How to prompt LTX Video

The rules that matter most

1. 1

   Write at least 120 words

   Shorter prompts are rewritten automatically and lose your details. Reach 120 words with how things look, the setting, and the light, never with repeated adjectives.

2. 2

   Start with the action

   The first sentence is the main action itself: "A small penguin takes a red book from the shelf…". Not the setting, and not a style line.

3. 3

   Be literal

   Spell out colors, textures, materials, and light ("dark, jagged rocks covered in patches of green moss") instead of mood words and film jargon.

4. 4

   One action, one camera move

   A clip lasts a few seconds: no cuts, no second scene, no story told in beats.

5. 5

   Draft on Distilled, finish on Dev

   LTX Video Distilled is the fast default. Once a prompt works, run the same words on LTX Video Dev for the keeper.

Prompts to start from

• A waterfall, from text

  White water pours over the edge of a mossy cliff and plunges into a deep green pool below, throwing up a fine mist. The falling water splits into three ribbons halfway down, then rejoins in a churning cloud of foam that spreads in rings across the pool. The cliff is dark gray basalt, wet and glistening, with thick cushions of bright green moss and small ferns growing from every crack. Smooth round boulders line the edge of the pool, and tall tree ferns lean in from both banks. The scene is dominated by the contrast between the bright white water and the dark, wet rock. The camera stays still at the water's edge, looking up at the falls. Soft overcast light, deep greens and grays, with a faint rainbow in the mist near the base.

  Why it works: It opens with the action, describes every surface literally, keeps the camera still, and runs past 120 words, so your words reach the model as written.

• A start frame brought to life

  A gray tabby cat on a sunny windowsill stretches its front legs, yawns widely, then curls back into a ball and closes its eyes. Its tail flicks once and settles over its nose as its sides rise and fall slowly. The cat has striped silver-gray fur, white paws, a pink nose and pale green eyes. The windowsill is painted white wood, with a small terracotta pot of basil at one end and a folded blue blanket under the cat. Through the window behind it, rooftops and a strip of blue sky are softly out of focus. The camera stays still at the height of the windowsill in a medium close-up. Warm afternoon sunlight falls across the cat from the right, with soft shadows and a gentle gold and gray palette.

  Why it works: Upload the photo as the First Frame. The prompt still opens with the action, then describes what the photo shows in the same literal words, so picture and prompt agree.

• A hot-air balloon, from text

  A red and yellow striped hot-air balloon rises slowly from a misty valley at sunrise, its burner flaring orange as it lifts. The basket sways gently as the balloon climbs past the treetops, and two passengers in dark jackets lean over the edge and point toward the hills. The balloon is huge and round, with bold vertical stripes and a wicker basket hung on thick ropes. Below it, a patchwork of green fields and hedgerows stretches away, and a narrow river glints between rows of poplar trees. The camera follows from a distance at the same height, drifting slowly to the left as the balloon rises. The light is low and golden, with long shadows across the fields, pale blue mist in the hollows and a peach-colored sky.

  Why it works: One continuous action, one slow camera move, and literal detail on the balloon, the land, and the light. Draft it on LTX Video Distilled, then run the same words on LTX Video Dev.