Text to video
Describe the action, camera movement, light, and mood. Director Mode turns the written brief into a cinematic clip.
Prompt → video
Director Mode · Powered by SeedanceTurn your story
Turn your story
into moving pictures.
Direct cinematic AI video without leaving your manuscript. Novelest brings your scenes, characters, locations, reference art, and shot notes into one focused filmmaking workspace.
Video modelsSeedance 2.5 · 2.0 · 2.0 Fast
A film studio inside your story
From narrative beat to finished shot
Director Mode is built around the material you already created. It keeps visual development connected to your story instead of scattering prompts, references, and clips across separate tools.
- 01
Choose the story beat
Start from a scene or storyboard frame, with its narrative context already attached.
- 02
Direct the shot
Shape the prompt, framing, motion, duration, aspect ratio, sound, and visual references.
- 03
Generate and sequence
Create with Seedance, preview the result, and keep the clip with the frame it belongs to.
Director Mode
Your scene is the production brief
Open any storyboard frame in Director Mode and Novelest carries over its description, cinematography, image, and AI video prompt. Mention characters and story elements directly, then let their lore and artwork guide the generated shot.
Work shot by shot, preview completed clips in place, and keep the visual sequence tied to the chapter it came from. The manuscript remains the source of truth.
Shot 04 · Rain at Calder StreetModelSeedance 2.5
ModeReference to video
Format16:9 · 720p · 12s
Direction
Slow dolly in as Mara turns toward the streetlight. Rain catches the warm light; hold on her recognition.
Three generation paths
Start with words, a frame, or your world
Image to video
Animate an existing storyboard frame or generated scene image while preserving the visual starting point.
Frame → videoReference to video
Select characters, locations, and objects from your story bible so their artwork and lore guide the shot.
Story world → videoSeedance video generation
Choose the model for the shot
Novelest supports ByteDance Seedance 2.5, Seedance 2.0, and Seedance 2.0 Fast through one consistent Director Mode workflow.
Most capable
Up to 30 secSeedance 2.5
Longer takes with native audio support and flexible text, image, and reference-led generation.
- Clip length
- 4–30 seconds
- Resolution
- Up to 1080p*
- References
- Up to 9 images
High fidelity
Seedance 2.0
A versatile choice for polished shots across all three generation modes.
- Clip length
- 4–15 seconds
- Resolution
- Up to 1080p
- References
- Up to 9 images
Faster iteration
Seedance 2.0 Fast
Move quickly through visual ideas, shot tests, and alternate directions.
- Clip length
- 4–15 seconds
- Resolution
- Up to 720p
- References
- Up to 9 images
Video generation uses AI credits from your shared Novelest balance. Novelest selects the appropriate model for the feature, and you can add credits anytime.
Creative controls
Direct the details that matter
Six aspect ratios
Compose for 21:9, 16:9, 4:3, square, portrait, or vertical video.
Native audio
Generate sound design, ambience, and supported lip-synced dialogue with the shot.
Story references
Bring up to nine character, location, or object images into a generation.
Cinematography-aware prompts
Carry shot size, angle, movement, lens feel, lighting, and timing into the brief.
Prompt assistance
Draft or refine a directorial prompt from the frame and its story context.
Background rendering
Keep working while a video generates, then review it when the shot is ready.
AI video FAQ
The practical questions
What is Novelest Director Mode?
Director Mode is Novelest’s visual storytelling workspace. It connects scenes and storyboard frames to AI image and video tools, letting writers plan shots, direct motion, use story references, and keep generated clips organized with the manuscript.
Does Novelest support Seedance?
Yes. Novelest supports ByteDance Seedance 2.5, Seedance 2.0, and Seedance 2.0 Fast for AI video generation. Generations use the same AI credit balance as Novelest’s writing, image, and audio tools.
How is AI video billed?
AI video consumes credits according to the model and generation settings used. Standard includes 5,000 monthly credits and Pro includes 10,000; one-time and recurring credit packs are available whenever you need more.
Can I animate an existing image?
Yes. Add an image to a frame and use image-to-video generation to animate that still. You can also generate from text alone or use multiple story-element images as references.
Can generated videos include audio?
Yes. Director Mode includes an audio control for supported Seedance generations, including sound design, ambience, and supported lip-synced dialogue.
The scene is already written
Now call the shot.
Build the world, frame the moment, and generate it with Seedance in Novelest Director Mode.
Start Creating