Get started

Ophelia Guide

Editorial Campaign Films with Seedance 2.0 Reference

Sign up, and this page walks you through the whole workflow, from your reference images to a finished 15-second editorial film.

Get started

What Seedance 2.0 Reference actually does

Seedance 2.0 is a video generation model. What makes the Reference mode powerful for campaign work is that it doesn't generate from scratch, it generates from your images. You give it real reference photos, tell it what each one is for, and it builds motion around them while holding your product, your model, and your look consistent across the shot.

For a jewelry brand, that's the whole game. The piece has to stay exactly right, the same stone, the same setting, the same metal, in every frame. Reference mode is what locks that.

A few things to know before you start:

1. 15 seconds per generation, max. If your film is 30 or 60 seconds, you build it as separate 15-second segments and cut them together in your editor. Each segment is its own prompt.

2. It follows direction well when the direction is specific. Timestamped, shot-by-shot prompts produce clean results. Vague prompts produce mush. That's why we use the Claude prompt at the bottom, it writes the structured version for you.

3. Realism comes from imperfection. The model looks fake when it's too clean. Good editorial prompts actually ask for handheld shake, real grain, natural light, and imperfect framing. Counterintuitive, but it's what makes it read as a real shoot.

Step 1 — Your reference images are everything

This is the part that decides whether your film looks like a campaign or looks like AI. The model can only be as good as what you feed it. Great references in, great film out. Weak references in, no prompt saves it.

** What makes a strong editorial reference: **

  1. Real photography quality. Sharp, well-lit, intentional. The lighting and mood of the reference carry straight into the video

  2. Clean, uncluttered framing so the model reads the subject clearly

  3. The actual product, shot well. For jewelry: crisp, close, the stone and setting clearly visible

4.Consistent aesthetic across your references so the film feels like one world

You have two ways to get them:

**A. Pull from your shoot ** If you've already shot the campaign, your best frames are your references. A clean product shot, a portrait of your model, an environment still. This is ideal because it's real and it's yours.

B. Generate them in Ophelia. Not shot yet? Create your references first. Generate an editorial-quality product shot, a model, an environment, in the exact style you want, then use those as your Seedance references. This is how you campaign before a single camera goes up.

Lock a separate reference for each thing that recurs:

The product (the piece must match exactly, every frame) The model or character (same face, same wardrobe, same hair, no drift) The environment or style (used for lighting and mood, not content)

Step 2 — Don't overload the references

The most common mistake: throwing in every image you have. More references is not better. Each one you add is another thing the model has to reconcile, and they start fighting each other.

Give it only what the shot actually needs:

The product for that shot The person, if one appears One style/environment reference for mood

If a shot doesn't need the model, don't include the model. Scope each reference to a clear role and keep the set tight. A focused three-reference shot beats a muddy eight-reference one every time.

Step 3 — Generate the prompt with Claude

Seedance rewards precise, structured, timestamped prompts, and writing those by hand is tedious. So you don't. You paste the prompt below into Claude, fill in your project details, and it writes the full Seedance prompt for you, structured correctly, with the negative prompt and settings line included.

Then you take what Claude gives you, paste it into Ophelia with your references, and generate.

COPY THE BELOW INTO CLAUDE

4. Generate in Ophelia

  1. Open Ophelia, toggle Seedance 2.0 Reference

  2. Upload your references, in the same order you declared them to Claude (@image1, @image2…)

  3. Paste the Seedance prompt Claude gave you

  4. Set your Aspect ratio (9:16 (reel), 16:9 (landscape)) and quality (1080p)(sometimes its best to do 480p first as its cheaper to see if it will adhere to what you want, if it is then change ton 1080p later.)

  5. Generate, then rerun for the best take

If your film is over 15s, repeat per segment and cut them together in your editor

The prompt

COPY INTO CLAUDE

You're helping me write prompts for Seedance 2.0, an AI video generation model. I'm following a specific workflow for editorial campaign work. Read the rules carefully before writing anything.

THE WORKFLOW RULES

1. 15 seconds max per generation. Longer films are built as multiple separate generations cut together in post. If my project is 30s or 60s, break it into 15s (or shorter) segments, each with its own complete prompt.

2. Timestamps on every shot. Build shot-by-shot with explicit time ranges like [0.0–2.5s]. Each block describes: what's happening, the named camera move (push-in, tracking pan, rack focus), lens feel, and lighting. Vague "then we see" writing produces mush.

3. Realism comes from imperfection. Actively demand flaws: handheld shake, breath, overshoot, late focus catches, real motion blur, film grain, natural light, imperfect framing (cropped limbs, tilted frames, operator catching up), real physics only, real skin texture (pores, flyaway hair). Ban plastic AI skin explicitly.

4. Reference images do the heavy lifting. Declare each in-prompt as @image1, @image2, with a role: "@image1 = the product, must match exactly" or "@image2 = style reference, use for lighting and mood, not content." Always scope what each reference is FOR.

5. Character/product consistency. If a person or product recurs, state: "same person, same wardrobe, same hair every shot, no drift." Set creativity strength LOW (0.3–0.4) for character/label lock, higher (0.5–0.55) for kinetic texture work. Note the setting at the end.

6. Text on products is fragile. If a label or text appears, add a CRITICAL TEXT FIDELITY block: spell out the exact text, demand it renders identically every frame, ban garbled characters in negatives. Fallback: composite the real label in post.

7. The negative prompt is half the work. End every prompt with a [NEGATIVE] block banning the failure modes above, plus anything off-brand. Never name real celebrities, films, directors, or brands, describe the style instead ("contemporary prestige documentary"), or the content filter rejects it.

8. Structure: [STYLE] block (camera, lenses, frame rate, grade, lighting, world, pacing) → @image reference declarations → timestamped shot blocks → [ATMOSPHERE] → [NEGATIVE]. One prompt = one generation.

MY PROJECT

What I'm making: [describe the film]
Format: [16:9 / 9:16]
Total length: [Xs, if over 15s, split into segments]
References I'll upload: [list them and what each is]
The world/aesthetic: [light, palette, mood, era]
Who/what appears: [people, products, note anything recurring]
The shot arc: [rough beats, or ask you to propose one]
Must-haves: [non-negotiable shots]
Must-NOT-haves: [anything to avoid]

WHAT I NEED
Write the complete Seedance prompt(s) following the structure above, ready to paste, with a settings line at the end (duration, creativity strength, frame rate). If total length exceeds 15s, split into separate segment prompts that cut together cleanly. Keep explanation short, the prompt is the deliverable.

Create it now!

Get started