Director Mode
Upload custom characters, add scene images, use reference videos for motion, and move from storyboard planning toward generated clips.
AI video creation with character continuity
AI Character Reference Image to Video for Consistent Cinematic Scenes
Your vision, made visible. The redesigned creation interface lets you switch between Director Mode and Instant Mode, so you can turn character images, scene references, motion references, audio, and prompts into connected video shots with more control over identity, expression, performance, and visual direction.
Director Mode
Multimodal references
19 output languages documented
See how cinematic character-focused generation brings a visual idea into a connected scene.
Quick definition
What Is AI Character Reference Image to Video?
AI character reference image to video is a workflow that uses one or more character images to guide the appearance and identity of a generated video character. In Mootion Director Mode, creators can add character references, scene references, and reference videos before reviewing storyboard shots and generating clips.
The workflow is designed for cinematic scenes, animation, promotional content, short-form video, and connected storytelling where the same character needs to remain recognizable across multiple shots. Smart Reference also supports images, videos, and audio for more precise control over appearance, motion, voice, and overall direction.
For a broader overview of AI character video generation, this use case focuses specifically on turning references into a controlled, repeatable video workflow.
Use cases and examples
Create connected characters, scenes, and performances
Explore examples that demonstrate character continuity, cinematic lighting, motion direction, animation, and short-form generation.
Cinematic character consistency
“Would you sign the badge?” was made with Mootion 5.0 using one prompt, zero cuts, and cinematic control, with dialogue appearing at 0:07, 0:15, and 0:22.
Seedance 2.5 motion example
This example highlights sharper detail, smoother motion, and improved shot-to-shot consistency with Seedance 2.5.
Animation and story scenes
A collection of fantasy, action, romance, and science-fiction anime scenes illustrates how a story can become a video.
For still-image workflows, see image to video creation. For narrative planning, explore AI script-to-story video.
What You Get
Maintain character identity
Carry the same character identity, expression, and performance through connected scenes.
Guide visual continuity
Add scene reference images to give generated shots a consistent visual direction.
Direct motion and performance
Use reference videos to guide movement and performance across generated clips.
Combine multimodal inputs
Use images, videos, and audio together through Smart Reference for more precise direction.
Review before rendering
Review storyboard shots before generating all reference images or all clips.
Create in multiple languages
The Director Mode language selector offers 19 output languages, including Greek and Kazakh.
How It Works
Step 1
Add references
Upload character images, scene references, reference videos, audio, or start with a prompt.
You see a reference-led creative setup.
Step 2
Build the storyboard
Generate reference images or review storyboard shots before producing the final clips.
You see connected shots and visual direction.
Step 3
Generate the video
Generate all clips, combine the result, and continue refining the story through the available workflow.
You see a complete generated video sequence.
Features
Core workflow features
- Switch between Director Mode and Instant Mode in the redesigned creation interface.
- Use Director Mode for a storyboard-to-video workflow: start with a storyboard, refine individual shots, and render the final video.
- Upload character reference images.
- Add scene reference images.
- Use reference videos to guide motion.
- Start directly from text with a text-to-story workflow.
- Generate reference images or all clips.
- Use Instant Mode for prompt-to-video generation with Smart Reference, an optional Optimize prompt setting, and 10 or 15 second durations.
- Choose from Instant Mode aspect ratios of 21:9, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, or 9:16.
Reliability & control
- Maintain character identity across scenes.
- Preserve expression and performance direction.
- Review storyboard shots before final generation.
- Optimize prompts with the prompt optimization feature.
- Choose the mode that fits: Director Mode for storyboards or Instant Mode for prompt-to-video.
Integrations & export
- Use Seedance 2.0, Seedance 2.5, or MiniMax H3.
- Use images, videos, and audio as references.
- Create videos for short-form social formats.
- Generate clips within the Mootion workflow.
- Download videos and story assets for third-party editing.
Proof and documented examples
- 100,000,000+ videos created according to the provided company information.
- 5,000,000+ creators and coverage across 50+ countries are listed in the provided product information.
- Director Mode duration options run from 30 seconds to 10 minutes in the Mootion 5.0 workflow.
- Instant Mode supports duration options of 10 and 15 seconds for short-form formats.
“With Mootion, I can turn my ideas into a storyboard with great cinematic images as I expected.”
Comparison: Why Mootion vs alternatives
| Dimension | Mootion | Manual video workflow | Prompt-only video generation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Character reference images | Supported in Director Mode | Managed manually | Not described as reference-led |
| Scene references | Supported | Managed manually | Not specified |
| Reference videos for motion | Supported | Requires manual production | Not specified |
| Storyboard and shot control | Director Mode workflow | Manual planning | Single-prompt starting point |
| Input types | Images, video, audio, and text | Depends on tools | Prompt-centered |
Credentials & Key Stats
100M+
videos created
5M+
creators
50+
countries covered
19
documented output languages
A creator described the tool as easy to use, with a video available in a few clicks and the ability to control the entire flow and regenerate frames.
FAQs
What is AI character reference image to video?+
AI character reference image to video uses one or more character images to guide a generated video character.
The goal is to keep the character identity recognizable across different shots and scenes.
Mootion Director Mode also supports scene reference images and reference videos for additional visual and motion direction.
Smart Reference extends the workflow to images, videos, and audio.
This makes the workflow suitable for cinematic scenes, animation, promotional content, and short-form videos.
Who should use this workflow?+
This workflow is designed for creators who need a character to remain consistent across generated scenes.
It can support cinematic storytelling, animation, promotional content, and short-form videos.
Filmmakers and storytellers can use references to provide more direction than a text prompt alone.
Creators can also start with a complete text-to-story workflow when they do not need to create reference images first.
The best fit depends on whether the project benefits from controlled character appearance, motion, and scene continuity.
How do I set up a character reference video?+
Begin by creating or uploading character reference images in Director Mode.
You can then add scene reference images to establish the visual environment.
Reference videos can be uploaded to guide motion and performance.
After adding references, review storyboard shots and choose whether to generate reference images or all clips.
The final stage is to generate and combine the video through the Mootion workflow.
Which models are available for video generation?+
Both Director Mode and Instant Mode use the same five video models.
MiniMax H3 Flash — 4 credits/sec — Recommended balance of quality, speed, and cost.
MiniMax H3 — 20 credits/sec — High-quality multimodal generation.
Seedance 2.0 — 40 credits/sec — Cinematic quality with precise control.
Seedance 2.5 — 64 credits/sec — Longer stories with advanced editing.
Seedance 2.0 Mini — 25 credits/sec — Fast and efficient everyday creation.
The model selector displays the credit rate per second for each model.
What language options are available in Director Mode?+
The Director Mode language selector has 19 options.
The options are English (US), English (UK), German, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Italian, Malay, Portuguese, Greek, Kazakh, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, and Arabic.
Greek and Kazakh are the two additions identified in the previous update.
How long can the generated videos be?+
Instant Mode duration options are 10 and 15 seconds.
Instant Mode aspect ratio options are 21:9, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, and 9:16.
Director Mode duration options are 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes.
Director Mode follows a storyboard-to-video workflow: start with a storyboard, refine individual shots, and render the final video.
These durations are provided as workflow information rather than a guarantee for every configuration.
Check the current product experience and plan details before beginning a longer production.
Is there a free plan, and how much does Mootion cost?+
There is no free plan for Mootion.
Pricing is shown in the yearly billing view with 20% off. Monthly prices are shown crossed out.
Standard: $12/month (was $15) — $144/year, 1,500 credits/month. Includes up to 16 scenes per project; premium commercial models such as Seedance 2.0, Seedance 2.5, Seedream 5.0, and MiniMax H3; up to 8 Character Library characters; all visual styles; multi-modal input; AI script editing; AI image editing; realistic voiceovers; 10 GB media; and watermark-free exports.
Plus: $20/month (was $25) — $240/year, 3,000 credits/month. Includes Standard, plus up to 32 scenes per project, ultra-realistic voiceovers, more Character Library uploads, generation prioritized at 2× faster, and 20 GB media.
Pro: $40/month (was $50) — $480/year, 8,000 credits/month. Includes Plus, plus up to 48 scenes per project, 50,000 characters for Idea-to-Video, generation prioritized at 5× faster, unlimited ultra-realistic voiceovers, and 100 GB media.
Max: $160/month (was $200) — $1,920/year, 32,000 credits/month. Includes Pro, plus up to 64 scenes per project, up to 5,000 video clip generations, top-priority generation, 200 GB media, and personalized customer support.
Ultra: $400/month (was $500) — $4,800/year, 80,000 credits/month. Includes Max, plus 100,000 characters for Idea-to-Video, 100 scenes per project for pro makers, first access to new features, top-priority generation, 400 GB media, and personalized customer support.
EDU: $5/month (was $6) — $60/year, 1,000 credits/month. Includes Standard, plus generation prioritized at 2× faster.
The pricing screenshot is cut off at the bottom, so the Standard plan may have additional features not visible.
Review the current pricing page for the latest plan details before subscribing.
Make your characters hold together from shot to shot.
Bring character references, scene direction, and motion guidance into one cinematic AI video workflow.