AI Video for Beginners, Part 1: Prepare Your First Frame
You open a video generator and stare at the prompt box. “Cinematic” sounds good, but what are you actually going to film? Leave the prompt box for a moment. First, decide what is in the frame and how it should move. In this series, we'll make a short video about a café before it opens. Today, we'll
Posted on Nov 2 • Originally published at ay3s.com
You open a video generator and stare at the prompt box. “Cinematic” sounds good, but what are you actually going to film?
Leave the prompt box for a moment. First, decide what is in the frame and how it should move.
In this series, we'll make a short video about a café before it opens. Today, we'll prepare just one shot.
Use your phone to photograph a cup of coffee by a window. Keep the background uncluttered and the rim of the cup fully visible. For your first attempt, avoid people, fingers and prominent text: fewer details mean fewer things the model has to keep consistent.
If you plan to post a vertical video, compose the photo in 9:16 from the start. Leave room beside the cup for a caption. Make sure the photo is sharp and the highlights aren't blown out.
No coffee? A book or desk lamp works too. You don't need to buy props. Using your own photo also makes image licensing simpler.
The instruction for this shot is simple:
Keep the cup still. Move the camera slowly closer.
Don't add pouring coffee, a hand picking up the cup or a camera orbit around the table yet. Packing several actions into a short shot makes distortion more likely and problems harder to diagnose.
The workflow is: prepare the first frame → plan the movement → generate a preview → check for distortion.
Choose an accessible video generator that supports image-to-video, a vertical aspect ratio and short clips. Kling, Jimeng and Runway are starting points to explore; availability and features depend on your account and region.
You don't need to decide which model is best today, or buy an annual subscription. Check the credit cost of a single generation and use the lowest usable settings for this exercise.
Save the first-frame photo and one sentence: “A coffee cup by a window; the camera moves slowly closer.”
Check three things: a clear subject, the right aspect ratio and one simple movement. Once they're in place, you're ready to generate.
Continue with Part 2: generate your first usable shot, or see the full beginner's guide.
This article was prepared for DEV with AI assistance.