What is a motion module?

A motion module is the AnimateDiff component that injects temporal consistency into a frozen image model. It is version-specific — mm_sd_v15_v2 for SD 1.5 and dedicated SDXL beta modules for SDXL. Loading the wrong module for your checkpoint produces flicker or no motion.

What are motion LoRAs?

Motion LoRAs are small add-ons that bias the animation toward a specific camera move — pan left/right, zoom in/out, tilt, or rolling. You stack them on top of the motion module and control intensity with a LoRA weight, typically 0.6 to 1.0.

What is prompt travel?

Prompt travel assigns different prompts to different frame indices, so the animation morphs from one description to another over time. You write a schedule like {0: 'a closed flower', 16: 'a blooming flower'} and AnimateDiff interpolates between them.

How do I keep frames consistent?

Fix the seed, keep the base prompt stable and only vary the travel terms, and use a context length and overlap that match your frame count. A consistent seed plus a single motion module is the biggest lever on coherence.

SD 1.5 or SDXL for AnimateDiff?

SD 1.5 has the most mature motion modules, LoRAs and community workflows, so it is the safer default. SDXL AnimateDiff support exists but the ecosystem is smaller and heavier on VRAM.

AnimateDiff Prompt Guide

AnimateDiff prompt guide

AnimateDiff animates a Stable Diffusion checkpoint by layering a motion module over it, optionally steered by motion LoRAs and prompt travel. Pick your base model and the motion you want, and this guide recommends the right module, LoRA and a prompt-travel schedule template.

How AnimateDiff works

Motion module — the temporal backbone, version-locked to your model (mm_sd_v15_v2 for SD 1.5; dedicated beta modules for SDXL). Pick the one that matches your checkpoint or you get flicker.
Motion LoRAs — optional camera-move add-ons (pan, zoom, tilt, roll) stacked on the module, controlled by a weight around 0.6–1.0.
Prompt travel — frame-indexed prompts that morph the scene over time, e.g. 0: "closed bud" → 16: "open flower", interpolated automatically.

Tips for coherent animation

Lock the seed and keep the base prompt constant; vary only travel terms.
One motion module at a time — stacking modules fights itself.
Keep LoRA weight ≤ 1.0 — overdriving camera LoRAs causes jitter.
Match context length to frame count so the module doesn’t loop oddly.
Start on SD 1.5 for the richest tooling before attempting SDXL.