User Guide
Creating Sequences
How to create and manage video sequences in OpenStory
Sequences are the core unit of work in OpenStory. Each sequence represents a video project that progresses from script to finished video.
Creating a New Sequence
- Navigate to Sequences from the top navigation
- Click Create New Sequence
- You'll be taken to the script editor where you can configure your sequence
Writing Your Script
The script editor accepts anything from a one-line idea to a full screenplay:
- One-liner or URL — Type a brief concept like "A cat exploring a cyberpunk city at night" or paste a website URL. Use Enhance Script to expand it into a full screenplay.
- Full screenplay — Paste a complete screenplay and click Generate Sequence directly.
The editor shows a placeholder guiding you: "A one-liner or website URL is all you need — click Enhance Script to do the rest. Or paste a full screenplay and generate directly."
Enhance Script
For short scripts (under ~1000 characters), OpenStory nudges you to enhance before generating. The Enhance Script button (bottom-right of the editor, marked with a sparkle icon) uses AI to expand your idea into a detailed screenplay with:
- Visual descriptions
- Camera directions
- Scene breakdowns
- Dialogue and action lines
Before enhancing, you choose a target video duration:
| Preset | Duration |
|---|---|
| 15s | 15 seconds |
| 30s | 30 seconds |
| 1m | 1 minute |
| 2m | 2 minutes |
| 3m | 3 minutes |
The enhanced script streams in real-time. You can:
- Stop enhancement mid-stream (click Stop or press
Esc/Cmd+.) - Undo the enhancement to restore your original script
- Edit the enhanced script before generating
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd + Enter | Generate sequence |
Esc or Cmd + . | Stop script enhancement |
Generation Settings
Click the settings button in the control bar to configure all generation parameters. Settings are persisted in localStorage so they carry across sessions.
Aspect Ratio
Choose the output aspect ratio for all generated images and videos:
| Ratio | Use Case |
|---|---|
| 16:9 | Landscape — standard widescreen video |
| 9:16 | Portrait — vertical/mobile video (TikTok, Reels, Shorts) |
| 1:1 | Square — social media posts |
Analysis Model
The AI model used to analyze your script and break it into scenes. You can select multiple models to generate parallel sequences — one per model — for comparison. Available models include options from Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, xAI, Mistral, DeepSeek, and more.
When multiple models are selected, the footer shows "N sequences will be created" to confirm.
Image Model
The AI model for generating scene images. You can select multiple image models to generate variant images across different providers. Available models include:
| Model | Provider | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana 2 | Fast generation and editing (default) | |
| Nano Banana Pro | Enhanced realism and typography | |
| Grok Imagine Image | Grok | Aesthetic generation with low censoring |
| FLUX.2 Max | Black Forest Labs | Exceptional realism and consistency |
| Phota | Phota | Character consistency via profiles |
| Hunyuan Image v3 | Tencent | Open source with strong composition |
| FLUX.2 Dev | Black Forest Labs | Open source, 32B open weights |
| Qwen Image 2 Pro | Alibaba | Apache 2.0, native 2K, text rendering |
| HiDream I1 | HiDream | MIT licensed, 17B parameters |
| Seedream 5 | ByteDance | Unified generation and editing |
Motion Model
The AI model for image-to-video animation. Toggle Auto-generate motion to automatically create video clips for each scene after images are generated.
| Model | Provider | Est. Time |
|---|---|---|
| LTX 2.3 Pro | Lightricks | ~15s (open-source) |
| Veo 3.1 | ~25s | |
| Kling v3 Pro | Kling | ~20s (default) |
| Grok Imagine Video | Grok | ~20s |
| MiniMax Hailuo 02 | MiniMax | ~15s |
| Seedance 1.5 Pro | ByteDance | ~12s |
| Seedance 2 | ByteDance | ~20s (animation styles only) |
Some motion models are restricted to specific style categories (e.g., Seedance 2 requires an animation style).
Music Model
Toggle Auto-generate music to automatically create a soundtrack after scene generation. Choose from:
| Model | Provider | Max Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs Music | ElevenLabs | 600s | Music (default) |
| MiniMax Music v2 | MiniMax | 300s | Music (supports lyrics) |
| ACE-Step 1.5 | ACE Studio | 240s | Music (open-source) |
| Lyria 2 | 30s | Music | |
| MMAudio V2 | MMAudio | 8s | SFX (video-to-audio) |
| ElevenLabs SFX | ElevenLabs | 22s | Sound Effects |
Pre-Generation Options
Before generating, you can optionally attach resources from your libraries:
Talent Suggestions
Click the talent icon to attach characters from your Talent Library. The AI will use these as visual references when generating character appearances, ensuring consistency with your established character designs.
Location Suggestions
Click the location icon to attach locations from your Location Library. The AI will reference these when generating scenes set in matching environments.
Both are marked as "optional" in the UI — sequences work fine without them.
Style Selection
Below the script editor, choose a visual style that defines the aesthetic of your sequence. Styles appear as a grid of tiles with preview images. Click any tile to select it, or click More to browse the full style catalog in a dialog.
Each style includes configuration for color palette, artistic direction, and rendering approach. The selected style influences:
- Image generation prompts
- Color palette and mood
- Camera and lighting defaults
The Generation Pipeline
When you click Generate Sequence, OpenStory runs an automated pipeline:
- Script Analysis — The AI model breaks your script into individual scenes with metadata (title, duration, location, time of day, story beat)
- Character Extraction — Characters are identified from the script with physical descriptions, clothing, and consistency tags
- Location Extraction — Settings are extracted with architectural details, lighting, and ambiance
- Image Prompts — Visual prompts are generated for each scene incorporating style, characters, and locations
- Image Generation — Scene images are generated using your selected image model(s)
- Motion Generation — If auto-motion is enabled, each image is animated into a video clip
- Music Generation — If auto-music is enabled, a soundtrack is generated based on the script's mood
Progress is shown via a real-time banner with phase indicators. You can navigate away and return — the process continues in the background via durable workflows.
Regenerating a Sequence
From the Script tab of an existing sequence, you can edit the script and click Regenerate Sequence. This creates a new sequence from the modified script (the original is preserved).