Seedance 2.5 Prompting Cheat Sheet

ByteDance's eight-part template — format first, action third, and exclusions last in one Avoid clause.

TL;DR — THE SHORT VERSION

Eight parts: Format → Subject → Action → Environment → Camera → Look → Timing → Audio & Constraints.
Format first, action third. Not the motion-first bracket format most guides teach.
Bind references with @Image1, @Image2 to specific beats.
Shot size before style language. One camera move per shot.
Roughly 6–8 seconds per beat.
Exclusions go last, in one short Avoid [...] clause, after a positive Preserve [...].

VENDOR-DOCUMENTED

This sheet quotes the vendor's own published prompting guidance.

The formula

Format + Subject + Action + Environment + Camera + Look + Timing + Audio & Constraints

Template:

[Duration, aspect ratio, shot structure]. Use [@reference] as the consistent [character/product/location]. In [environment and time], the subject [precise action]. Camera: [shot size + movement + lens/focus]. Visual direction: [lighting + palette + texture + realism]. Timing: [beat 1] → [beat 2] → [beat 3] → [resolution]. Audio: [dialogue/ambience/SFX/music]. Preserve [identity, wardrobe, logo, object geometry]. Avoid [unwanted cuts, camera behavior, artifacts, extra objects, text].

Worked example:

8 seconds, 16:9, single continuous take. Use @Image1 as the consistent ceramicist. In a north-facing studio at dusk, she centres a ball of clay and draws it upward. Camera: medium shot, slow push-in, 50mm, focus held on her hands. Visual direction: window light only, muted earth palette, visible clay texture, photoreal. Timing: hands settle → wheel accelerates → form rises → she exhales. Audio: wheel hum, ambient room tone, no music. Preserve identity, apron, wheel geometry. Avoid cuts, camera shake, on-screen text.

Breakdown — what each part does

Format

Duration, aspect ratio, shot structure. First, not last — it frames everything after it.

Subject

Identity, wardrobe, product or hero object. Bind to a reference here if you have one.

Action

Visible movement with a clear start and finish. Third in the order, despite what most guides teach.

Environment

Location, time, weather, practical detail.

Camera

Shot size first, then movement, then lens and focus behaviour. One move only.

Look

Lighting, palette, texture, realism level.

Timing

Beat by beat, with arrows. Roughly 6–8 seconds per beat.

Audio & Constraints

Dialogue, ambience, SFX — then Preserve [...], then a short Avoid [...].

Does it take a negative prompt?

No negative_prompt field — exclusions live inside the prompt.NO

Because they share the prompt, exclusions compete with your positive direction for attention. ByteDance's template handles this with placement: a positive Preserve [...] clause, then a short concrete Avoid [...] clause grouped at the end. Say what must survive before what must not happen, and keep both in one place.

What not to do

Do not write a long generic exclusion list — it will contradict your own prompt (banning blur while asking for shallow depth of field, banning shake while asking for handheld).✕

Do not put two camera moves in one shot.✕

Do not scatter exclusions through the prompt; group them at the end.✕

Do not pre-load exclusions for problems you have not actually seen. Fix what broke — if a face drifted, address identity.✕

ON THE BRACKET FORMAT

Many guides, including earlier versions of this site, teach a [MOTION]-first bracket structure. It was tested and it works — but it is not what ByteDance publishes. Use brackets as a checklist so you do not forget motion, identity, camera or duration, then order the finished prompt the way the template above does.

The checklist

Before you send it:

1 — Format stated first — duration, ratio, shot structure?□

2 — References bound with @Image1 style tags?□

3 — Shot size before style language?□

4 — Exactly one camera move?□

5 — Beats roughly 6–8 seconds each?□

6 — Preserve [...] before Avoid [...]?□

7 — Avoid clause short, concrete and last?□

SOURCE

Dreamina (ByteDance), Seedance 2.5 prompt guide, dreamina.capcut.com. Checked 25 Aug 2026.

Model versions and vendor documentation both move. Re-read the source before relying on a specific number. Errors are logged at corrections.

Every other sheet in this set: all model cheat sheets.