Luma (Dream Machine / Ray) prompt guide

How to prompt Luma (Dream Machine / Ray)

1. Describe the final on-screen result in declarative sentences, not imperative commands ('purple sky over mountains', not 'change the sky').
2. Give concrete camera, light and atmosphere; specifics outweigh stacked adjectives.
3. Skip generic adjectives like whimsical, dreamy or vibrant; name the materials, palette and light source instead.
4. Use positive phrasing only; avoid 'no', 'not', 'without'.
5. In video-to-video, end with a preservation cue, e.g. 'Preserve subject identity, pose, and lighting.'
6. Leave Enhance on for rough ideas; turn it off when sending an exact, crafted production prompt.
7. Plan longer pieces as 4–6 separate moments or shots instead of one long generation.
8. Use keyframes or reference images to stop character and style drifting across shots.
9. In video-to-video, avoid temporal phrasing like 'gradually' or 'over time'; state the end-state qualities.

The shape of a good prompt

[Camera move + shot] of [subject with concrete materials/wardrobe] [action] in [environment]. [Light source + quality], [color palette], [atmosphere]. [Style]. (Video-to-video: [target end-state look]. Preserve [identity/pose/lighting/composition].)

Avoid

• Imperative edit commands ('make', 'turn', 'change')
• Negation ('no people')
• Generic mood adjectives instead of concrete visual details
• Long descriptive essays
• Trying to make a 60–90 s piece in one generation

Example

Request a runner in Tokyo at night

Slow tracking shot alongside a female runner in a black windbreaker on a quiet Tokyo backstreet at night. Wet asphalt mirrors soft pink and cyan neon signs; light rain falls through the glow of a single streetlamp. Shallow depth of field, anamorphic lens flares, teal-and-magenta palette, cinematic 35mm film grain.