To turn text into a video with AI, decide whether you need a generated scene or a finished video from a script. For a scene, enter a visual description in a text-to-video mode, select the available settings and generate a short clip. For a complete video, organize the message into scenes, then add or generate visuals, narration, captions and music before exporting.
Start with Dreamina when you want original moving shots from a written brief and a path to develop the visuals further. A useful first prompt names the subject, setting, action, camera and style. Review what the model actually creates, then combine accepted shots into the finished story.
If the text is primarily words someone must say, a script-to-video or presenter workflow may save assembly work. The steps below explain both routes, including an actual text-only Dreamina clip that was made without an uploaded reference image.
- 1. Choose what “text to video” means for your project
- 2. Write a small brief before the prompt
- 3. Open a text-to-video mode in Dreamina
- 4. Describe appearance and movement
- 5. Generate and inspect the result
- 6. Turn the idea into a sequence of shots
- 7. Assemble the finished video
- Another route: turn a script into an assembled draft
- Where Runway, Firefly and Canva fit
- Check cost and export before expanding the project
- Common questions
1. Choose what “text to video” means for your project
A sentence describing a bottle on a table and a paragraph explaining a business process are different inputs. They do not need the same generation workflow.
Runway and Adobe Firefly also provide documented text-to-video routes for individual shots. Choose a workspace according to the controls and finishing process you need, rather than assuming every service that accepts text produces the same kind of video.
For the first project, write the intended finished length and destination. A five-second moving background, a 20-second social spot and a two-minute training video require different amounts of planning and assembly.
2. Write a small brief before the prompt
Record the audience, main message and action you want the viewer to take. Decide which facts and exact words must appear. Then separate the narration from the visual instructions.
For example, a fictional 20-second product mood video could have:
- Message: a calm, warm presentation of an unbranded fragrance concept.
- Visuals: a bottle establishing shot, a closer detail and a closing composition.
- Narration: a short original line that fits the intended duration.
- On-screen copy: an editable concept title and closing message.
- Format: one chosen aspect ratio throughout.
This is a planning example, not a real product claim or a finished tested advertisement. If the video must show an actual SKU, an established character or a particular place, use approved visual references where supported rather than asking text alone to reproduce it.
Read the script aloud at the intended pace. If the words do not fit, shorten them before generating footage. Extending a clip cannot by itself make a rushed voice-over understandable.
3. Open a text-to-video mode in Dreamina
Open Dreamina's AI video generator, sign in and choose an available mode that supports text-to-video. Confirm that no unintended image or other reference remains attached if you want a genuinely text-only request.
Select the model, duration, ratio and generation resolution offered in the active mode. Check audio options separately, if present. Confirm the displayed credit quote before submitting.
A model's advertised maximum duration does not mean every account or mode offers every duration and resolution. Seedance model versions and variants have different settings. Use the current controls rather than copying a preset from an older tutorial.
For the first draft, choose a short shot with one central action. If your scene needs an object to appear, rotate, open, spill and disappear, break it into manageable shots or simplify the request.
4. Describe appearance and movement
Unlike an image-guided request, a text-only prompt must establish what the scene looks like as well as what happens. Write concrete visual details that matter to the shot.
A practical structure is:
Subject and setting. Action. Camera and framing. Lighting and visual style. Important exclusions or retained conditions, where supported.
For an unbranded bottle concept, a proposed prompt is:
A clear rectangular fragrance bottle with pale amber liquid and a simple silver cap stands on a warm stone surface, framed by curved glass panels. The camera makes a slow, restrained push toward the bottle in one continuous shot. Soft warm studio light creates readable reflections. The bottle remains upright. No lettering or logos.
This is a prompt to adapt, not a claim that the existing clip below was generated with this exact wording. The shape, liquid and cap describe an invented concept; they do not identify or verify a real product.
Make the action readable
“The bottle stands still while the camera slowly moves closer” is easier to assess than a request for “stunning professional cinematic quality.” State what changes over time, how quickly and in which direction.
If the action has an order, write that order in plain language. For example, “The lantern brightens, then a small amount of mist drifts behind it.” Match the number of events to the chosen duration. Timestamp guidance can communicate intent in supported workflows, but exact timing must be checked in the resulting clip.
Do not put “4K” in a prompt and treat it as an output setting. A description of a visual style does not establish native resolution. Choose the available generation setting and inspect the downloaded file.
Keep exact copy out of the scene when practical
For a title, date, price or call to action, use an editable text layer during finishing. Generative scene text can change or become unreadable across frames. If legible physical signage is essential to the shot, include it in the acceptance check and be prepared to revise or use another production method.
5. Generate and inspect the result
Generate the clip, save the prompt and retain useful versions. Watch the whole result and inspect the moments when the camera or subject changes most. Look for shape drift, unnatural contact, unexpected cuts and details appearing or disappearing.
The following existing Dreamina operation used pure text with zero reference images. It selected Seedance 2.5, a five-second setting, 16:9 and a 720P interface setting.
Actual saved MP4 from the text-only operation, approximately five seconds at 1280 × 720 pixels. Sampled frames show the unbranded bottle, warm light and curved glass as the camera approaches. This establishes an existing text-to-video output, not a full playback or audio-quality pass, a verified SKU reproduction or an image-to-video result.
The native export is distinct from an earlier saved preview file. For your own project, evaluate the downloaded delivery file and keep it associated with the correct prompt and settings.
Revise the rejected condition
Change one meaningful part at a time when you are diagnosing the request. Keep the selected shot if it serves the brief, even if a later shot needs another attempt.
6. Turn the idea into a sequence of shots
For a longer video, make a shot list before generating all the footage. Assign each shot a purpose, intended length, visual instruction and audio requirement.
A proposed 20-second sequence might be:
These are editorial targets. Generate within the actual model's supported settings, then trim or assemble to the desired timing. Do not assume a single short prompt will deliver all three segments with final copy and a finished soundtrack.
If the same object or character appears in several shots, approve a visual reference and use it where supported. Text-only repetition is not a dependable identity lock. Keep props, wardrobe, direction and lighting organized as well as the subject's face or silhouette.
Use the workflow to keep the same character across AI video scenes when the story needs a recurring subject.
When adjacent shots continue the same action, a checked frame from an accepted clip can help bridge the next shot in a supported image-guided mode. That next generation is image-guided, even if the project originally began with text. Keep that distinction in your production notes.
Follow the separate steps to turn a photo into a video when an approved image should anchor the opening shot.
7. Assemble the finished video
Import the accepted shots into an editing timeline. Put them in story order, trim unnecessary beginnings and endings, and check the joins. Match subject scale and action where continuity matters; use a deliberate cut or transition for a change of time or location.
Add the exact titles and call to action as editable text. Keep them visible long enough to read and check them at the destination size. Avoid covering the main action with captions or decorative elements.
Add narration, music and sound effects as separate decisions. If you use generated speech, listen for the actual words, pronunciation, pacing and speaker. If a scene already contains generated audio, decide whether to retain or mute it before layering another track.
Balance the voice against music, listen across the cuts and check sound against picture. A generator supporting native audio does not establish that your particular output has the correct words or synchronization.
Save the editable project alongside the original shot files. That makes a correction to one date or a voice line easier than regenerating the whole video.
Another route: turn a script into an assembled draft
If the input is mainly an explainer script, use a workflow designed to arrange the message into a video. Dreamina can supply custom shots for that draft, while a script-to-video workspace can handle more of the initial assembly.
InVideo AI's current documented process starts with a workflow and prompt, then asks for audience, platform and appearance before generation. Its video draft can include script, selected stock or generated visuals, voice-over, subtitles and music. Its text editing box supports changes such as deleting a scene or changing voice-over.
A practical process is:
- 1
- Prepare the message and separate exact facts from optional creative suggestions. 2
- Supply the script or detailed brief through the supported workflow, with audience, destination and intended length. 3
- Generate the assembled draft. 4
- Read the script and captions; correct factual errors and wording. 5
- Review each chosen visual for relevance. Replace a generic image when it misrepresents the subject, including with an approved custom Dreamina shot if appropriate. 6
- Listen to the narration, revise timing and export the checked version.
This route can combine stock and generated media. Do not describe every frame as newly generated unless that is what the selected workflow actually produced. An automated draft still needs editorial review.
When the script needs an on-camera presenter
Use an avatar workflow when a person speaking the words is the central requirement. HeyGen is one documented option: choose a supported avatar or authorized appearance, supply the script, select the voice and language controls, generate and review the performance.
Check exact words, pronunciation, facial stability and lip timing. A presenter delivering instructions is a different product from a scenic clip illustrating those instructions. You can combine the two deliberately, for example by cutting from the presenter to custom B-roll.
HeyGen's current Free plan lists three videos per month, up to one minute each, with branding. Confirm that the particular avatar workflow and settings you need are included; a plan limit is not a promise of perfect speech or unrestricted model access.
Where Runway, Firefly and Canva fit
Dreamina is our starting recommendation for original shot creation from a written visual brief. Runway's current getting-started documentation distinguishes Tools, Apps, Agent and Workflows. In Tools, choose a model that supports text-to-video, describe both appearance and motion, generate and use or revise the result. Its Gen-4.5 documentation should not be confused with older image-only model behavior or unrelated app defaults.
Firefly's documented route is Generate Video → choose the Adobe or partner model → enter the prompt → generate → refine → download. Available controls, audio, duration and commercial-use conditions depend on the selected model. Adobe's own model positioning does not automatically apply to every partner model in the same workspace.
Canva can serve the design and assembly stage, with titles, graphics and music around generated clips. Its text-based video-generation features and Image to Video tool are different routes. Do not transfer a duration or audio limitation from one to the other without checking the active feature.
Older articles may also recommend Sora. OpenAI ended the Sora web/app service on April 26, 2026, and its API on September 24, 2026. A menu label or old tutorial is insufficient evidence that a current service remains available.
Check cost and export before expanding the project
Confirm what the active mode charges for duration, resolution, audio and other settings. Count rejected generations and finishing time when deciding whether a workflow fits the project.
Dreamina US free accounts receive 120 credits per day; other regions can differ, and actual quantities are subject to the final output. The existing paid-account text-only example does not establish free access to the same Seedance version or settings.
Runway lists 125 one-time Free credits, with paid plans and model-dependent generation costs. Firefly's Standard plan lists USD 9.99 per month and 2,000 monthly generative credits, but the number of usable videos depends on the active model and settings. Credits are not directly comparable units across services.
Download or export the selected version, reopen it and play it from beginning to end. Check actual duration, dimensions, orientation, visible markings, exact text and sound. A higher-resolution export does not establish that the underlying generation was native at that resolution.
Common questions
Do I need a reference image for text-to-video?
No, a supported text-to-video mode can generate the scene from a written description. Use a reference-led mode when a particular identity, product or composition matters. Record that input honestly rather than calling an image-guided generation text-only.
Can I paste a whole article and get a finished video?
A script-to-video workspace can create an assembled draft, but first decide what to keep, shorten and show. Review the script, visual relevance, voice and captions. A single scene generator is a different route from an article-to-explainer workflow.
Can the AI create the voice and music too?
Some selected models generate picture and sound together; other workflows add narration, music or effects afterward. Check the actual audio options, then listen to the output. Native audio support does not guarantee the correct words or mix.
How do I keep characters consistent between shots?
Approve a master reference, create checked scene images and use supported reference inputs. Review identity through each moving clip and across the joins. Repeating the same name and description alone does not lock the character.
What should I do when the first result is wrong?
Identify the rejected condition. Simplify the action, clarify the scene or use a suitable reference. Keep accepted shots and replace only what needs work. For exact text, timing and sound, use the finishing controls that directly address those requirements.
Begin with a short visual brief in Dreamina when you need original footage. For a complete narrated video, plan the scenes or choose an assembly workflow, then review the words, picture and sound before exporting the final file.