MiniMax H3 Prompt Guide with Examples
Use practical MiniMax H3 prompt formulas for camera motion, lighting, action, sound, vertical video, product shots, and cinematic scenes.
The Core Formula
A concise H3 prompt can follow this formula:
subject + action + environment + camera + lighting + visual style + sound
Use concrete verbs and visible details. “A cyclist leans into a wet corner while the camera tracks beside the bike” gives the model a clearer sequence than “an epic cyclist video.”
Camera Language
- Locked shot: the camera remains still while action happens in frame.
- Slow push-in: gradually increases attention and tension.
- Tracking shot: follows a moving subject.
- Orbit: circles a product, person, or object.
- Handheld: creates documentary energy and small natural movement.
- Aerial reveal: starts close or obscured and opens into a wide view.
Choose one primary camera move. Combining an orbit, crane, zoom, and handheld shake in one short clip can produce inconsistent motion.
Prompt Examples
Product shot
A brushed-steel watch rotates slowly on black stone, macro lens, controlled orbit, narrow warm rim light, subtle reflections, quiet mechanical clicks.
Vertical fashion clip
A model in a cobalt coat walks through a rainy neon alley, vertical full-body framing, smooth backward tracking, magenta reflections, distant traffic and rain ambience.
Cinematic landscape
Morning fog moves between dark pine trees as a lone hiker reaches a ridge, slow aerial reveal, soft golden backlight, natural wind and birds.
Common Problems
- Too many simultaneous actions make the scene difficult to stage.
- Contradictory camera directions cause unstable framing.
- Vague style words without physical detail reduce control.
- Unrequested text and logos may appear incorrectly; avoid relying on generated typography.
- Complex dialogue may not stay perfectly synchronized, so keep spoken lines short.
Iteration Strategy
Start with a five-second version. Change one variable at a time: first action, then camera, then lighting or sound. Keep successful phrases and extend the duration only after the movement works.
Build a Prompt in Five Steps
- Write the subject and one action in plain language.
- Add the location and only the background details that affect the shot.
- Choose a framing and one camera movement.
- Define the main light source, time of day, or color contrast.
- Add one or two sound layers that have a visible source.
A finished prompt should read like a short direction to a camera crew, not a bag of keywords. Put events in chronological order when timing matters. For image-led projects, describe only the changes you want after the opening frame and follow the image-to-video guide.
How to Diagnose a Failed Prompt
If the composition is wrong, fix framing and subject position before adding detail. If motion is unstable, remove secondary actions and reduce the camera movement. If the scene looks generic, replace an abstract adjective with a physical detail: material, weather, light direction, lens distance, or surface condition. If audio is crowded, keep ambience plus one important effect and read the native audio guide.
Keep a copy of prompts that produced useful motion. On the next attempt, change one clause and compare the full clip, including the opening and ending frames. This simple versioning process is more reliable than rewriting the entire prompt after every result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use negative instructions?
Use them sparingly. A positive, concrete direction such as “locked camera with an uncluttered background” is usually clearer than a long list of things to avoid.
How many camera moves should one prompt contain?
For a short clip, one primary move is the safest default. A second move can work in a longer clip when the sequence is explicit, but competing moves often weaken composition.
Why does generated text look wrong?
Exact typography is difficult to preserve in generated motion. Create the visual plate first and add critical titles, prices, subtitles, or logos during editing.
MiniMax H3 Video is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by MiniMax.
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