Avatars

January 22, 2025 · Last updated on April 23, 2025

Prompting Best Practices for adding Motion to avatars

# Photo Avatars

# Avatar

Bring avatars generated through photos or text to life

If you've generated a custom avatar through photos or text prompts and want to add natural and realistic Motions to bring it to life, you're in the right place!

What’s covered in this guide

In this guide, we’ll cover:

How to choose between consistent and expressive Motion

When to choose consistent Motion

When to choose expressive Motion

Key differences at a glance

Expressive Motion vs. consistent Motion examples

Motion prompting basics

Best practices for Motion Prompts

How to choose between consistent and expressive Motion

In the realm of AI animation, selecting the right motion style is crucial for achieving your desired outcome. The two primary approaches—consistent Motion and expressive Motion—serve distinct creative purposes.

Whether you’re working on a cinematic project, storytelling animation, or marketing content, understanding these motion styles will help you choose the best tool for the job.

When to choose consistent Motion

Consistent Motion is ideal if:

Visual fidelity is crucial: It ensures that characters and scenes retain their original look without distortions.

Cinematic aesthetics are a priority: Suitable for dramatic, high-quality sequences with smooth transitions.

Minimal animation complexity is needed: Works best for polished, professional clips where movement is secondary to composition.

When to choose expressive Motion

Expressive Motion is preferable if:

Realism is the top priority: Ideal for lifelike human movement and organic animations.

Creative control is essential: It adheres closely to your artistic vision and prevents unintended artifacts.

Dynamic movement is key: Best for storytelling, character-driven animations, and energetic sequences.

Key differences at a glance

Feature	Consistent Motion	Expressive Motion
Focus	Stability and fidelity	Realism and dynamism
Motion Style	Smooth and predictable	Natural and detailed
Prompt Adherence	Moderate	High
Best For	Cinematic clips, professional presentations	Realistic animations, emotional storytelling

Expressive motion vs consistent motion examples

Motion prompting basics

When adding motion, use a simple and direct motion prompt that describes the movement you want. Avoid redundantly describing elements that are already present in the image.

For example, if the input image features a character, use:

The avatar is taking a break in the office, having a coffee

Prompts that deviate significantly from the input image may lead to unexpected results. For complex scene transitions, multiple iterations might be required.

Best practices for motion prompts

Use clear and direct descriptions

Avoid abstract or conceptual phrasing and instead use concrete descriptions.

❌ A person attempting to bypass security on a computer.
✅ A person rapidly typing lines of code on a computer screen.

Avoid conversational or command-based prompts

Generative video models interpret clear, visual descriptions better than conversational phrases or commands.

❌ can you please make me a video about a cat walking away from her kittens?
✅ a cat walking away from her kittens

Similarly, avoid direct commands:

❌ add snow to the image
✅ snow covering the field from out of frame

Use Positive Phrasing

Negative prompts (what shouldn’t happen) are not well-supported and may result in unintended effects.

❌ The scene remains unchanged. No motion. An empty sky.
✅ Fixed camera. The shot stays steady. A bright, cloudless sky.

Expressive motion prompting guide

Basic Prompt Formula

To generate effective image-to-video content, structure your prompts as:

Main Subject in the First Frame + Motion/Change

Main Subject in the First Frame: The AI recognizes characters, objects, and environmental details based on the input image.

Motion/Change: Describes how the subject or environment evolves within the video.

Example Prompt: A confident business professional in a modern office + Smiling as they nod and begin speaking naturally.

Precise prompt formula

For enhanced control and dynamic results, add camera and atmosphere details:

Main Subject in the First Frame + Motion/Change + Camera Movement + Aesthetic Atmosphere

Camera Movement: Specify zoom, pan, tilt, or other camera actions.

Aesthetic Atmosphere: Adjust mood, lighting, and stylistic elements to match your creative vision.

Example Prompt: A confident business professional in a modern office + Smiling as they nod and begin speaking naturally + Subtle slow zoom-in to enhance engagement + Warm, professional lighting with a soft bokeh background for a polished and inviting look.

Consistent motion prompting guide

When using consistent motion, focus on describing movement rather than the scene itself. Over-describing the input image may lead to unintended results.

Example Prompt: Slight head tilt, occasional blinks, and a soft neon light flicker effect, with a gentle zoom-in.

Prompt keywords

Keywords can help achieve specific styles or effects in your output. Ensure your keywords align with the overall context of your prompt. For instance, keywords about skin texture are more relevant for close-up shots, while a wide-angle scene might benefit from environmental details.

Experiment with the following categories to refine your prompts:

Mood: Stunning, radiant, delicate, striking, glamorous

Lighting: Warm lighting, natural lighting, cold lighting, dark aesthetic

Position: Centered, off to the side, on the left, on the right

Detail: Highly detailed, intricate, ultrarealistic

Angle/Viewpoint: Close-up, headshot, 3/4 shot, wide shot, low angle shot, high angle shot

By incorporating clear descriptions, positive phrasing, and cohesive keywords, you can craft prompts that consistently deliver high-quality results.

Recap

For more tips and advanced features, visit:

Generate Looks: change your avatar's outfits and surroundings using only photos and text

How to use Motion Avatars to create an animated digital twin

How to create Photo Avatars in HeyGen to personalize your videos

Ready to elevate your prompt? Let’s make your personalized content stand out!

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