How To
This section is for getting specific things done. Every guide here is a numbered sequence of steps that walks you from a blank state to a completed task.
If you are brand new to ACT3 AI, start with Getting Started first. Come back here when you hit your first "how do I actually do that?" moment.
If you are an experienced creator or filmmaker, these guides are written to be skimmable — bold labels on every step so you can jump to the part you need without reading the whole page.
What's in this section
Guides are grouped by the part of the workflow they belong to. Each guide focuses on one concrete task — no theory, just steps.
Script and Story
Getting your story into the platform, building structure, and working with the script editor.
- Build Story Structure — Set up acts, beats, and scenes for a new project from scratch.
- Work with Acts and Beats — Add, reorder, and edit acts and beats in the Story Arc view.
- Expand an Idea into a Script — Turn a one-sentence idea into a full screenplay using the AI Writer.
- Import a Script — Bring in a Final Draft, PDF, or plain-text screenplay.
- Use the Script Editor — Write and edit dialogue, action lines, and scene headings.
- Compare Script Versions — Review two versions of your script side by side and decide what to keep.
- Export Script — Download your script as a PDF or Final Draft file.
Characters and Casting
Creating digital actors, casting them into scenes, and keeping their appearance consistent.
- Create a Digital Actor — Build a new AI character with appearance, age, and personality settings.
- Link Characters to Actors — Connect a script character name to a digital actor profile.
- Cast an Actor in a Scene — Assign a digital actor to appear in a specific scene.
- Manage Cast List — View and update all character-to-actor assignments across your project.
- Per-Scene Actor Appearance — Override an actor's default appearance for one scene (different outfit, age, or look).
- Add Background Actors — Populate a scene with extras and crowd elements.
- Add Mocap to an Actor — Apply motion capture data to a digital actor's performance.
- Check Actor Consistency — Review that an actor looks the same across all their scenes.
- Review Visual Consistency — Run a cross-scene visual consistency check on characters, sets, and costumes.
Sets and Environments
Building and managing the virtual locations where scenes take place.
- Browse and Assign a Set — Find a set in the library and attach it to a scene.
- Create a Set — Build a new virtual environment from scratch.
- Use an Image as a Set — Upload a photo or generated image to use as a 2D background set.
- Procedural Set Generation — Generate a city block or building interior using the AI procedural set tools.
- Top-Down Set Editor — Use the canvas view to place characters, cameras, and movement paths in a set.
- Add Props to a Set — Place furniture, objects, and set dressing elements in a scene.
- Link a Set to Scenes — Assign one set to multiple scenes so they all share the same location.
- Blender Set Sync — Send a set to Blender for professional 3D work and sync it back.
Camera and Cinematography
Composing shots, planning camera coverage, and controlling how the camera moves.
- Set Up a Shot — Configure a new shot with camera angle, lens, and framing.
- Set Camera Movement — Add a pan, tilt, dolly, or crane move to a shot.
- Place Camera in Top-Down View — Drag the camera to an exact position on the scene's top-down canvas.
- Plan Scene Coverage — Build a complete shot list that covers a scene from every necessary angle.
- Set Lens — Choose focal length (wide, normal, telephoto) and depth of field for a shot.
- Use Visual References — Upload a reference image to guide the look of a shot or scene.
Costumes and Style
Defining visual style, lighting, and character wardrobe across your project.
- Set Visual Style — Choose the project's overall visual mode: Cinematic Realism, 3D Animated, Cartoon 2D, or Anime.
- Per-Scene Style — Override the project-level visual style for one specific scene.
- Set Up Lighting — Configure the lighting setup for a scene or individual shot.
- Define Character Costume — Describe a character's wardrobe in text for the AI to render.
- Costume Reference Image — Upload a photo to use as a visual reference for a costume.
- Per-Scene Costume — Give a character a different outfit for one scene without changing their default look.
- Write Costume Descriptions — Best practices for writing costume prompts the AI interprets correctly.
- Shot-Level Costume Detail — Add fine costume detail at the individual shot level for close-up work.
Voice and Audio
Assigning voices to characters, recording dialogue, and managing lipsync.
- Assign a Character Voice — Pick a TTS voice from the library and assign it to a digital actor.
- Set Voice Delivery — Control the pace, tone, and emotion of a character's spoken lines.
- Upload a Recorded Voice — Replace TTS with a real actor's recorded audio.
- Review Lipsync — Check that a character's mouth animation matches their dialogue.
- Add Narration or Voice-Over — Add off-screen narration or voice-over tracks to scenes.
- Edit Dialogue Audio — Trim, replace, or adjust the volume of individual dialogue lines.
Production and Rendering
Directing performances, managing approvals, and running your render queue.
- Review and Approve Shots — Watch each shot and mark it approved, flagged, or regenerate.
- Direct Character Performance — Adjust an actor's emotion, energy, and physical behavior in a shot.
- Block a Scene — Choreograph character positions and movement paths in the top-down editor.
- Lock Approved Elements — Prevent approved shots, sets, or costumes from being changed accidentally.
- Tag Shots for Batch Render — Select multiple shots and send them all to the render queue at once.
- Manage Render Queue — Monitor active renders, pause, cancel, or reprioritize jobs.
- Monitor Credits — Check your credit balance and see what upcoming renders will cost before running them.
- Organize Your Project — Rename, reorder, and archive scenes to keep a large project manageable.
- Invite Team Members — Add collaborators to a project and assign their access roles.
Export and Delivery
Getting your finished video out of ACT3 AI and onto the platform or screen it is meant for.
- Review Shots in the Timeline — Scan the full shot list, check durations, and spot missing coverage.
- Adjust Shot Timing — Change how long a shot plays to control pacing.
- Assemble a Scene — Put shots in order, trim them, and build a rough cut.
- Regenerate a Shot — Re-run AI generation on a single shot with new or adjusted settings.
- Export for Delivery — Package your project for client or festival delivery.
- Export for Platforms — Export in the right format and aspect ratio for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or ProRes.
More guides are added regularly. If you cannot find what you need, check the FAQ.