Guides / Prompts
Muse Prompt Templates: Copy-and-Paste Prompts for Images and Video
These templates follow the structure that works best in Muse: subject, setting, lighting, style and constraints. Replace the parts in [square brackets] with your own details, and delete anything you don’t need. Each template has a filled-in example underneath.
Image templates
YouTube thumbnail
TemplateA close-up of [person and expression] [reacting to / looking at] [the subject of the video], [setting]. [Lighting colour and direction]. Bold YouTube thumbnail style, high contrast, sharp focus on the face. 16:9, leave empty space on the [left/right] for a title, no text.
ExampleA close-up of a shocked man in his thirties staring at a smoking volcano in the distance, standing on a mountain road. Red-orange glow lighting one side of his face. Bold YouTube thumbnail style, high contrast, sharp focus on the face. 16:9, leave empty space on the right for a title, no text.
Product shot
Template[Product] on [surface], with [one or two simple props]. [Soft / dramatic] studio lighting from [direction], [background colour] background. Clean commercial product photo, shot from [angle]. [Ratio], no text, no logos.
ExampleA ceramic coffee mug in matte sage green on a light oak table, with a small sprig of eucalyptus beside it. Soft studio lighting from the left, warm off-white background. Clean commercial product photo, shot from slightly above. 4:5, no text, no logos.
Portrait
TemplateA portrait of [age-as-number]-year-old [person, with two or three features], wearing [clothing], [expression]. [Setting, softly blurred]. [Light]. Realistic photo, [lens]mm lens, [framing: head and shoulders / waist up]. [Ratio].
ExampleA portrait of a 68-year-old woman with silver hair in a loose bun and laugh lines, wearing a hand-knitted mustard cardigan, smiling warmly. A sunny kitchen softly blurred behind her. Window light from the side. Realistic photo, 85mm lens, head and shoulders. 4:5.
Character reference sheet
TemplateCharacter reference sheet of [name], a [age]-year-old [description] in [time and place]. [Build]. [Face and hair]. Wearing [clothing with colours and materials]. Show [him/her/them] from the front, side and three-quarter view, full body, neutral expression, plain light grey background. [Style]. No text, no labels.
See our character sheets guide for how to check and use these.
Location or element sheet
TemplateReference sheet of [place or object] in [time and place]: [key details, materials and colours]. Show it from [two or three angles], in clear daylight, no people. [Style]. No text, no labels.
Video templates
Each of these is written for one 10-second clip. Keep one main action per shot.
Documentary establishing shot
TemplateA [slow aerial drift / slow push-in / static wide shot] over [place] in [year], [what is happening]. [Weather and light]. Realistic documentary footage, 16:9. No on-screen text, no modern objects.
ExampleA slow aerial drift over a busy river port in 1921, steamboats loading cotton bales while workers move along the docks. Hazy afternoon sun. Realistic documentary footage, 16:9. No on-screen text, no modern objects.
Character action shot
Template[Character name] (see reference) [one clear action] in [setting]. Camera [movement], [framing]. [Light and mood]. [Style], 16:9. No on-screen text.
ExampleThomas (see reference) ties his boat to a wooden post as the wind starts to rise on a grey beach. Camera holds steady in a medium shot. Overcast, cool light, tense mood. Realistic documentary footage, 16:9. No on-screen text.
Animated scene
Template[Character] [action] in [setting], [emotion]. Camera [movement]. [Light and colour palette]. Stylised 3D animated film look, soft shapes, expressive faces, 16:9. No text.
ExampleA small round robot slowly opens its eyes in a dark, empty warehouse and looks up at a single beam of light from a skylight, curious and hopeful. Camera slowly pushes in. Cool blue shadows with a warm golden light beam. Stylised 3D animated film look, soft shapes, expressive faces, 16:9. No text.
Fixing a clip
TemplateRegenerate shot [number] with the same prompt, but [the one thing to change]. Keep [character] matching the reference exactly.
Words that help
| To get… | Try |
|---|---|
| Slow, cinematic movement | slow push-in, slow dolly, gentle pan, static shot |
| Big sense of scale | aerial drift, wide establishing shot, from far above |
| Intimacy | close-up, shallow depth of field, eye level |
| A historical look | archival film look, period-accurate, muted colours |
| Clean frames | no on-screen text, no captions, no logos, no watermark |