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How do I create a Video in Midjourney?

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When using Midjourney video, you don’t start with a prompt. You start with a frame, a still image, called a Starting Frame. We normally speak strictly about prompting here, but we’ll pause a minute to talk about the Starting Frame because it influences what’s possible to prompt.

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You don’t start with a prompt. You start with a still image called a Starting Frame, which influences what’s possible to prompt. So choose a good Starting Frame.

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Here are steps to get to the video prompting process:

1. Choose your Starting Frame.

Sure, the [Animate] button is available on the [Create] tab for your own images. But as prompters, we’ll rarely use it, because its function is to be fun and easy and not require prompting at all. If you use it, Midjourney will make a guess about the appropriate motion for the image and give you a video automagically.

As prompters, however, we’re most interested in the choices available when we click on an image to view it by itself. Then we see all the available Animate Image buttons. And sure, you can animate automagically from here too with the “Auto” and “Loop” buttons, but as prompters we’re most interested in “Animate Manually” mode. We’re definitely here for Manual mode.

But first, a few words about selecting your Starting Frame:

• 👀 Be aware that images will be downscaled for video.
  • Consider using a grid image, not an upscale, to help reduce downscaling artifacts that might effect video quality.
  • If you notice artifacts or glitches in the grid image, you can possibly smooth them with “Creative Upscale”. Then, ok, you’re using an upscaled image, but we hope with glitches minimized.
• 👀 Be aware that the start (and optional end) image(s) you pick will establish the style, motion, and contents of the video.
  • You won’t be able to prompt action starting before the image you pick. You can’t pan to it, only from it, if that makes sense.
  • Images come with built-in expectations for how things move. That’s the motion archetype. Sometimes you’ll be leaning into the archetype and things will work well. Sometimes you’ll be fighting it, and that’s when prompts matter most.
  • Finally, strive to find images that contain all the details needed to complete the actions you have in mind. If you’re going to have your fantasy oil painting elf king rock out on an electric guitar, be aware that the added element may struggle to be in the same style (fantasy oil painting) as the rest of the video. Best to create a fantasy oil painting elf king with his guitar already in the frame. That said, we do go deeper into some prompting tricks to help us get around the style issue.

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You may want to avoid making videos from upscaled images. At the start of every video render there’s a downscaling process that takes the starting image to a resolution appropriate for 480p video. The more we have to downscale your starting frame, the more risk of glitch. Starting with the lower resolution images may help reduce downscaling artifacts. Maybe.

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2. Choose Your Animation Mode

• [Auto] or [Loop]: As prompters, we’re glossing over auto mode. In this mode, Midjourney writes the motion prompt for you. Super easy. It guesses what should move and how. Great for quick fun. No, you don’t get to see the prompt it wrote. If you’ve uploaded your own image, leave the prompt blank to get [Auto].