Creating Sequences

Sequences are the core unit of work in OpenStory. Each sequence represents a video project that progresses from script to finished video.

Creating a New Sequence#

1. Navigate to Sequences from the app sidebar
2. Click Create New Sequence
3. You'll be taken to the script editor where you can configure your sequence

Writing Your Script#

The script editor accepts anything from a one-line idea to a full screenplay:

• One-liner or URL — Type a brief concept like "A cat exploring a cyberpunk city at night" or paste a website URL. Use Enhance Script to expand it into a full screenplay.
• Full screenplay — Paste a complete screenplay and click Generate Sequence directly.

The editor shows a placeholder guiding you: "A one-liner or website URL is all you need — click Enhance Script to do the rest. Or paste a full screenplay and generate directly."

Enhance Script#

For short scripts (under ~1000 characters), OpenStory nudges you to enhance before generating. The Enhance Script button (bottom-right of the editor, marked with a sparkle icon) uses AI to expand your idea into a detailed screenplay with:

• Visual descriptions
• Camera directions
• Scene breakdowns
• Dialogue and action lines

Before enhancing, you choose a target video duration:

The enhanced script streams in real-time. You can:

• Stop enhancement mid-stream (click Stop or press Esc / Cmd+.)
• Undo the enhancement to restore your original script
• Edit the enhanced script before generating

Keyboard Shortcuts#

Generation Settings#

Click the settings button in the control bar to configure all generation parameters. Settings are persisted in localStorage so they carry across sessions.

Aspect Ratio#

Choose the output aspect ratio for all generated images and videos:

Analysis Model#

The AI model used to analyze your script and break it into scenes. You can select multiple models to generate parallel sequences — one per model — for comparison. The available models are GPT-5.6 Luna (default) and DeepSeek V4 Flash.

When multiple models are selected, the footer shows "N sequences will be created" to confirm.

Image Model#

The AI model for generating scene images. You can select multiple image models to generate variant images across different providers. Available models include:

Motion Model#

The AI model for image-to-video animation. Toggle Auto-generate motion to automatically create video clips for each scene after images are generated.

Music Model#

Toggle Auto-generate music to automatically create a soundtrack after scene generation. Choose from:

Pre-Generation Options#

Before generating, you can optionally attach resources from your libraries:

Talent Suggestions#

Click the talent icon to attach characters from your Talent Library. The AI will use these as visual references when generating character appearances, ensuring consistency with your established character designs.

Location Suggestions#

Click the location icon to attach locations from your Location Library. The AI will reference these when generating scenes set in matching environments.

Both are marked as "optional" in the UI — sequences work fine without them.

Style Selection#

Below the script editor, choose a visual style that defines the aesthetic of your sequence. The first Automatic tile asks OpenStory to derive a style from the script. You can also click Recommend styles to rank catalog styles for the current script, choose a visible style tile, filter by category, or click More to browse the searchable catalog and open full style details.

Each style includes configuration for color palette, artistic direction, and rendering approach. The selected style influences:

• Image generation prompts
• Color palette and mood
• Camera and lighting defaults

When a style defines recommended image and motion models or a preferred aspect ratio, selecting it applies those defaults and shows where they came from. You can reset them to your previous generation settings.

The Generation Pipeline#

When you click Generate Sequence, OpenStory runs an automated pipeline:

1. Script Analysis — The AI model breaks your script into individual scenes with metadata (title, duration, location, time of day, story beat)
2. Character Extraction — Characters are identified from the script with physical descriptions, clothing, and consistency tags
3. Location Extraction — Settings are extracted with architectural details, lighting, and ambiance
4. Image Prompts — Visual prompts are generated for each scene incorporating style, characters, and locations
5. Image Generation — Scene images are generated using your selected image model(s)
6. Motion Generation — If auto-motion is enabled, each image is animated into a video clip
7. Music Generation — If auto-music is enabled, a soundtrack is generated based on the script's mood

Progress is shown via a real-time banner with phase indicators. You can navigate away and return — the process continues in the background via durable workflows.

Regenerating a Sequence#

From the Script tab of an existing sequence, you can edit the script and click Regenerate Sequence. This creates a new sequence from the modified script (the original is preserved).