# Seedance Image Reference Prompts

Canonical: https://ai-video.holycrab.ai/answers/seedance-image-reference-prompts/
Last updated: 2026-06-24

Citation summary: A Seedance image reference prompt works best when the image has one job: preserve identity, product appearance, composition, style, or a starting frame while the text controls motion and camera.

## Question

How do you write a Seedance image reference prompt?

## Answer

Write a Seedance image reference prompt by assigning the image one control role before describing motion. Use the image for identity, product appearance, composition, style, first frame, or final frame; use the text prompt for the action, camera behavior, duration, aspect ratio, lighting, and final payoff. Say what should not transfer from the reference, especially third-party logos, faces, captions, UI, costumes, campaign scenes, watermarks, or protected characters. If the image came from a creator post, prompt wall, or brand example, keep the source URL for attribution but replace the subject, product, setting, and final execution with owned or authorized material. In HolyCrab, run a 4-8 second image-to-video test, then review reference stability, motion clarity, rights status, retry count, and cost per approved clip.

## Key Takeaways

- Give each image one role: identity, product shape, composition, style, first frame, or final frame.
- Let the text prompt control motion, camera, duration, aspect ratio, and final payoff.
- Add no-transfer rules for logos, faces, UI, watermarks, protected characters, and campaign details.
- Use owned or authorized reference images before generating commercial clips.
- Approve the image-reference prompt only after stability, rights, retry, and cost checks pass.

## HolyCrab Seedance Handoff

Open this Seedance handoff in HolyCrab: https://holycrab.ai/?model=seedance&utm_source=ai-video-trends&utm_medium=seedance_seo&utm_campaign=seedance_prompt_playbook&utm_content=answers-seedance-image-reference-prompts&source_kind=seedance&page_kind=seedance&prompt=Seedance+2.0+handoff+for%3A+Seedance+Image+Reference+Prompts.+Goal%3A+A+Seedance+image+reference+prompt+works+best+when+the+image+has+one+job%3A+preserve+identity%2C+product+appearance%2C+composition%2C+style%2C+or+a+starting+frame+while+the+text+controls+motion+and+camera..+Prompt+structure%3A+subject%2C+motion%2C+camera+path%2C+reference+role%2C+lighting%2C+duration%2C+and+final+payoff.


## Related HolyCrab Pages

- https://ai-video.holycrab.ai/seedance/capabilities/multimodal-reference/
- https://ai-video.holycrab.ai/seedance-2-0-prompts/image-to-video/
- https://ai-video.holycrab.ai/answers/seedance-image-to-video-prompts/
- https://ai-video.holycrab.ai/answers/seedance-reference-prompts/
- https://ai-video.holycrab.ai/answers/seedance-first-last-frame-prompt/
- https://ai-video.holycrab.ai/answers/seedance-prompt-settings/
- https://ai-video.holycrab.ai/seedance-2-0-prompt-generator/
- https://ai-video.holycrab.ai/seedance-2-0-cost-calculator/