Discover how to generate expressive B-roll using references to objects, locations, aesthetics, and mood.
Published
Introduction
Have you ever needed to create B-roll for a project you're working on?
My name is Brian Wood.
I'm a content strategist for the Adobe MAX Creativity Conference.
I've got a video project I'm working on, and I need some B-roll to show at the beginning.
I need some atmospheric shots of the scene I'm thinking of, and I want to include some camera motion along with any objects moving.
Firefly gives us that control.
Setting up text to video and initial prompt
Starting on the Firefly homepage, I'll select Video, then Text to video (beta).
And if you want to start the video by giving it an image for your first frame, you can do that.
That's called Frame right down here.
I'm just going to use a Prompt.
I'll start by setting a few options, one of them being the Aspect ratio.
I use this B-roll for a travel video or a vlog and it's going to be viewed on a device, so I'll use 9:16.
Then I'll start by adding a Prompt.
I want to create a scene and convey a specific type of motion, camera angle and different things.
I'm going to try a simpler Prompt to start with and then iterate on it.
I'll start with 'Giant waves crashing on rocks below a lighthouse'.
Right here, instead of just a generic lighthouse, you can actually reference a known object or a geographical location.
The results will be accurate.
This can make it even more perfect for a B-roll if you need accurate imagery.
And then Generate to see what we get.
Refining prompts for motion, detail, and realism
After playing the video, I know I want to take this further, so I'm going to try adding more detail to the Prompt and Generate as I add to it to see what I get.
So, things like the shot type description, what action is going on, what's the aesthetic, etc. - more detail.
I might want to change the Shot size, maybe like a Long shot.
I can change the Camera angle and I can actually add movement.
I want the shot to Zoom out.
And once again, Generate to see what we get.
I like this video.
I might tweak the Prompt to change the flight of the bird because it's a little distracting.
Using advanced settings and seed for variations
One thing I want to point out, if you look down here at Advanced settings, you're going to see what's called Seed.
Every time, if I go back in history here a little bit, every time you go and Generate based on changes you've made, that Seed stays consistent.
So, if I come back to the final here, if you don't want the video to be based on the previous generation, you can actually remove that Seed, Generate again, and it pretty much starts from scratch.
Adjusting camera settings and generating final clips
I like that one.
Now what we can do is we can go in and from that one, try changing up the shot.
Maybe by changing the Shot size, Camera angle, and the type of Motion.
If I want to generate from this one, I keep the Seed there and Generate.
Now what I can do is go to each of these and Download and I've got some B-roll.
Once I get all my B-roll, I can head over to my editor of choice, like Adobe Express, and add them to my project.
Now it's time for you to create your own B-roll.
Get yourself a Prompt, start iterating on it, change things up, and see what you come up with.
What you’ll learn
Get started with Text to Video (beta)
Choose an aspect ratio and type a simple prompt to start generating your video.
Take your video further
Add details like shot type, action, aesthetic, and mood. Adjust shot size — like a long shot — and add camera moves like zoom in, tilt up, or static framing for the look you want. For more prompting tips, see Writing effective text prompts for video generation.
Build up your B-roll library
Download your best video generations and edit them in Adobe Express or your favorite video editor.
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