Turn a Video Into AI Video Prompts
Paste a link to a video whose look you want to copy, and ScreenApp’s AI watches it and writes the prompts to make something similar in an AI video maker. It splits the video into scenes, describes what is on screen in each one, and turns every scene into a prompt you can paste into Sora, Veo, Kling, Runway or any other text-to-video tool.
The AI reads the video frames, not just the audio, so the prompts describe what you actually see: the framing, the camera move, the lighting and the pace of the cuts. The breakdown and the prompts stay in your library next to the video, and you can ask follow-up questions in the same chat.
A scene-by-scene breakdown
Every shot in the video, described the way a camera operator would.
One prompt per scene
Subject, shot, camera move, lighting, pacing and sound, ready to paste.
Links or uploads
YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo and Loom links, direct audio and video links, PDFs and web articles, or a video file you upload.
A chat to refine them
AI chat with any recording, so you can ask for a shorter version, another model or a different style.
What the AI Looks At in Each Scene
A good AI video prompt names the things a camera operator and an editor would decide. The AI goes through the video and writes those down for every scene, so the prompt is built from what is actually on screen.
Subject and action
Who or what is in the shot, and what they do.
Setting
The location, the time of day and the props in view.
Framing
Close-up, medium, wide, overhead or point of view.
Camera move
Static, handheld, pan, tilt, push in, pull back or tracking.
Lighting and color
Natural or studio light, soft or hard, warm or cool tones.
Pacing
How long the scene lasts and how it cuts to the next one.
Text and graphics
Captions, titles and overlays that appear on screen.
Sound
Voiceover, dialogue, music or sound effects, from the audio track.
What You Can Do With the Prompts
Recreate a format with your subject
Keep the shots, pacing and style, and swap in your product, character or topic.
Build a shot list first
Use the breakdown as a storyboard and generate only the shots that matter, which saves credits.
Write for a specific model
Ask the chat to rewrite the prompts for Sora, Veo, Kling or Runway.
Change the format
Reframe the same scenes for vertical 9:16 or horizontal 16:9.
Make image prompts for key frames
Get an image prompt for the first frame of each scene, then animate it.
Keep a reference library
ScreenApp has one AI chat that searches and answers from every recording in your library, or a single folder, so you can combine the best shots from several videos.
How to Turn a Video Into Prompts
- Paste the link: copy the link of a public TikTok, Instagram Reel, YouTube Short or YouTube video into the tool above, or upload a video file. Sign in with a free account.
- Let the AI watch it: ScreenApp imports the video and opens a chat that asks for the scene breakdown and the prompts.
- Copy the prompts: paste each scene’s prompt into the AI video maker you use. Ask the chat to rewrite them for a specific model, a different subject, or a vertical or horizontal frame.
The prompts describe a video. They are not the settings the original was made with, so expect to adjust them after a first try in your video tool. A clip with fast cuts or text on screen breaks into more scenes, and each prompt is only as accurate as what the AI can see in the frames. ScreenApp imports one link at a time; playlist URLs are not imported as a batch, and it cannot import Spotify and other DRM-protected streaming services.
Example: One Scene Turned Into a Prompt
This shows the format of what the AI writes. The scene is made up for this example, and real output depends on the video you paste.
A close-up of hands pouring coffee into a glass cup on a wooden kitchen counter, morning light from a window on the left, the camera slowly pushing in, about three seconds long, with soft acoustic music.
Close-up of hands pouring hot coffee into a clear glass cup on a wooden kitchen counter. Soft morning sunlight from a window on the left, warm tones, shallow depth of field. Slow push-in camera move. Calm, cozy mood. 3 seconds. Soft acoustic guitar in the background.From there you can ask the chat to change the subject (“make it green tea in a ceramic mug”), the format (“vertical, for a Reel”) or the model (“rewrite this for Veo”).
Tips for Better Prompts
Get a usable result on the first try
Name your AI video maker
Tell the chat the model before it writes the prompts.
Describe your version
Your product, colors, audience and message.
Generate one scene at a time
Then edit the scenes together.
Start with a short clip that has a few clear scenes. If a result is off, change one detail per try, such as the lighting or the camera move.
What It Can and Cannot Do
Good at
- Writing one prompt per scene from what is on screen
- Reading framing, camera moves, lighting and pacing
- Rewriting prompts for a specific model or format
- Working from TikTok and Instagram links as well as uploads
Not built for
- An exact copy: every AI video maker reads a prompt its own way
- The original settings: it describes the video, not how it was made
- Playlists: one link at a time; playlist URLs are not imported as a batch
- Streaming services: Spotify and other DRM-protected streaming services cannot be imported
Video to Prompt Generator vs Other Tools
| Feature | ScreenApp | PromptAI Videos | VideoToPrompt.dev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longest video | 50 minutes | 2 minutes | 60 seconds (free) |
| TikTok and Instagram links | Yes | Not stated | No, YouTube Shorts links only |
| Free allowance | 10 AI chats a month | 5 videos | 5 analyses a month |
| Follow-up chat about the video | Yes | Not stated | Not stated |
| Paid plan | $19/month annual | $5/month | Not stated |
Sources, checked 2026-10-19: screenapp.io/features/ai-video-watcher, PromptAI Videos, VideoToPrompt.dev, ScreenApp pricing
- vs PromptAI Videos: PromptAI Videos is built only for prompts and lets you pick a target model before it writes them. It takes clips up to 2 minutes and 30 MB, with 5 free videos after sign-in. ScreenApp takes longer videos and keeps a chat open, so you can change the prompts without starting again.
- vs VideoToPrompt.dev: VideoToPrompt.dev needs no account for the first analysis, but its free tier stops at 60 seconds and it accepts YouTube Shorts links only. ScreenApp imports TikTok and Instagram links directly.
Who Turns Videos Into Prompts
AI video creators find a clip with a look they want and use the scene prompts as a starting point in Sora, Veo or Kling, instead of describing every shot from memory.
Social media marketers see a format that works in their niche and break it into prompts so they can make their own version with their own product and message.
Agencies and freelancers show a client a reference video and turn it into a shot list and prompts before they start generating.
Brands testing ads take a reference ad’s structure, the hook, the product shot and the closing frame, and rebuild it with their own product in an AI video maker.
People learning prompt writing compare a finished video with the prompts the AI writes for it, to see which details make a prompt produce a specific shot.
