Getting Started
Shotweave automates the AI filmmaking pipeline. You describe what you want, and the app handles script writing, shot planning, image generation, and video creation — all through AI.
How it works in 30 seconds
You create a campaign (a series of films sharing a visual style), then create a project (one film) inside it. The AI writes a script, breaks it into a shot list, then generates an image and video for each shot. You can edit anything at any stage — the AI does the heavy lifting, but you stay in control.
Generation Pipeline
Aspect Ratios
9:16 — TikTok / Reels
16:9 — YouTube
1:1 — Instagram
Biggest Costs
Animation — 30 cr/shot
Video — 22 cr/shot
Everything else — 1 cr
Remember
Set aesthetic before images
Generate images before video
Element images are free
Create an account
Sign up with your email. No credit card required to explore the app.
Buy credits
Go to the Credits page in the sidebar. Credits pay for AI generation — the Starter pack (100 credits, $12) is enough to generate a complete short film.
Create a campaign
Click the + button next to "Campaigns" in the sidebar. A campaign groups related films together under a shared visual style.
Create a project inside it
Open your campaign and click New Project. Each project is one short film — it will hold your script, shot list, and all generated media.
Generate your film step by step
Open your project and use the toolbar buttons in order: Script → Shot List → Elements → Tag Shots → Prompts → Images → Video. Each step builds on the last.
Core Concepts
Your work is organized in a three-level hierarchy: Campaign → Project → Shot. Understanding this structure is key to using the app effectively.
Campaign
A series of short films. Campaigns hold a visual aesthetic and shared elements (characters, environments, props) that stay consistent across every project inside them.
Project
A single short film. Projects contain a script, a shot list, a description, a configurable aspect ratio (9:16, 16:9, or 1:1), and their own project-level elements.
Shot
One camera shot in a film. Each shot has a description, element tags, shot references (for visual continuity), reference images, image/video prompts, and generated image and video outputs.
Campaign Fields
Each campaign has a title, a description (context about the campaign), and an aesthetic — a text description of the visual style that all generated images in the campaign will follow. You can edit the aesthetic to control the look-and-feel of your films. The default aesthetic produces a raw, candid phone-photo look.
Project Fields
Each project has a title, a description (context about the specific film), a script — the screenplay that your shot list will be generated from, and an aspect ratio (9:16, 16:9, or 1:1, defaulting to 9:16). The aspect ratio cascades through all image, video, and animation generation for that project. You can write the script yourself or have the AI generate it.
Shot Fields
Each shot in the shot list includes: a description (what happens in the shot), elements (tagged characters/props/environments), shot references (up to 2 preceding shots for visual continuity), reference images, an image prompt, num images (how many images to generate), an image output (the generated still frame), a video prompt, and a video output (the generated video clip). Advanced fields include video reference URL (for video-to-video generation).
Elements
Elements are the persistent visual assets in your films — characters, environments, and props. They help AI maintain visual consistency across shots and projects.
Campaign Elements vs. Project Elements
Campaign elements live at the campaign level and are shared across all projects in that campaign. Use these for recurring characters, locations, or props that appear in multiple films.
Project elements live at the project level and are specific to one film. Use these for assets that only appear in that particular project.
Creating an Element
To create an element, go to the Elements tab on a campaign or project page and click "Add Element." Give it a name, choose a type (character, environment, or prop), and optionally upload reference images (up to 14 per element). Reference images help the AI understand what the element looks like. The more reference images you provide, the better the AI can reproduce the element consistently. Character elements also auto-generate a side-profile reference used for character-consistent video generation.
Generating Element Descriptions
Select one or more elements and click "Generate Description." The AI analyzes the reference images and writes a concise visual description. This description is used in image and video prompts to keep the element looking consistent.
Generating Element Images
Select elements and click "Generate Image" to create an AI reference image for each element. The generated image uses the element's description to produce a consistent reference visual. The aspect ratio depends on the element type: 9:16 for characters, 16:9 for environments, 1:1 for props. Element images are free to generate and don't cost credits.
Step-by-Step Workflow
Here's the recommended workflow from start to finish. Every step is optional and repeatable — you can skip ahead, go back, or manually edit anything the AI generates. Think of the toolbar buttons as going left-to-right: each one builds on what the previous step created.
Set Up Your Campaign
Create a campaign and customize the aesthetic field — this controls the visual style of all images in the campaign (e.g., "cinematic 35mm film grain" or "anime cel shading"). If you have recurring characters, locations, or props that will appear across multiple films, add them as campaign elements now. Upload reference images for each and generate a description.
Create a Project & Write the Script
Create a project inside the campaign and add a description (this gives the AI context about what the film is about). Then either write your own script or click "Generate Script" to let the AI write one. The AI uses your elements and descriptions to inform the screenplay. You can edit the script freely before moving on.
Generate the Shot List
Click "Generate Shot List" in the toolbar. The AI reads your script and breaks it into individual camera shots, each with a detailed description. You can edit any shot description afterward. You can also add, remove, or reorder shots manually by dragging.
Generate & Tag Elements
Click "Generate Elements" — the AI scans your shot list and creates elements for any characters, props, or locations that appear in more than one shot. Then click "Tag Shots" to link the right elements to each shot. This is how the image generator knows what should look consistent across shots (e.g., the same character looking the same in every scene).
Generate Prompts
Select shots (use the checkboxes) and click "Generate Prompts." The AI converts each shot description into two specialized prompts: an image prompt (for the still frame) and a video prompt (for the clip). These are editable — tweak them before generating media to fine-tune your results.
Generate Images
Select shots and click "Generate Image." The AI creates a still frame for each shot using the image prompt, element reference images, and the campaign aesthetic. Images are generated one at a time, in order — this is intentional, so each shot builds on the visual continuity of the ones before it.
Generate Video
Select shots and click "Generate Video." The AI turns each shot's still image into a video clip. It automatically picks the best generation method based on what's available (character references, video references, or image-only). All selected shots are processed at the same time for faster results.
Generate Animation (Optional)
For higher-quality results, select shots and click "Generate Animation." This runs a full pipeline: generate a base video, extract frames, upscale each frame with AI super-resolution, then stitch them back together. This takes longer (2-4 minutes per shot) but produces significantly higher quality output.
Generation Tools Reference
The generation toolbar at the top of the project page gives you access to all AI-powered actions. Here's what each button does:
Generate Script
Writes a short screenplay based on your campaign/project descriptions and elements. Overwrites the current project script.
Generate Shot List
Reads the project script and breaks it into individual shots with detailed descriptions. Overwrites the existing shot list.
Generate Elements
Analyzes the shot list to identify recurring visual assets (characters, environments) not already represented as elements, then creates them as project elements.
Tag Shots
Automatically links the correct project and campaign elements to each selected shot based on what would logically appear in the scene.
Generate Prompts
For each selected shot, translates the shot description into an optimized image prompt and video prompt. You can edit these before generating.
Generate Image
For each selected shot, generates a still image using the image prompt, tagged element references, and campaign aesthetic. Processes shots one at a time, in order.
Generate Video
For each selected shot, generates a video clip using Kling Video O3 Pro. The system intelligently selects from 4 endpoints based on available assets: video reference, character elements + image, image-only, or text-only. All selected shots are processed concurrently.
Generate Animation
For each selected shot, runs a full animation pipeline: generates a base video, extracts frames, upscales each frame via AI super-resolution, then stitches them back into a high-quality video. All shots are processed concurrently (each takes 2-4 minutes).
View Modes
The shot list table has three view modes to help you focus on what matters. Toggle between them using the view mode selector above the shot list.
Simple
Shows only core columns: description, elements, image output, and video output. Ideal for reviewing results.
Animation
Adds shot references and reference images columns. Use this when working with the animation pipeline.
Advanced
Shows all columns including image/video prompts, num images, and video reference URL. Full control for power users.
Credits & Pricing
All AI generation tasks cost credits. You buy credits in packs from the Credits page (accessible from the sidebar). There are no subscriptions — you only pay for what you use.
Credit Packs
Starter
$12
100 credits — Good for testing
Standard
$59.99
525 credits — 5% bonus
Pro
$239.99
2,200 credits — 10% bonus
Credit Costs Per Action
Element descriptions and element images are free to generate.
Credits are reserved when you start a generation job and refunded if the job fails or is cancelled. Your current balance is always visible in the sidebar.
Tips & Best Practices
Set the aesthetic before generating images
The campaign aesthetic is baked into every generated image. Change it early — if you generate images and then change the aesthetic, you'll need to regenerate. Try something specific, like "cinematic 35mm film grain, warm tones" rather than leaving the default.
Pick your aspect ratio upfront
Set the project aspect ratio when you create the project. 9:16 for TikTok/Reels, 16:9 for YouTube, 1:1 for Instagram. This cascades through all images and videos — changing it later means regenerating everything.
More reference images = better consistency
Elements support up to 14 reference images each. Clear, well-lit photos of a single subject work best. For characters, front-facing and varied angles help the AI the most.
Always tweak prompts before generating media
After "Generate Prompts," switch to Advanced view mode to see and edit the image/video prompts. Small edits (adding detail, removing ambiguity) can dramatically improve results and save credits.
Always generate images before video
Video generation uses the shot's still image as its starting frame. If you skip image generation, the video will be text-only and much less consistent. Images first, then video.
Use descriptions to steer the AI
Campaign and project descriptions aren't shown to viewers — they're context for the AI. The more specific you are ("a horror comedy set in a 1950s diner"), the better the AI understands your intent.
You don't have to regenerate everything
Use the checkboxes in the shot list to select specific shots, then run generation tools on just those shots. This lets you redo one bad shot without touching the rest.
Drag shots to reorder them
Grab the handle on the left side of any shot row and drag to rearrange the sequence.
Cancel jobs to get credits back
If something looks wrong mid-generation, cancel from the status banner. Credits for unfinished work are automatically refunded.