Understanding Prompting for Dream Machine: Positive vs. Negative

Created by Irina-Ioana Manoila, Modified on Sat, 6 Dec at 9:43 AM by Chris Roebuck

Effective use of Luma Dream Machine begins with understanding how to communicate your creative vision to the AI. This article outlines the fundamental difference between positive and negative prompting, and why a positive-only approach is recommended for achieving optimal results.

Negative Prompting

Negative prompting instructs the AI to exclude elements from the generated video. This approach is counterproductive. When you tell the AI to exclude people, it initially adds them and then tries to remove them.

This increases the likelihood of unwanted elements appearing in the output. The model’s efforts to work against itself result in less precise and less desirable outcomes.

Positive Prompting

Positive prompting involves clearly describing what you want the AI to generate. This method is the most efficient and reliable way to guide the model. Instead of telling it what to avoid, you provide a clear description of the desired scene, subjects, and actions.

By focussing on the desired elements, you guide the AI efficiently and accurately towards a single, clear objective. This direct communication reduces the risk of unwanted elements and increases the likelihood of a high-quality, relevant video.

Practical Application: From Negative to Positive

The following table demonstrates how to translate common negative prompts into effective positive prompts.

Ineffective (Negative Prompt)	Effective (Positive Prompt)
a room, do not add people	an empty, minimalist room with natural light	This prompt instructs the AI to create a scene without humans, focusing on the desired state of the room.
a landscape, no cars	a pristine, untouched natural landscape with a dense forest and tranquil lake	By describing a car-free scene, you guide the AI to a specific aesthetic, avoiding the need for an exclusionary command.
a futuristic city, not too busy, no traffic	a serene futuristic city with empty streets and glowing buildings at night	This prompt clearly conveys the scene’s mood and desired elements, enabling the AI to create a peaceful and quiet environment.
don't make the photo blurry, low resolution, ugly or deformed	a high-resolution, professional photograph with cinematic lighting	This prompt specifies the desired quality and aesthetic, resulting in a cleaner and more professional output, instead of telling the AI what not to generate.