ChatGPT Image Prompting Guide 2025 — Make Cinematic Visuals

ChatGPT Image Prompting Guide — Learn expert prompt structures for generating cinematic visuals, creative scripts, and AI-driven video ideas effortlessly.

Written by Priyanshu Khatri, AI Chief Analyst — SoulAI Writes
Real-World AI Testing • Expert Analysis • Trusted Insights

SoulAI Writes

I am the Chief AI Analyst at SoulAI Writes, where I deliver Real-World AI Testing, Expert Analysis, and Trusted Insights to guide you through the generative AI revolution. With over 3+ years of intensive testing across 300+ platforms, I don’t just review software; I master the ecosystem. My expertise covers every category on this site—from ChatGPT & Alternatives (Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek, Kimi K2, etc.) to AI Image Generators and AI Video Tools (Google Nano Banana, Google Veo, Seedream, MidJourney, Leonardo, Sora, RunwayML, Kling, Higgsfield, etc.) Beyond basic reviews, I create detailed AI Tool Reviews, AI Tutorials, AI Comparisons, AI News & Updates and Pricing Guides for every need. I rigorously test Free AI Tools, AI Audio/Voice synthesis (Suno AI, ElevenLabs etc.), specialized agents for coding (GitHub Copilot, Julius AI & Sonnet) and research/writing (NotebookLM, Jasper, Gamma, Scispace, Scite & Elicit, etc.). My unique expertise comes from comparing multiple versions of each tool, analyzing quality improvements, and real-world implementation across diverse projects. I translate complex capabilities into practical Workflow Guides, delivering the “Gold Standard” of unbiased testing to help you save time and money.

Table of Contents

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is great at turning ideas into words — dialogue, stories, scripts, and step-by-step plans for videos, podcasts, or written pieces. It works best when you give it a clear goal and enough background. Think of ChatGPT as a fast, helpful writing partner: the clearer you are, the better the result.

How to Use: When Prompting ChatGPT

When you ask ChatGPT for something, do these three things:

1. Give clear context — say what you want and why. Use specific instructions rather than vague requests.
Example: “I need a 60-second TikTok script that explains how to make drip coffee for students.”

2. Specify format, length, and purpose — tell it the structure and where it will be used.
Example: “Write a 45-second voiceover, three short scenes, and a 2-line hook for the caption.”

3. Provide tone, style and audience — who will watch or read it, and how should it feel?
Example: “Casual, funny, for teen creators learning coffee hacks.”

You can also collaborate interactively — ChatGPT allows back-and-forth refinement, helping you revise and expand ideas quickly. ChatGPT remembers the conversation and improves with your feedback.

What Makes ChatGPT Different

Conversational & iterative: You can revise ideas collaboratively in real time.
Versatile & creative: Handles everything from corporate training scripts to fantasy stories.
Style-aware: Capable of mimicking specific genres, formats, or voices if given proper guidance.

Prompting Tips

Include:

Clear theme or concept — one sentence about the idea.
Example: “A quick how-to about turning old jeans into a tote bag.”
Target audience — beginners, busy parents, gamers, small business owners.
Desired tone — joking, serious, cinematic, or simple.
Key details — length, number of scenes, any must-have lines, visual cues.
Example: “Include a closeup of scissors cutting fabric.”

Avoid:

Overwhelm the Jargons or tech talk (unless that’s your audience).
Vague prompts like “make it good” — say what “good” means.
Leaving out structure if you want something formatted (e.g., bullets, timestamps, scenes)

How to Prompt ChatGPT for Creative Video Work

What ChatGPT Excels At

Writing short scripts, dialogue and storylines for TikTok or YouTube Shorts.
Generating video content (e.g., documentaries, shorts, explainers)
Making narrative scripts and camera shot ideas.
Brainstorming unique video ideas that match your audience.

Simple Prompt Elements to Always Add

Format (script, outline, concept list)
Mood/tone style (funny, chill, dramatic, eduactional)
Timing (30s, 2 min, 5 parts series)
Audience (beginners, students, parents, gamers)
Platform (TikTok, Reels, YouTube, Podcast, Short film)

What’s New & Useful in 2025

Multimodal Prompting: You can now include images, voice recordings, and video frames as part of your prompts to help ChatGPT create context-aware outputs (especially powerful when used with tools like Frames, Veo, or Canvas).
Faster refining: ChatGPT (with GPT-4o) can update scripts or structures in real time based on partial inputs (e.g., “Keep the intro but change the ending to a cliffhanger”).
Smarter short prompts: You can give fewer words and still get a good script because newer models remember format better.

How to Prompt ChatGPT — Best Practices (2025)

Use a simple, repeatable method so your prompts are always solid. Here’s RTCROS — an easy step plan you can memorize and use every time:

R — Role: Who is ChatGPT acting as? (e.g., “Act as a friendly TikTok writer.”)
T — Task: What exactly to do. (e.g., “Write a 45-second script.”)
C — Context: Background info and goal. (e.g., “A beginner’s tutorial to fix slow Wi-Fi at home.”)
R — Restrictions: Limits like length, no swears, or must use three hooks.
O — Output: The format you want (lines, timestamps, scene headers).
S — Style: Tone and examples to mimic (funny, calm, or “like MrBeast” but avoid naming real creators; say “high-energy viral style”).

RTCROS prompt example:

“Role: Act as a casual TikTok scriptwriter. Task: Create a 45-second script. Context: A college student shows 3 easy desk hacks. Restrictions: No slang, include 3 steps, use emojis in caption. Output: Scene lines with camera directions. Style: upbeat, quick cuts.”

This method keeps your prompts clean and consistent.

Cinematic fantasy castle on a moonlit hill surrounded by glowing trees, misty valley, and a stone bridge over a stream — ultra-realistic 4K magical landscape.

Prompt Examples — Updated

Narrative Script Prompt

“Write a 90-second motivational video. A young chef from an apartment kitchen launches a midnight pop-up and gets the first big customer. Use short, punchy dialogue and one emotional voiceover line. Tone: hopeful, cinematic. Output: three scenes + voiceover.”

Mini-Series Structure Prompt

“Outline a 4-part YouTube series called ‘Modern Cowboys’, covering how traditional ranchers are using AI, drones, and solar energy in 2025. Each part should include a topic title, scene structure, and key interview ideas.”

YouTube Idea Prompt

“Give me 6 short video ideas for a Gen-Z DIY channel that mixes craft and tech — low budget and quick to film. Include a one-line hook and a suggested caption.”

Tool-Specific Prompt (e.g., for Veo + Frames):

“Create a prompt for Google Veo to generate a cinematic scene of a dusty Southern town at golden hour. Include a teenage girl in cowboy boots walking along train tracks, with voiceover narration about chasing freedom. Style: modern western, soft lens flares, melancholy tone.”

Voiceover & Visual Blend Prompt

“Write a 60-second voiceover script for a dramatic AI-generated short about loneliness in the digital age. The visuals should include a man in a dark apartment, neon lights from the city outside, and slow zooms. Add a poetic narration with a hopeful ending.”

Prompting Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Overloading your prompt with too many requests in one sentence
Instead, break it into parts or use bullet points:

Give me:

A logline
Scene outline
Sample dialogue

2. Assuming ChatGPT will guess your format

Be explicit:

“Write it as a 3-act script with headings: ACT I, ACT II, ACT III.”

3. Don’t forget platform differences. A TikTok script needs faster cuts than a YouTube explainer. Tell ChatGPT where it will be posted.

4. Avoid unclear character directions. Instead of “make characters deep,” say “include 2 personal details per character.”

Prompting Tips: Include These Modern Tricks

Start with an example line. Give ChatGPT one sentence you like and ask it to continue in the same style.
Ask for “camera directions.” If you want visual detail, request short camera cues: “(close shot), (cut to wide).”
Use iterations: “Now shorten each scene to 10 seconds,” or “Make the second scene funnier.”
Ask for alternative hooks: Request 5 opening lines and choose the best.
Repurpose with one command: “Rewrite this for TikTok, then rewrite for Instagram Reels.”
Use mood words not textbook terms: say “cozy,” “edgy,” or “dreamy” rather than “melancholic” or “ambient” if you want simple cues.

Advanced Yet Simple Framework — CRAFT

If you want another easy method, try CRAFT (short and friendly):

C — Choose the outcome (what will the viewer think/do?)
R — Role of the narrator (who speaks?)
A — Action steps (3 clear beats/scenes)
F — Feeling to evoke (joy, surprise, relief)
T — Tagline/hook (one quick line to start the video)

Example: CRAFT prompt to make a 30s lifehack clip for busy parents:

CRAFT prompt example:

“Choose the Outcome: teach a 2-minute breakfast hack. Role: friendly parent narrator. Actions: show 3 steps. Feeling: helpful, calm. Tagline: ‘Save 10 minutes, win your morning.’ Output: script + caption.”

Final Tips

Tell ChatGPT the platform. “Write this for TikTok” or “for a podcast ad.” It changes pacing and tone.
Use “Continue from here.” Great for long scripts — paste the last line and tell it to carry on.
Ask for visual prompts for tools. If you use image tools, ask ChatGPT to output a short, formatted prompt for them (colors, camera, subject, mood).
Test and tweak. Rarely will a prompt be perfect on the first try — make small edits and try again.
Save your best prompts. Create a folder of prompts that worked and reuse them with small changes.
Ask for accessibility. “Make captions short and include pauses for voiceover.” It helps viewers who watch muted.

Final Thoughts

Using ChatGPT to create images, scripts, or video ideas is like learning a musical instrument: the more you practice, the better you get. Use the simple frameworks above (RTCROS or CRAFT), keep your language plain, give clear examples, and iterate fast. Try the trendy examples we used — TikTok creators, thrift-flip shops, midnight pop-ups, or a gamer building a micro-app — and you’ll see how quickly a solid prompt turns into a share-worthy piece of content.

Start small: write one short prompt, test it, and refine. Within a few tries you’ll build a prompt style that saves hours and makes your ideas look and feel professional.

November 13, 2025