Seedance 2.0 Tutorial - Complete AI Video Creation Operation Manual and Prompt Guide

Seedance 2.0It marks the transition of AI video creation from "prompt lottery" into the era of "director-level precise control." Through multimodal input and the @ reference mechanism, creators can, just like directing a real film crew, use images to set the style, videos to set the camera movement, audio to set the rhythm, and text to set the plot, completely bidding farewell to the passive situation of "writing the prompt and leaving it to fate." This tutorial systematically breaks down the model's eleven core capabilities and five practical templates, helping users quickly master this new creative language and truly unleash AI's directorial potential in commercial-grade video production.

What Is Seedance 2.0

Seedance 2.0 is a multimodal AI video creation platform launched by ByteDance. The platform's biggest breakthrough lies in changing the interaction method of AI video creation—from the past model of "writing the prompt and then leaving it to fate" to an upgrade where creators can precisely control every creative element like a real director. Users input four different types of materials simultaneously: images, videos, audio, and text, clearly telling it what specific function each material serves, and then organically fusing the materials to generate a complete video work.

Detailed Explanation of Core Parameters

Before formally starting creation, it is necessary to understand the various input limits and output characteristics that Seedance 2.0 can accept.

• Image input: The system supports uploading up to 9 images.
• Video input: The system supports uploading up to 3 video files.
• Audio input: The system supports MP3 format audio files, also up to 3 uploads, with a total duration not exceeding 15 seconds.
• Text input: The system accepts natural language descriptions, in either Chinese or English.
• Total file limit: All materials combined can upload at most 12 files.
• Generation duration: The final generated video can be freely chosen between 4 and 15 seconds, and can be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs.
• Sound output. Videos generated by Seedance 2.0 automatically come with sound effects and background music, with no additional processing needed.

Practical advice: More materials are not necessarily better. Priority should be given to uploading the materials that have the greatest impact on the visual style or rhythm, reasonably allocating the 12 file slots and avoiding wasting the quota on secondary content.

In most cases, choosing All-Purpose Reference is sufficient. It supports various reference inputs and is the way the latest Seedance 2.0 can maximize its capabilities.

Core Operation Process

Step 1: Choose the Right Entry Point

Open theJimengplatform, find Seedance 2.0, and you will see two different entry points.

• First and Last Frame entry. Use this when uploading only a first-frame image plus a text description.
• All-Purpose Reference entry. Use this when multimodal combinations are needed (image plus video plus audio plus text).

How to choose? Remember one principle：if the material is only one image plus text, use First and Last Frame; if the material is more than one image, or involves video or audio, use All-Purpose Reference.

Step 2: Upload Materials

Click the upload button and select files from your local device. Images, videos, and audio can all be dragged in directly. After successful upload, all materials will appear in the input box area, and hovering the mouse over them allows previewing the content.

A small suggestion: Before uploading, decide which materials are most critical. You can only upload 12 files in total, so prioritize the materials that have the biggest impact on visual style and pacing.

Step 3: Use "@" to assign a task to each material (most critical)

This step is the most core operation of Seedance 2.0, and it is where many beginners easily overlook things.

After uploading the materials, you need to use @material name in the prompt to tell the model what each material is specifically used for. The model will not guess on its own; if you do not make it clear, it may use them incorrectly.

How to trigger @：

• Method 1: Type an "@" character directly into the input box, and a list of uploaded materials will automatically pop up. Click the material you want to reference, and it will be inserted into the input box.
• Method 2: Click the "@" button in the parameter toolbar next to the input box, and the material list will also pop up.

Examples of the correct way to write @：

• Specify the first frame and reference: @Image 1 as the first frame, reference the camera language of @Video 1, @Audio 1 for the soundtrack
• Specify character appearance: the girl in @Image 1 as the protagonist, the boy in @Image 2 as the supporting role
• Specify camera movement reference: fully reference all camera movement effects and transitions of @Video 1
• Specify scene reference: the left scene references @Image 3, the right scene references @Image 4
• Specify action reference: the person in @Image 1 references the dance moves in @Video 1
• Specify voice timbre reference: the narration's voice timbre references @Video 1

Pitfall reminder: When there are many materials, be sure to repeatedly check whether every @reference is matched correctly. If you reference an image as a video, or label character A's image as character B, the model's output will be very chaotic. Place the mouse over the material you @ mentioned, and hovering can preview the material to avoid insertion errors.

Step 4: Write a good prompt

After @ has assigned the tasks, all that remains is to use natural language to describe the visuals and actions you want.

Four techniques for writing prompts:

Technique 1: Write in segments according to the timeline. If the video has multiple scenes or plot twists, it is recommended to describe them in segments by seconds.

For example:

• 0-3 second scene: the male lead raises a basketball in his hand, looks up toward the camera, and says, "I just wanted to drink a glass of wine, surely I'm not about to time travel..."
• 4-8 second scene: the camera suddenly shakes violently, and the scene switches to a rainy night at an ancient residence, where a female lead in ancient costume coldly looks toward the camera.
• 9-13 second scene: the camera cuts to a character wearing Ming dynasty clothing...

Writing this way allows the model to more accurately grasp the pacing and content of each scene.

Technique 2: Clearly say "reference" or "edit". These two concepts are different. "Reference the camera movement of @Video 1" means to draw on its camera movement method to generate new content; "replace the girl in @Video 1 with a Chinese opera dan performer" means to make modifications based on the original video. Only by writing it clearly can the model respond correctly.

Technique 3: Write camera language specifically. Don't be afraid to write a lot; the model's comprehension ability is very strong now. Push, pull, pan, track, follow shot, orbit, overhead shot, low-angle shot, one-take, Hitchcock zoom, fisheye lens... it recognizes all these technical terms. It's okay if you don't know the terms; describing them in plain language also works, for example "the camera slowly moves from behind to the front."

Technique Four: Add transition descriptions to continuous actions. If you want a character to perform a series of coherent actions, remember to write the transition relationships, for example "the character transitions directly from jumping to rolling, keeping the action coherent and smooth," to avoid unnatural jump cuts in the footage.

Seedance 2.0's Ten Core Capabilities

Capability One: Basic Image Quality Greatly Improved

Seedance 2.0 has undergone a comprehensive upgrade at the underlying level, with more reasonable physics, smoother motion, and more stable style. Seedance 2.0 has achieved a qualitative leap in its most fundamental image generation capability:

• More reasonable physics: Clothes fluttering, water splashing, and objects colliding are all more realistic
• More natural and smooth motion: Characters walking, running, and performing complex actions are no longer stiff
• More precise instruction understanding: When you say "the girl elegantly hangs clothes to dry," it truly understands what "elegantly" means
• More stable style consistency: The image remains consistent from beginning to end and won't suddenly change style

Capability Two: Free Multimodal Combination

This is Seedance 2.0's most core upgrade—it can use any material as a "reference."

Formula： Seedance 2.0 = multimodal reference (can reference anything) + strong creative generation + precise instruction understanding

Things that can be referenced include：

• Actions, special effects, forms
• Camera movement methods, camera language
• Character appearance, scene style
• Sound, music rhythm

Practical Tips: How to write prompts

Capability Three: Comprehensive Improvement in Consistency

Seedance 2.0 has put great effort into this area. After uploading a character reference image, the character's appearance, clothing, and posture can remain consistent throughout the entire video. The same applies to product displays: when rotating a bag for a multi-angle display, the material details on the front and sides will not be lost.

Elements that can remain consistent：

• Facial features (facial features, skin tone, expression style)
• Clothing details (texture, color, pattern)
• Brand elements (Logo, font, color scheme)
• Scene style (lighting, atmosphere, color tone)

Capability Four: Precise Reproduction of Camera Movement and Actions

Only two steps are needed: upload a camera movement reference video you like, and write "reference the camera movement effect of @Video 1."

The model can identify the camera movement methods in a reference video (dolly in/out, pan, tilt, orbit, tracking shot, zoom, long take, etc.) and apply the same camera movement logic to new content.

Camera movement types that can be replicated：

• Hitchcock zoom
• Orbiting tracking shot
• Long take
• Dolly in/out, pan, tilt
• Low-angle shot
• Overhead bird's-eye shot

Capability 5: Precise replication of creative templates and effects

See a cool advertising idea, transition effect, or movie clip? Upload it directly as a reference, and the model can identify the action rhythm, visual structure, and cinematic language in it, and replicate its own version.

Creative types that can be replicated：

• Creative transitions (puzzle shattering, particle dissipation, pupil traversal, etc.)
• Finished ad style
• MV rhythmic editing
• Movie special-effect shots
• Costume change/face swap effects

Capability 6: Video extension and joining

Already have a video you're satisfied with and want to continue shooting from where it left off? Or want to add a preceding segment? The video extension feature handles it directly.

• Extend backward: Upload an existing video and write "Extend @Video 1 by X seconds" plus a description of the new footage.
• Extend forward: Write "Extend forward by X seconds" plus a description of the preceding content.

Usage rules：

• Tell the model "Extend @Video 1 by X seconds"
• The generation duration should be set to the duration of the extension part (for example, to extend by 5 seconds, select 5 seconds as the generation length)
• You can add new plot and visual descriptions to the extension part
• Supports forward or backward extension

Capability 7: More realistic sound

Videos generated by Seedance 2.0 come with their own sound effects and music, and the sound quality is much better than before.

Several sound-related ways to use it：

• Reference timbre: Upload a video or audio clip and let the model imitate the speaking timbre or narration style in it.
• Multilingual dialogue: Characters can speak multiple languages such as Chinese, English, Spanish, and Korean, and the emotional expression is quite well done.
• Multi-character dialogue: Supports multiple characters each speaking their own lines in one video. For example, cat-and-dog talk shows, period drama dialogue, and military-themed tactical dialogue all have successful cases.
• Dialect support: Someone successfully had a character order milk tea in Sichuan dialect, and the effect was quite flavorful.
• Sound effect matching: Footsteps, thunder, crowd noise, and equipment clashing sounds, these ambient sound effects can all be generated fairly accurately.

Capability 8: More coherent long takes

Seedance 2.0 has clearly improved in this regard. Upload multiple images of different scenes and write "a long take tracking shot, following a runner from the street up the stairs, through a corridor, onto the rooftop, and finally overlooking the city," and the model can achieve natural transitions between scenes without an obvious sense of rupture. More complex long takes can also be done.

Tip: Arrange multiple images in order, and the model will present these scenes in sequence within the long take.

Capability 9: Video editing capability

Already have a video and don't want to redo it from scratch, only want to change part of it? Now you can directly use an existing video as input for targeted modifications.

• Character Replacement: Replace A in the video with B while keeping the actions and expressions unchanged. For example, "Replace the female lead singer in Video 1 with the male lead singer in Image 1, and have the actions completely mimic the original video."
• Plot Subversion: Keep the scene and characters unchanged, but completely rewrite the plot direction. Someone turned a video of a affectionate moon-viewing on a bridge into a twist plot where the male lead pushes the female lead into the water. Someone else turned a tense bar negotiation into a comedic twist where a large bag of snacks is pulled out.
• Element Modification: Change hairstyles, add props, change backgrounds. For example, "Change the woman's hairstyle in Video 1 to long red hair, and have the great white shark in @Image 1 slowly surface half its head behind her."
• Brand Placement: Insert brand elements into an existing video. For example, add a close-up of a paper bag printed with the brand Logo in a fried chicken video.

Capability Ten: Music Beat Sync

Upload a rhythmic music video as a reference, and the model can recognize the beat changes in the music, allowing scene cuts to land precisely on the beat.

• Basic Beat Sync: Upload material images and a music reference video, and write "Perform beat sync according to the visual rhythm in @Video."
• Dynamic Beat Sync: Write "The characters in the scene are more dynamic, the overall visual style is more dreamy, the visual tension is strong, and the shot size of the reference image can be changed according to the music's needs."
• Scenery Beat Sync: Pair multiple scenery images with music, and write "The scenery scene images reference the visual rhythm in @Video, and perform beat sync between transitions in visual style and music rhythm."

Summary of Prompt Writing Techniques

Reference Video

• General phrasing: "Refer to this video."
• Better phrasing: "Refer to the camera movement and transition effects of @Video 1."

Using Images

• General phrasing: "Use this image."
• Better phrasing: "@Image 1 as the first frame, and refer to @Image 2 for the character's appearance."

Rhythm Control

• General phrasing: "Make a rhythmic video."
• Better phrasing: "Refer to the visual rhythm and music beat sync of @Video 1."

Extend Video

• General phrasing: "Extend the video."
• Better phrasing: "Extend @Video 1 by 5 seconds, and the new content is xxx."

Replace Character

• General phrasing: "Replace the person."
• Better phrasing: "Replace the female lead in @Video 1 with the appearance in @Image 1, and have the actions completely mimic the original video."

Golden Formula: @Material + Purpose Description + Specific Visual Description + Timeline (Optional)

Pitfall Avoidance Guide

• Don't forget @: If you upload material but do not include an @ reference in the prompt, it is as good as not uploaded. The model will not guess what each image is used for on its own.
• Don't mark @ incorrectly: Problems are most likely to occur when there are many materials. After writing the prompt, spend 10 seconds checking whether each @ reference is correct.
• Choose the right duration when extending a video: If you want to extend by 5 seconds, choose a generation duration of 5 seconds. Choosing a longer duration will generate extra unwanted content.
• Don't make the reference video too long: The total duration limit is 15 seconds, and the shorter the video, the more precise it is. If you only want to reference a certain camera movement, just cut out those few key seconds.
• Generate multiple times: AI generation is inherently random, and running the same input three times can produce very different results. Don't give up just because the first attempt isn't satisfactory—try several rounds and pick the best one.
• Start simple, then go complex: If you're a beginner, it's recommended to start with "one image + text." Once you're familiar with that, add video reference and audio reference, and progress step by step.

Summary

The core value of Seedance 2.0 lies in transforming AI video creation from a "prompt blind box" into "director-level precise control" through multimodal input and the @ reference mechanism—creators can, like directing a real film crew, use images to define style, video to define camera movement, audio to define rhythm, and text to define the plot, achieving truly controllable generation. The eleven capabilities already cover commercial scenarios such as e-commerce advertising, short drama trailers, and brand promotional films. Although extremely complex narratives still have room for optimization, "everyone can be a director" has moved from a slogan to a productivity reality. It is recommended to save this and start immediately: begin with a single image, gradually layer in multimodal materials, and master this new creative language through repeated experimentation.