What you need
- Your final song (WAV or high-quality MP3) and the lyrics.
- An AI image or video generator for scenes. Most have free tiers to practise on.
- A lip-sync tool if you want the singer to perform.
- A video editor (CapCut, DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro).
- Patience: a full-song video usually takes 100+ generated clips to get 30–50 good ones.
Step 1: Write the concept from the lyrics
Do not start by typing prompts. Read your lyrics and write one sentence for what the video is about, then a simple scene list: verse 1, pre-chorus, chorus, verse 2, bridge, final chorus. Give each section a place, a time of day and an action. This scene list is your storyboard.
Step 2: Design your characters first
The number one problem with AI music videos is characters that change face between shots. Generate your lead character on a plain background, pick the best image and reuse it as a reference for every scene. Keep the outfit the same unless the story calls for a change.
Step 3: Generate still frames, then animate them
For each scene, generate a still image first using your character reference. When the frame looks right, animate it with an image-to-video tool. Starting from a still gives you far more control than generating video from text alone.
- Describe camera movement in your prompt: "slow push-in", "orbit", "handheld".
- Generate 2–4 versions of each shot and keep the best one.
- Keep the lighting and color consistent within each section.
Step 4: Add lip-sync shots
Pick the lines that matter most, usually the hook and the first line of each verse. Separate the vocal from the music (stem-splitting tools make this easy) and use the isolated vocal with a lip-sync tool. The cleaner the vocal, the better the sync.
Step 5: Edit to the beat
Import your song into the editor, mark the beats and section changes, then lay your clips on the timeline. Cut on the beat, use longer shots in verses and faster cuts in choruses, and save your best shot for the last chorus.
Step 6: Color grade and export
Apply one consistent grade across the video so the AI clips feel like one film. Export 16:9 for YouTube, 9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, and a 3–8 second vertical loop for Spotify Canvas.
Common mistakes
- Starting without a scene list, then ending up with random clips that tell no story.
- Characters changing between shots.
- Too many effects. A clean edit on the beat beats flashy transitions.
- Ignoring the lyrics. The best videos make the words visible.
Or let us make it
If you would rather spend your time on music, we do all of the above for $30 per minute with unlimited revisions. See our custom AI music video service.