AI filmmaking glossary
The terms every AI video creator should know
A plain-language glossary of AI video and image terms, from image-to-video and frame chaining to seeds, negative prompts, and upscaling, with how each one applies in an AI film workflow.
All terms
- Aspect ratio
Aspect ratio is the shape of a frame, the relationship between its width and height. It decides whether a shot reads as cinematic widescreen, a vertical social clip, or a square, and it should be set before you generate.
- Camera motion
Camera motion is the movement of the virtual camera within an AI-generated shot, such as a dolly in, a pan, or a crane. Naming the move like a director briefs a crew gives a shot intent instead of random drift.
- Character consistency
Character consistency is keeping the same face, wardrobe, and identity across every AI-generated shot instead of the character drifting scene to scene. It is the difference between a film and a pile of unrelated clips.
- First-frame / last-frame
First-frame / last-frame video generation lets you pin the opening and closing frame of a shot, so the model fills in the motion between two images you control. It is the mechanism behind seamless AI transitions.
- Frame chaining
Frame chaining feeds the last frame of one AI video shot in as the first frame of the next, so motion and light flow continuously across shots with no still-image jumps or crossfades.
- Image-to-image (i2i)
Image-to-image (i2i) transforms an existing picture with a prompt instead of starting from a blank frame. It restyles, edits, or extends a reference while keeping its composition, making it the tool for controlled revisions.
- Image-to-video (i2v)
Image-to-video (i2v) animates a still image into a moving shot, using the frame as the first frame so motion inherits the composition you already approved. It is how a locked still becomes a cinematic clip.
- LoRA
A LoRA is a small trained add-on that teaches a base model a specific subject or style, such as one character or one visual look, without retraining the whole model. It is a lightweight way to specialize outputs.
- Negative prompt
A negative prompt tells the model what to leave out of a generation. Where the main prompt describes what you want, the negative prompt names what you do not, from extra fingers to a specific color or style.
- Seed
A seed is the number that determines the random starting point of an AI generation. Reusing the same seed with the same prompt reproduces the same result, which is how you make outputs repeatable instead of random.
- Text-to-image (t2i)
Text-to-image (t2i) generates a still image from a written prompt alone, with no reference picture. It is the starting point for concept art, establishing frames, and reference stills in an AI film workflow.
- Upscaling
Upscaling increases the resolution of an image or video while reconstructing detail, so a frame that looked soft at generation size holds up on a large screen or in an export. It is the finishing step before delivery.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI filmmaking glossary?
An AI filmmaking glossary defines the recurring terms in AI video and image work, such as image-to-video, frame chaining, seed, negative prompt, and upscaling. It gives creators a shared vocabulary so a workflow can be described precisely instead of guessed at.
What is the difference between text-to-image and image-to-video?
Text-to-image generates a still frame from a written prompt alone. Image-to-video animates an existing still into a moving shot, using the frame as its first frame so the motion inherits the composition you already approved.
Do I need to know these terms to use FXI Studio?
No. Director Mode lets you describe a film in plain language and directs the shots for you. The glossary is there when you want to direct more precisely or understand what a control is doing under the hood.
Explore the whole workflow
The AI filmmaking hub connects every guide, model, and tool in one place.