Tutorials

LTX-2 Prompting Guide: How to Write Prompts for LTX Video Generation

Shot structure, camera language, audio cues, I2V vs T2V differences, and the most common mistakes — a complete LTX-2.3 prompting reference with before/after examples.

By ltx workflow

Editor's Note: Comprehensive prompting guide for LTX-2.3 image-to-video and text-to-video generation — covering shot structure, camera language, audio cues, and what to avoid. Based on official LTX-Video team guidelines with practical before/after examples for every technique.

LTX 2.3 Prompting Guide

Source: LTX-Video team official guide. Covers LTX 2.3 image-to-video (I2V) and text-to-video (T2V).

LTX 2.3 introduces major improvements to detail, motion, prompt understanding, audio reliability, and native portrait support. This changes how you should prompt.

Core Principles

1. Be More Specific — The Engine Can Handle It

LTX 2.3 includes a larger, more capable text connector. It interprets complex prompts accurately, especially for multiple subjects, spatial relationships, stylistic constraints, and detailed actions.

Simplifying no longer helps. Specificity wins.

Instead of:  A woman in a café
Try:         A woman in her 30s sits by the window of a small Parisian café.
             Rain runs down the glass behind her. Warm tungsten interior lighting.
             She slowly stirs her coffee while glancing at her phone.
             Background softly out of focus.

2. Direct the Scene — Don't Just Describe It

LTX 2.3 respects spatial layout. Be explicit: left vs right, foreground vs background, facing toward vs away, distance between subjects.

Instead of:  Two people talking outside
Try:         Two people stand facing each other on a quiet suburban sidewalk.
             The taller man stands on the left, hands in pockets.
             The woman stands on the right, holding a bicycle.
             Houses blurred in the background.

Block the scene like a director.

3. Describe Texture and Material

With a rebuilt latent space and updated VAE, fine detail is sharper. Describe fabric types, hair texture, surface finish, environmental wear, edge detail.

Close-up of wind moving through fine, curly hair. Individual strands visible.
Soft afternoon backlight catching edge detail.

4. For I2V, Use Verbs

Motion still needs clarity. Avoid vague descriptions:

Avoid:       The scene comes alive
Try:         The camera slowly pushes forward as the subject turns their head
             and begins walking toward the street. Cars pass.

Specify who moves, what moves, how they move, what the camera does. Motion is driven by verbs.

5. Avoid Static, Photo-Like Prompts

If your prompt reads like a still image, the output may behave like one.

Instead of:  A dramatic portrait of a man standing
Try:         A man stands on a windy rooftop. His coat flaps in the wind.
             He adjusts his collar and steps forward as the camera tracks right.

6. Design for Native Portrait

LTX 2.3 supports native vertical video up to 1080x1920. When generating portrait content, compose for vertical intentionally.

Don't treat vertical as cropped landscape. Frame for it.
Influencer vlogging while on holiday — shoot for vertical.

7. Be Clear About Audio

The new vocoder improves reliability and alignment. If you want sound, describe it: environmental audio, tone and intensity, dialogue clarity.

A low, pulsing energy hum radiates from the glowing orb.
A sharp, intermittent alarm blares in the background, metallic and urgent,
echoing through the spacecraft interior.

Prompt Structure

Shot Priority

The model responds better when the prompt has one dominant event or shot idea instead of several competing moments. One scene, one focus.

Named Motion Over Style Words

Strong prompts say what changes on screen. They do not rely on vague labels like dynamic, cinematic, or epic to carry the action.

Walking, pouring, turning, lifting, revealing, drifting
— more than dramatic, vivid, or engaging on their own.

Camera Intent

Even a short phrase gives the output more direction:

slow push-in
fixed frame
side tracking shot
handheld movement
slow dolly in

Prompt Order That Works

Subject -> action -> camera -> mood

This keeps the prompt legible and makes refinement easier.

Format

Write as a single flowing paragraph. Use present tense verbs for action and movement. Match detail level to shot scale — close-ups need more detail than wide shots. Aim for 4–8 descriptive sentences.

Shot Composition Categories

Camera Language

Movement	Use when
Follows, Tracks	Subject is moving through space
Pans across	Static subject, scanning scene
Circles around	Revealing subject from all sides
Tilts upward / Pushes in	Dramatic emphasis, reveal
Overhead view	Establishing, god's-eye
Over-the-shoulder	Dialogue, interaction
Wide establishing shot	Setting context
Static frame	Tension, stillness
Handheld movement	Documentary, chaos, intimacy

Scale Indicators

Expansive / Epic — wide landscapes, large crowds
Intimate / Claustrophobic — close quarters, tension
Medium — neutral, conversational

Pacing & Temporal Effects

Slow motion — dramatic emphasis
Time-lapse — passage of time
Rapid cuts — energy, intensity
Lingering shot — contemplation, weight
Continuous shot — realism, unbroken take
Freeze-frame — dramatic pause
Fade-in / fade-out — transition

Film Characteristics

Film grain, lens flares, jittery stop-motion, pixelated edges — use deliberately.

Visual Details

Lighting

Flickering candles, neon glow, natural sunlight, dramatic shadows, backlit rim light, warm tungsten, cool blue ambient.

Textures

Rough stone, smooth metal, worn fabric, glossy surfaces, weathered wood, matte finish.

Atmosphere

Fog, rain, dust, smoke, particles, mist, golden hour, overcast.

Color Palette

Vibrant, muted, monochromatic, high contrast, warm tones, cool tones, desaturated.

Audio & Voice

Ambient Settings

Coffeeshop noise, wind and rain, forest ambience with birds, traffic hum, ocean waves.

Dialogue

Place spoken dialogue in quotation marks
Specify language and accent if needed
Energetic announcer, resonant voice with gravitas, distorted radio-style, robotic monotone, childlike curiosity

Volume Cues

Whisper, mutter, shout, scream — give the model volume reference.

Content to Avoid

Avoid	Why
Internal emotional states ("she feels sad")	Use visual cues instead of abstract labels
Text and logos	Readable text is not currently reliable
Complex physics	Chaotic motion introduces artifacts
Overloaded scenes	Too many characters or actions reduce quality
Conflicting lighting	Mixed light logic confuses scene interpretation
Overcomplicated prompts	Start simple and layer complexity gradually

Sample Prompts

Commercial — Product Hero

Luxury skincare bottle on a wet stone surface, gentle push-in camera,
soft morning light, subtle water movement, premium beauty commercial mood,
minimal background distraction.

Character — Portrait Motion

Young chef plating a dish in a quiet open kitchen, medium close-up,
calm hand movement, warm tungsten highlights, shallow depth feel,
understated cinematic realism.

Environment — Atmospheric Scene

Fog rolling over pine trees around a mountain cabin at dawn,
slow rising drone-like camera, cool blue light, soft wind in the branches,
contemplative cinematic tone.

Short Form — Social Hook

Fresh croissant breaking open on a marble counter, quick close-up reveal,
visible steam, crisp bakery lighting, satisfying food detail,
short-form premium ad style.

What Works Well

Cinematic compositions — wide, medium, close-up with thoughtful lighting and natural motion
Emotive human moments — strong single-subject emotional expressions, subtle gestures, facial nuance
Atmosphere & setting — fog, mist, golden-hour light, rain, reflections
Clear camera language — explicit instructions like "slow dolly in" or "handheld tracking"
Stylized aesthetics — painterly, noir, analog film, fashion editorial, pixelated animation
Voice capabilities — characters can talk and sing; multiple languages supported

Sources

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