Align the Reference Frame With the Intended Motion
Choose reference frames that already support the intended motion.
Capture
Reference images stabilized identity but sometimes resisted the desired action.
A subject facing the house was asked to leave it. A still composition emphasized the opposite side from the intended destination. The generated motion became awkward, twisted, or narratively unclear.
Why
The reference image was initially treated as a source of appearance only.
The prompt was expected to preserve identity while freely replacing posture and direction.
Why-Not
The image also established orientation, balance, visual emphasis, and implied movement.
When the desired action contradicted that geometry, the system had to preserve and overturn the reference simultaneously.
The scar was learning that every still frame already contains a motion hypothesis.
Commit
Decision: Select or create reference frames whose composition naturally supports the intended movement.
For departure, begin with the body already oriented toward the exit. For reaching, looking, driving, or running, give the subject space and posture that permit the action.
Treat the prompt as an extension of the reference geometry rather than a repeated attempt to reverse it.
Once imagery holds the nouns and supports the verbs, prompt expansion stops helping. The next decision is subtraction.
Timestamp
2026-07-24