How to Create Motion Prompts
Properly setting your motion prompts brings your Avatar IV & Avatar V creations to life by giving you more control over expression. Motion prompts let you describe how your avatar should move or react within a scene, helping you create more natural and dynamic results.
Avatar IV and Avatar V both support custom motion prompts, but they handle motion control slightly differently.
With Avatar V, you can use dedicated preset tabs for Expression, Gesture, and Gaze, making it easier to guide your avatar’s performance with structured options.
With Avatar IV, motion can be rendered per scene based on the script, allowing you to adjust the avatar’s movement and behavior scene by scene.
In both cases, clear and specific prompts will help produce more stable, realistic, and expressive avatar videos.
Getting Started
Avatar IV uses free-text motion prompts that you write yourself. Avatar V adds preset Expression, Gesture, and Gaze controls under Advanced Settings, which you can use on their own or combine with your own instructions. You can now direct your avatar’s motion using short text prompts.
In the AI Studio, click your avatar, select the person icon in the upper-right corner, and choose your avatar engine.
Custom Motion lets you control how your avatar acts- facial expression, body posture, and hand gestures. Type what you want in plain English. The system reads every word and applies it across your video.
What you can control
😀 Facial expression —
calm,enthusiastic,serious,warm,confident,sincere,sad,intense🙌 Hand gestures —
wave,point,thumbs up,hand on heart,peace sign,crossed arms,OK sign,namaste,open arms,fist pump,salute,clapping,shrug🧍 Body posture —
lean in,grounded,warm and open,composed👁️ Gaze —
look at camera,look away,look off-camera🤐 Stillness —
no hand gestures,hands still,barely move,less expressive
What you can NOT control here
❌ Camera motion (zoom, pan, dolly)
❌ Location or scene (
walk to the kitchen,go outside)❌ Props or actions (
drink coffee,smoke a cigarette,pick up a phone)❌ Standing up or walking around
❌ Background or lighting changes
This tool is for face + body + gestures, not scene direction. If you need camera moves or scene changes, those are handled elsewhere in the editor.
Writing Motion Prompts with Avatar IV
Each Motion Prompt describes what the avatar should do and how it should do it.
Use the following simple structure:
[Body part] + [Action] + [Emotion or intensity]
Example:
Right arm raises in a wave, enthusiastic and friendly.
Stick to one body gesture per prompt, but you can pair it with a facial expression. Short two-beat sequences ("X, then Y") are fine as long as you stay under two clauses.
✅ Avatar smiles softly while raising a hand (one gesture + one expression)
✅ Avatar nods confidently, then points forward (short two-beat sequence)
❌ Avatar waves, crosses arms, then points and shrugs (too many gestures)
Best Practices for Writing Motion Prompts
Be specific. Focus on clear, visible actions: point, nod, turn, wave, smile.
Avoid overloading. Limit each prompt to one gesture or emotion at a time.
Keep timing natural. Avatar IV automatically handles pacing — there’s no need to specify seconds.
Control facial expressions. You can include emotions directly in the prompt (for example, smiles gently, looks surprised).
Experiment. Small wording changes can produce big differences in performance.
Motion Prompt Structure Examples
Type | Example Prompt |
Simple Gesture | Avatar waves with a friendly smile. |
Emotional Expression | Avatar crosses arms, looking thoughtful. |
Multi-Part Sequence | Avatar nods confidently, then points forward. |
Keep prompts under two short clauses for best stability and lifelike motion.
Avatar V: More Natural Expressions, Gestures, and Gaze
With Avatar V, we've significantly improved the realism of avatar performances. The model is better at understanding emotion, delivering more natural facial expressions, generating smoother hand gestures, and maintaining realistic eye contact throughout the video.
To customize the performance, click Advanced Settings. From there, you can choose from three Custom Motion categories to guide how your avatar behaves:
Expression
Gestures
Gaze
You can select preset behaviors to quickly adjust the avatar's personality and delivery style, or combine them with your own Custom Motion instructions for more precise control.
FAQ
Q: Can I use Motion Prompts with any avatar?
Yes. Motion Prompts work with all Avatar IV and V on your custom avatars.
Q: Do I need to specify timing or speed?
No. The system automatically controls timing and pacing.
Q: Can I combine gestures and facial expressions?
Yes, just keep them concise. Example: Avatar smiles softly while raising a hand.
Q: Can I control the camera, the scene, or movement around the space?
No. Motion Prompts only handle the face, body, and gestures — not camera moves, scene changes, props, or walking around. Those are set elsewhere in the editor.
Q: My prompt isn't giving the result I expected — what should I do?
Simplify it. Stick to one movement idea, be specific about the visible action (point, nod, wave), and test small wording variations — minor word changes can produce big differences.