Video Poster Design

Video Poster Design

Use this skill to create movie-poster-style key art for a video, short film, vlog, TVC, storyboard, or campaign.

The final output is a poster image. When useful, also create a short poster spec or prompt file so the design can be regenerated consistently.

Image Generation Requirement

Poster images must be generated by an image-generation model. Do not create poster artwork with code, SVG, HTML/CSS, canvas, diagrams, placeholder drawings, or deterministic shape scripts. Those methods may be used only for non-visual file operations or optional post-processing after the model-generated poster exists.

Use the built-in image_gen tool by default, or an approved project image-generation workflow when explicitly required. Save or copy the model-generated raster output to posters/{poster-name}.png. If the model output cannot be saved directly, locate the generated raster asset and move/copy it into the required path; do not recreate it programmatically.

Default Behavior

If the user does not specify an aspect ratio, use 3:4.

If the user asks for a poster but has not chosen a creative direction, propose 3-5 poster concepts first and ask them to choose one. Keep the options concise and visually distinct.

If the user already gives a clear direction, title, ratio, and story context, proceed directly to image generation.

Output Location

Use a project-local poster directory:

posters/

Recommended file names:

posters/{poster-name}.png
posters/{poster-name}.md

Use lowercase, hyphenated, ASCII-safe names. Examples:

• posters/youth-unlimited.png
• posters/meaning-of-travel-teaser.png
• posters/campus-energy-key-art.md

Do not overwrite existing files unless the user explicitly requests replacement. For variants, use suffixes such as -v2, -teaser, -main, -alt-a.

Inputs to Extract

Before designing, identify:

• Poster title and subtitle.
• Video/story context.
• Genre: drama, travel, romance, documentary, commercial, thriller, coming-of-age, sports, etc.
• Required aspect ratio. Default: 3:4.
• Main character(s), product, place, or object.
• Character design images or approved reference assets.
• Storyboard or scene images that define visual continuity.
• Mood and emotional promise.
• Setting, time period, weather, and culture.
• Typography language: English, Chinese, bilingual, no text, etc.
• Required copy: tagline, credits, release date, brand line, campaign line.
• Output path if specified.

If the user does not specify text language, use the user's local language for any prompt/spec, and use poster typography that matches the title/campaign language.

Use Available Visual References

Before generating any poster image, first look for existing character images in the current conversation/context, including character images generated earlier in the project. Then search the current project for corresponding character assets under characters/ or storyboard/. If any relevant character image exists, it must be passed to the image-generation model as a reference image for poster generation.

Use these assets as references for poster generation when relevant:

• characters/*.png character design sheets.
• Other image files under characters/ that correspond to the poster character.
• Approved character .md specs.
• storyboard/scene-XX.png images.
• Existing poster drafts.
• Product or brand assets provided by the user.

When a character design image exists in the current context or in characters/, feed it to the image generation model as a visual reference so the poster preserves character identity, hairstyle, wardrobe, body proportions, and material details. Do not rely on text description alone when a matching character image is available.

When a storyboard image exists, use it to preserve scene language, color palette, setting, and story mood.

Creative Direction Options

When proposing options, make them concrete. Each option should include:

• Concept name.
• Main image composition.
• Typography direction.
• Color and lighting.
• Story emotion.
• Why it fits.

Example option format:

## Poster Concepts

1. **Blue Hour Arrival**
   - Composition: [specific image]
   - Typography: [title style]
   - Color: [palette]
   - Emotion: [promise]
   - Fit: [why this works]

2. **Object as Portal**
   - Composition: [specific image]
   - Typography: [title style]
   - Color: [palette]
   - Emotion: [promise]
   - Fit: [why this works]

Do not make all options variations of the same composition. Vary the visual strategy:

• Character-led portrait.
• Environmental wide poster.
• Object-led symbolic poster.
• Motion/action poster.
• Minimal teaser.
• Ensemble composition.
• Graphic split or reflection concept.
• Product-as-hero commercial poster.

Typography Principles

Poster typography must match the story, setting, genre, and background image. It should not feel like generic overlay text.

Choose type direction based on context:

• Coming-of-age / campus: energetic but clean, slightly condensed sans serif, hand-painted or marker accent only if it feels natural.
• Travel documentary: editorial serif or restrained humanist sans, generous spacing, quiet placement.
• Romance: soft serif, handwritten accent, or understated title lockup depending on tone.
• Sports / youth TVC: bold condensed sans, dynamic italic or kinetic stacked layout.
• Thriller: severe condensed type, high contrast, restrained title placement.
• Sci-fi: technical geometry, but avoid generic neon unless the setting supports it.
• Period film: typography should reference the era without becoming costume-like.
• Minimal arthouse: sparse type, strong negative space, carefully placed title.

Integrate typography with the image:

• Let title placement interact with light, architecture, silhouette, product shape, or motion direction.
• Keep text legible.
• Avoid random fonts, fake credits, distorted letterforms, and unreadable generated text.
• If exact typography matters, consider generating poster art with clean space for text, then add text using deterministic design tools or image editing.

Poster Spec Template

When saving a .md spec, use:

# [Poster Title]

## Source Context

- Project:
- Poster type:
- Aspect ratio:
- Reference assets:
- Language:

## Selected Concept

- Concept name:
- Core image:
- Story emotion:
- Genre signal:

## Composition

- Foreground:
- Midground:
- Background:
- Character / product placement:
- Negative space:
- Motion direction:

## Typography

- Title:
- Subtitle / tagline:
- Typeface direction:
- Placement:
- Color:
- Integration with image:

## Color & Lighting

- Palette:
- Contrast:
- Time of day:
- Texture / grain:

## Image Generation Prompt

[Complete final prompt.]

## Negative Prompt

- No generic poster template
- No random extra text
- No unreadable typography
- No distorted letters
- No extra logos
- No inconsistent character
- No unwanted face changes
- No AI-smooth skin
- No deformed hands
- No irrelevant props

Image Generation Prompt Structure

Use this structure for the final poster image:

Create a cinematic movie poster, aspect ratio [ratio], for [title/project].

Use the provided reference images if available:
- Match character identity, hairstyle, wardrobe, and material details from the character design sheet.
- Preserve scene mood, color palette, and setting from the storyboard references.

Concept: [selected concept name].
Story: [one-sentence story premise or emotional promise].
Composition: [foreground, midground, background, negative space, camera angle].
Main subject: [character/product/place/object details].
Typography: [title text, language, placement, font direction, texture, integration with image].
Color and lighting: [palette, contrast, time of day, grain, atmosphere].
Style: [commercial key art / arthouse poster / documentary poster / teaser poster / campaign poster].

Make the typography feel designed for this story and setting, not generic. Letterforms should be legible, intentional, and integrated with the background image.

Negative constraints: no random extra text, no fake credits unless requested, no unreadable letters, no distorted title, no extra logos, no inconsistent character, no wrong wardrobe, no AI-looking skin, no deformed hands, no cluttered layout.

Workflow

1. Read relevant project context: plan, storyboard, character design, prior poster references, or user brief.
2. Search the current conversation/context for existing character images, including images generated earlier in the project or attached by the user.
3. Search the current project's characters/ folder for corresponding character images, especially characters/*.png, character sheets, turnarounds, and approved references.
4. If a relevant character image exists in either place, include it as a reference image when generating the poster. This is required for character consistency.
5. Extract title, ratio, story, genre, main subject, visual references, and required text.
6. If ratio is missing, set it to 3:4.
7. If the creative direction is not already clear, propose 3-5 concepts and ask the user to choose.
8. After the user chooses, write a compact poster spec if helpful.
9. Generate the poster image using the selected concept and all relevant references with an image-generation model/tool. Do not replace this with SVG, code drawing, canvas, HTML/CSS, or placeholder art.
10. Save the image to posters/{poster-name}.png.
11. Inspect the result if possible: ratio, composition, typography, character consistency, artifacts.
12. If text rendering is poor and exact text matters, recommend or perform a second pass with deterministic text overlay when appropriate.
13. Final response should include the saved path and render the image when supported.

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing, verify:

• Aspect ratio matches the requested ratio or defaults to 3:4.
• Poster concept fits the story, genre, background, and setting.
• Typography direction matches the narrative world.
• Title is legible enough for the intended use.
• There is no random or unintended text.
• The current context was checked for existing/generated character images.
• The project characters/ folder was checked for corresponding character images.
• Character identity is consistent when references are provided.
• Wardrobe and material details are consistent when character references are provided.
• Any available matching character image from context or characters/ was used as a reference image for generation.
• Composition has a clear visual hierarchy.
• Poster does not look like a generic template.
• Output file is saved under posters/ unless the user requested otherwise.

Example

User asks:

Make a poster for the 60-second campus sports drink TVC. Youth unlimited, campus style.

If no direction is specified, propose:

1. Run Toward the Light — full-body student running into morning track light, kinetic bold sans title.
2. Blue Bottle Spark — product close-up with campus reflected in condensation, clean commercial typography.
3. School Gate Launch — wide campus gate with students moving through sunlit trees, title integrated with shadows.
4. After-Sweat Smile — character portrait with realistic sweat and blue-white palette, youth campaign title lockup.

Default ratio: 3:4.