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Reelsmith
Every option, with examples

Inspiration Library — pick the look, not the prompt

Each choice lives at one level — the film, a scene or a shot. Reelsmith writes your picks into every clip prompt in the order video models read best.

Film level

Rendering style

How the image is drawn, painted or rendered — the technique, not the world.

2D hand-drawn — example

2D hand-drawn

Classic frame-by-frame drawing, clean lines, painted backgrounds.

Reference image · licence pending

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Golden-age cel — example

Golden-age cel12 fps on twos

Fairy-tale cel animation of the 1940s–50s, animated on twos.

Reference image · licence pending

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Rubber-hose cartoon — example

Rubber-hose cartoon12 fps sepia

1930s bouncy ink cartoons, scratchy film and ragtime.

Steamboat Willie (1928) — Walt Disney Studio (public domain)

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Mid-century flat — example

Mid-century flatLimited animation

Limited animation: bold shapes, off-register colour.

Reference image · licence pending

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Jazz-age line — example

Jazz-age lineInk + flat colour

Swooping caricature ink lines over flat colour, moving to a swing beat.

Reference image · licence pending

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Pencil sketch — example

Pencil sketchBoiling lines

Rough graphite lines that boil between frames, paper showing through.

Reference image · licence pending

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Pastoral anime — example

Pastoral animeHand-painted

Hand-painted skies, lush countryside, gentle everyday magic.

Reference image · licence pending

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90s cel anime — example

90s cel animeCel + bloom

Late-night cel anime: hard shadows, painted detail, VHS glow.

Reference image · licence pending

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Watercolor storybook — example

Watercolor storybookPaper texture

Picture-book washes and pencil lines, soft as a bedtime story.

Reference image · licence pending

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Living oil painting — example

Living oil paintingMoving brushstrokes

Every frame painted; brushstrokes swirl with the motion.

The Starry Night — Vincent van Gogh (Public domain)

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Woodblock print — example

Woodblock printFlat print layers

Edo-era prints in motion: Prussian-blue waves, flat gradients.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa — Katsushika Hokusai (Public domain)

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Motion comic — example

Motion comicCamera + narration

Comic panels that hold still while the camera and a narrator tell the story.

Reference image · licence pending

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Stop-motion clay — example

Stop-motion clay12 fps handmade

Handmade puppets and miniature sets, fingerprints and all.

Animacion-con-plastilina-y-clay-animation-pelicula-Kuzmich-153.jpg — Sviridov, Max (Public domain)

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Paper cut-out — example

Paper cut-outLayered paper

Hinged paper figures on layered glass, misty multiplane depth.

Reference image · licence pending

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Silhouette cut-out — example

Silhouette cut-outSilhouettes

Black paper-cut silhouettes against glowing colour.

Reference image · licence pending

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Stylized 3D — example

Stylized 3DStylized CG

Feature-film CG: soft volumes, big eyes, warm light.

Tom Tomato & Ko — aivars_k (public domain)

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Cel-shaded 3D — example

Cel-shaded 3DToon shading

3D models drawn like 2D: flat toon tones and ink outlines.

Cel shading with outlines.png — Donnie DeBoer (Public domain)

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Comic-print 3D — example

Comic-print 3DOn twos

CG printed like a comic: halftone, offset colour, drawn speed lines.

Reference image · licence pending

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2000s game 3D — example

2000s game 3DReal-time 3D

Early real-time 3D: blurry textures, hard edges, fog in the distance.

Reference image · licence pending

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Pixel art — example

Pixel art16-bit

16-bit game worlds: crisp pixels, dithered skies, parallax.

Asian Night - Pixel Art Wallpaper — RodrixAP (CC BY 2.0)

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Photoreal — example

PhotorealBest from real frames

Live-action cinema. Start shots on real frames to keep faces and sets consistent.

Reference image · licence pending

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Film level

Film tradition

The cinematic language: light, framing, editing.

Classic Hollywood — example

Classic Hollywood

Polished studio glamour, three-point light, invisible editing.

Reference image · licence pending

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Storybook symmetry — example

Storybook symmetry

Centred symmetrical frames, pastel sets, deadpan whimsy.

Reference image · licence pending

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Observational vérité — example

Observational vérité

The camera watches, never stages: available light, candid moments.

Reference image · licence pending

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Film level

World aesthetic

When and where the story lives: era, technology, setting.

Prehistoric — example

Prehistoric

Primeval land: giant beasts, ferns, volcanoes, no cities.

Illustration of the Brontosaurus by Charles R. Knight.jpg — Charles Robert Knight (Public domain)

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Antiquity — example

Antiquity

Marble temples, bronze, togas, harbours of the ancient world.

Cole Thomas The Consummation The Course of the Empire 1836.jpg — Thomas Cole (Public domain)

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Jazz Age — example

Jazz Age

1920s city: skyscrapers rising, speakeasies, flappers, early motorcars.

Fifth Avenue, 1929 (17301048862).jpg — Seattle Municipal Archives from Seattle, WA (CC BY 2.0)

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Timeless countryside — example

Timeless countryside

Fields, farms, rivers and small villages.

Dutch Landscape (SM 864).png — Koninck, Philips Philips Koninck (PDM-owner)

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Dark fantasy — example

Dark fantasy

Cursed lands, ruined abbeys, dead trees and things in the dark.

Abtei im Eichwald (C D Friedrich).jpg — Caspar David Friedrich (Public domain)

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Clean sci-fi — example

Clean sci-fi

White curves, light panels, stars outside.

Stuttgart Public Library, Germany — o palsson (CC BY 2.0)

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Scene level

Set design

Architecture, interiors and furniture of the location.

Baroque palace — example

Baroque palace

Gilt mirrors, frescoed ceilings, candlelit opulence.

File:Chateau Versailles Galerie des Glaces.jpg — Myrabella (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Art Nouveau — example

Art Nouveau

Whiplash curves, stained glass, forged-iron vines.

art nouveau dome of light — e³°°° (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Y2K — example

Y2K

Chrome, bubble chairs, frosted plastic, iridescence.

15 Bachhaus Eisenach Bubble Chairs — Bachhaus.eisenach (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Scene level

Set dressing

How full and lived-in the sets are.

Film level

Character design

How people are drawn. Not set = they follow the rendering style. Species and individual looks belong in Character Studio.

Shot level

Shot size

How much of the subject is in frame.

Extreme wide — example

Extreme wide

Tiny figure, vast world.

Wide — example

Wide

Whole scene in view.

Full — example

Full

Head to toe.

Medium — example

Medium

Waist up.

Close-up — example

Close-up

The face.

Extreme close-up — example

Extreme close-up

Eyes, hands, details.

Insert — example

Insert

An object that matters.

Shot level

Camera angle

Where the camera looks from.

Eye level — example

Eye level

Neutral, honest.

Low angle — example

Low angle

Looking up — power.

High angle — example

High angle

Looking down — small.

Bird's-eye — example

Bird's-eye

Straight down.

Worm's-eye — example

Worm's-eye

From the ground up.

Dutch angle — example

Dutch angle

Tilted, uneasy.

Over the shoulder — example

Over the shoulder

Into a conversation.

POV — example

POV

Through their eyes.

Shot level

Camera movement

How the camera moves during the shot.

Static — example

Static

Locked off.

Slow push-in — example

Slow push-in

Drawing closer.

Pull-out — example

Pull-out

Revealing the world.

Pan — example

Pan

Turning across.

Tilt — example

Tilt

Up or down.

Tracking — example

Tracking

Moving alongside.

Crane up — example

Crane up

Rising above.

Orbit — example

Orbit

Circling the subject.

Handheld — example

Handheld

Alive, nervous.

Steadicam — example

Steadicam

Gliding follow.

Whip pan — example

Whip pan

Fast snap.

Drone — example

Drone

High flying.

Shot level

Lens & focus

Focal length and depth of field.

Wide 24mm — example

Wide 24mm

Space and distortion.

Normal 50mm — example

Normal 50mm

Like the eye.

Portrait 85mm — example

Portrait 85mm

Flattering compression.

Telephoto 200mm — example

Telephoto 200mm

Stacked, compressed.

Macro — example

Macro

Tiny worlds.

Anamorphic — example

Anamorphic

Oval bokeh, flares.

Shallow focus — example

Shallow focus

Background melts.

Deep focus — example

Deep focus

Everything sharp.

Rack focus — example

Rack focus

Focus shifts.

Shot level

Composition

How the frame is arranged.

Rule of thirds — example

Rule of thirds

Off-centre balance.

Centred symmetry — example

Centred symmetry

Perfect balance.

Leading lines — example

Leading lines

Lines pull the eye.

Negative space — example

Negative space

Small subject, big emptiness.

Foreground framing — example

Foreground framing

Shot through something.

Layered depth — example

Layered depth

Fore-, mid-, background.

Diagonal action — example

Diagonal action

Energy across the frame.

Shot level

Speed

Time inside the shot.

Real time — example

Real time

As it happens.

Slow motion — example

Slow motion

Stretched moments.

Time-lapse — example

Time-lapse

Hours in seconds.

Speed ramp — example

Speed ramp

Slow to fast.

Shot level

Lighting

How light and shadow shape the scene.

Natural light — example

Natural light

Real daylight, motivated.

Reference image · licence pending

Golden hour — example

Golden hour

Low warm sun, long shadows.

Reference image · licence pending

Blue hour — example

Blue hour

Cool dusk glow.

Reference image · licence pending

High-key — example

High-key

Bright, soft, few shadows.

Reference image · licence pending

Low-key — example

Low-key

Dark, pools of light.

Reference image · licence pending

Chiaroscuro — example

Chiaroscuro

Hard light against black.

Reference image · licence pending

Soft diffused — example

Soft diffused

Overcast, gentle.

Reference image · licence pending

Rim light — example

Rim light

Glowing edges, backlit.

Reference image · licence pending

Silhouette — example

Silhouette

Figures against bright light.

Reference image · licence pending

Volumetric rays — example

Volumetric rays

Light beams through air.

Reference image · licence pending

Neon — example

Neon

Coloured signs and reflections.

Reference image · licence pending

Candlelight — example

Candlelight

Flickering warm points.

Reference image · licence pending

Moonlight — example

Moonlight

Cold silver night.

Reference image · licence pending

Scene level

Atmosphere

Weather and air.

Shot level

Visual effects

Effects that happen in the shot. For inspiration: describe the combination you imagine.

For inspiration only — these can't be picked. Use the names to describe what you imagine; combine as many as you like.

Fire & embers — example

Fire & embers

Flames, sparks rising, glowing ash.

Sheni uzo Fire bath.jpg — Krishnendh (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Explosion — example

Explosion

Fireball, shockwave, flying debris.

Explosion-3489350 1280.jpg — mturner3 (CC0)

Smoke & dust — example

Smoke & dust

Billowing plumes, dust clouds, steam.

Smoke bomb at Millbank Tower.jpg — Michael James Shaw (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sparks — example

Sparks

Showers of hot metal sparks.

Angle-grinder-sparks 32721-480x360 (4999892463).jpg — Emilian Robert Vicol from Com. Balanesti, Romania (CC BY 2.0)

Lightning & electricity — example

Lightning & electricity

Bolts, arcs, crackling charge.

Reference image · licence pending

Splashes & waves — example

Splashes & waves

Liquid crowns, spray, crashing water.

Water droplet high speed.jpg — Wolfgang Claussen (WolfBlur) (CC0)

Shattering — example

Shattering

Glass and solids bursting into shards.

Shattered light fixture 3.jpg — W.carter (CC0)

Collapse & debris — example

Collapse & debris

Walls, towers and ground giving way.

Capital One Tower Demolition 9-7-24.jpg — Ebenap (CC0)

Disintegration — example

Disintegration

Crumbling to ash or dust and blowing away.

Dandelion-wind-blown-seeds-333093.jpg — Michael Schwarzenberger (CC0)

Spell particles — example

Spell particles

Glowing motes, runes, swirling magic.

Silscheder Tunnel, Sparks-1.jpg — Dominik Brygier (©DB Fotografie) (CC BY 2.0)

Energy & force fields — example

Energy & force fields

Shimmering shields, beams, plasma.

Plasma globe 2009-16-1.JPG — Supportstorm (Public domain)

Hologram — example

Hologram

Translucent flickering projections.

Soldier using virtual tablet hologram army technology (50810306376).jpg — Vu Hoang (CC BY 2.0)

Portal & vortex — example

Portal & vortex

A swirling rift into elsewhere.

Rain Vortex Night Jewel Changi Feb23 R16 06856.jpg — Timothy A. Gonsalves (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Light trails — example

Light trails

Streaks of light drawn through space.

Light painting screw.jpg — Karsten Loewenstein (CC BY 3.0)

Frozen moment — example

Frozen moment

Time stops; the camera moves through it.

Frozen moment (459655128).jpg — Till Krech from Berlin, Germany (CC BY 2.0)

Motion trails — example

Motion trails

Echoes of a moving body left behind.

019 Stacked images of an European Bee-eater in flight Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg — Giles Laurent (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Double exposure — example

Double exposure

Two images layered in one frame.

Hand-coloured processed double exposure image of a woman in the Canton Region of — Chanmeiling214 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Lens flare — example

Lens flare

Bright streaks and ghosts from a light source.

Sonne mit Lens Flares 20230906 HOF08126 RAW-Export.png — PantheraLeo1359531 (CC BY 4.0)

Glitch & datamosh — example

Glitch & datamosh

Broken pixels, smeared frames, signal errors.

Glitch Art by James Connolly and Eric Pellegrino.jpg — jonCates (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Morph & transformation — example

Morph & transformation

One shape flowing into another.

Animated-morphing.gif — Koperczak (Public domain)

Heat distortion — example

Heat distortion

Rippling air over heat or engines.

Reference image · licence pending

Scene level

Colour palette

Colours and grade of the image.

Black & white — example

Black & white

No colour at all.

Exploring - Vidraru, Romania - Black and white street photography — Giuseppe Milo (www.gmilo.com) (CC BY)

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Scene level

Mood

The emotional tone of the scene.

Film level

Genre

What kind of story it is.

Slice of life — example

Slice of life

Ordinary days, small moments.

Traditional Serbian breakfast preparing.jpg — Shixart1985 (CC BY 2.0)

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Romantic comedy — example

Romantic comedy

Meet-cutes and mix-ups.

Couple sharing an umbrella in Nottingham, England.jpg — [Duncan] (CC BY 2.0)

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Satire & parody — example

Satire & parody

Poking fun at the powerful and the familiar.

School Begins (Puck Magazine 1-25-1899).jpg — Louis Dalrymple (Public domain)

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Martial arts — example

Martial arts

Choreographed fights, discipline, honour.

Shaolin Kung Fu In Iran- Photo By 2007-Mostafa meraji 08.jpg — Mostafameraji (CC0)

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Superhero — example

Superhero

Powers, costumes, saving the day.

Infinity Con, superhero cosplay.JPG — Michael Rivera (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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War — example

War

Soldiers, fronts and the cost of conflict.

Cheshire Regiment trench Somme 1916.jpg — John Warwick Brooke (Public domain)

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Survival & disaster — example

Survival & disaster

Against nature, the elements or catastrophe.

Winslow Homer - The Gulf Stream - Metropolitan Museum of Art.jpg — Winslow Homer (Public domain)

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Crime — example

Crime

Criminals and those chasing them.

James Cagney in The Public Enemy.jpg — Trailer screenshot (Public domain)

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Psychological — example

Psychological

Unreliable minds, inner dread.

Edvard Munch - The Scream - Google Art Project.jpg — Edvard Munch (Public domain)

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Fantasy — example

Fantasy

Magic, quests, other worlds.

St George Slaying the Dragon (replica od Middle Age painting, c. 1420).jpg — unknown (Public domain)

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Musical — example

Musical

Characters sing and dance the story.

SLNSW 8589 Chorus girls and conductor State Theatre.jpg — Sam Hood (Public domain)

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Film level

Motion

How characters and objects move.

Natural — example

Natural

Believable weight and timing.

Muybridge horse gallop animated 2.gif — Eadweard Muybridge, Waugsberg (Public domain)

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Slow & graceful — example

Slow & graceful

Unhurried, flowing movement.

Woman in dress dancing (1887).gif — Eadweard Muybridge (Public domain)

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Film level

Texture & finish

What the image was captured on: film stock, video, optics, surface.

Super 8 — example

Super 8

Home-movie film: jitter, flicker, faded warmth.

Titelgerät (IN DEN HAUPTROLLEN) bei einem Super 8 Amateurfilmprojekt, Sommer 198 — Christian Boss 1965 (CC BY 4.0)

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CRT broadcast — example

CRT broadcast

Scanlines, curved glass, phosphor glow.

CRTslowmotion PetesDragon.jpg — Draconichiaro (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Security camera — example

Security camera

High fixed angle, timestamp, choppy frames.

CCTV footage from the Club Q nightclub shooting.png — Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain)

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Early digital — example

Early digital

2000s digicam: blown highlights, JPEG blocks.

Photo prise devant une glace avec flash.JPG — Vi..Cult... (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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How levels work

Film

Rendering style, film tradition, world, characters, genre, motion, finish. One identity for the whole movie.

Scene

Set design, set dressing, atmosphere, colour palette, mood. Changes when the location or the feeling changes.

Shot

Shot size, angle, movement, lens, composition, speed — plus lighting and visual effects to write into the shot script. Different for every clip.

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