffness or distortion, stable camera movement, HD details, cinematic quality.

10. Summary

1. Write actions slow and continuous
2. Write camera movement steady and simple
3. Always add stable / no distortion / not stiff
4. Quality + style goes last
5. Never write intense, complex, multi-person

Original post by 半糖星星✨ (@YZCStella), reformatted and reposted.