From prompt to film.
In ten steps.
A guided walkthrough of the VStudios pipeline — what every button does and where to direct the AI when it drifts. Skim the headlines, or read the whole thing as your first session playbook.
- Step 01
Create your studio
Sign up with email or Google. Pick a studio name (or use the default V branding). New accounts come with a free starter balance of generation minutes — no card required.
- Email + password, or one-click Google sign-in.
- Studio name is editable at any time from Account → Studio.
- Free trial minutes are credited automatically on signup.
- Step 02
Start a new project
From the studio home, hit New Project. Describe the film you want — genre, tone, world, plot, runtime. The more you say, the closer the first pass lands. Pick aspect ratio, target duration and a visual style preset.
- One-paragraph prompts are enough. A whole pitch deck also works.
- Style: cinematic, anime, claymation, photoreal — or your own reference.
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 for YouTube, 9:16 for Reels / Shorts / TikTok.
- Step 03
Cast your characters (optional)
In the New Project flow, the Your cast section lets you upload reference photos for each character from your computer or webcam. Toggle Use exactly as-is to lock the look (great for real actors or real-product placements). Leave it off to let the AI re-render the character in your chosen style.
- Upload from PC or capture with the webcam right in the browser.
- Use as-is = canonical reference; Off = stylized re-render.
- You can also add or replace references later from any character page.
TipA clear front-facing portrait + one full-body shot is usually enough for a consistent character across every scene. - Step 04
Let the pipeline draft the film
Once you submit, the production pipeline runs end-to-end: Story → Worlds → Locations → Cast → Storyboard → Voice → Score → Render. You can leave the page — progress is saved and you will get an email when the first cut is ready.
- Each stage is independent and re-runnable.
- Long renders run in the background. Check Account → Activity for status.
- You can keep working on other projects while this one finishes.
- Step 05
Review the script and storyboard
When the draft lands, open the project to walk the script scene by scene. Each scene shows the dialogue, the storyboard frames and the cast involved. Edit any line of dialogue, rewrite stage directions or regenerate a whole scene from a note.
- Inline edit on any text — script, scene description, shot prompt.
- Regenerate with notes: leave a director note and re-roll just that beat.
- Cast list is editable; add or remove characters at any point.
- Step 06
Tune worlds, locations and characters
Each project gets its own gallery of Worlds, Locations and Characters with locked reference images. Open any one to swap the poster, add reference photos, rewrite the description or regenerate the look — everything downstream updates automatically.
- World = visual rules (e.g. "rainy cyberpunk Tokyo, neon-only lighting").
- Location = a specific place inside that world (the noodle bar, the rooftop).
- Character references are reused across every shot for identity consistency.
- Step 07
Direct shot by shot
Open a shot to see the exact prompt, references and last-frame chain sent to the video model. Tweak the prompt, swap the reference frame, change the camera move, or hit Regenerate with notes to re-roll just that shot with new direction.
- Per-second prompt format keeps action and camera moves crisp.
- Last-frame chaining means the next shot picks up exactly where this one ends.
- Debug panel shows the literal payload sent to the video AI.
TipDirector notes work best when they are specific: "tilt up faster", "warmer key light", "she looks afraid not angry". - Step 08
Voice, score and SFX
Voice cast assigns a natural-sounding voice to each character and reads every line of dialogue. Adaptive scoring writes a soundtrack that matches the mood of each scene. SFX cues are placed automatically — and you can preview, replace or regenerate any of them from the AI chat panel.
- Swap a voice per character without re-running the whole render.
- Replace the score on any scene with a fresh generation or your own MP3.
- SFX previews play inline — drag any clip straight to the timeline.
- Step 09
Edit on the timeline
The timeline editor is a real NLE: cut, split, drag-and-drop, transitions, effects, text overlays and image overlays. Copy a clip with Cmd/Ctrl+C and paste with Cmd/Ctrl+V. Move the AI chat panel to the left or right of the canvas — it remembers where you put it.
- Tracks for video, voice, music, SFX, text, overlays.
- Transitions and effects are live-previewable.
- AI chat panel is dockable; references, last-shot and characters are one click away.
- Step 10
Export and share
When the cut is locked, hit Export. Pick format (MP4 / WebM) and resolution, then download the file. Share manually to YouTube, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn for now — direct in-app publishing is coming soon. You can also publish to the public VStudios Showcase with one click.
- Export queue runs in the background; the file is available in the editor when ready.
- Publish to VStudios Showcase to feature your film on the public gallery.
- Direct YouTube / Instagram publishing is marked Coming soon — export and upload manually for now.
Keyboard, not mouse.
The timeline editor is keyboard-first. These are the moves you will use every session.
Tell the story only you can tell.
Free starter pack of generation minutes. No card required. Render your first film tonight.