Luma Prompt Cheat Sheet (2026): Shots, Camera Moves & Settings

This is the fast reference for writing Luma Ray3 prompts in Dream Machine — the reasoning-driven 2026 video model (latest Ray3.14), also available in Adobe Firefly. Ray3 reads plain English literally, so there is no bracket or director syntax to memorize. Keep this open in a tab, copy the pieces you need, and assemble a shot with the formula below.

For full sets, see our best Luma prompts roundup and the ready-made templates.

The Luma prompt formula

Write one clear, specific sentence in this order and Ray3 gives you a controllable clip. Everything stays in natural language — no tags, no brackets. Ray3 reads every word literally, so be concrete and keep to one main action.

Subject + Action + Scene + Camera movement + Style/Mood.

A barista pulls an espresso shot in a sunlit cafe, steam rising over polished brass, slow dolly in, warm morning window light, shallow depth of field, cinematic.

Match each element to a row in the tables below. Skip an element and Ray3 fills the gap for you — usually with something generic — so specify what matters to your shot. English is the most stable language for prompts.

Shot sizes

Shot size sets how much of the subject fills the frame. Pick one and name it early in the sentence.

Camera moves

Describe the move in plain words inside the sentence. Ray3 renders natural-language motion — keep it to one main move so the reasoning stays clean.

Lighting & style

Lighting and grade set the mood. Add one or two cues near the end of the sentence for a cinematic feel.

Settings quick-reference

Choose these in the app or API, not in the prompt text. Draft Mode is the one to remember for iteration — render cheap, then upgrade the keeper.

Features & modes

Ray3 in Dream Machine covers the full pipeline from a single still to a finished, extended clip. Pick the mode that matches your starting point.

Things to avoid

These are the common mistakes that break a Ray3 shot, with the fix for each.

Example prompts

Six complete prompts built with the formula. Copy, swap the subject, and set the output options in the app.

1. Cinematic b-roll

Morning fog drifts through a pine forest, thin sunbeams cutting between the trunks, dew on the ferns, slow dolly in, wide shot, golden hour, cinematic.

A slow dolly into a wide establishes the space. (16:9, 1080p, 10s, Hi-Fi)

2. Product hero

A matte black wireless earbud case rests on wet slate, water beading on the lid, light sweeping slowly across the surface, extreme close-up, orbit around the case, hard backlight, shallow depth of field.

Best rendered as image-to-video from a product still to lock the shape. (1:1, 1080p, image-to-video 5s)

3. Action tracking shot

A trail runner sprints down a rocky coastal path, dust kicking up behind, ocean crashing below, wide shot, handheld push-in tracking shot, bright overcast light, filmic grain.

A handheld tracking push keeps the runner centered with kinetic energy. (16:9, 720p, 10s, Draft first)

4. Vertical social clip

A young chef plates a dessert in a modern kitchen, powdered sugar drifting down, medium shot, pedestal up reveal, warm soft window light, shallow depth of field, appetizing.

A rising pedestal reveal reads well in a 9:16 feed. (9:16, 1080p, 5s)

5. Keyframe interpolation

A closed wooden door slowly opens to reveal a sunlit garden beyond, dust motes in the light, medium shot, static, soft window light, cinematic.

Set a closed-door start frame and an open-door end frame; Ray3 interpolates the swing. (4:3, 1080p, Keyframes)

6. Moody portrait

A woman sits by a rain-streaked window and slowly turns her head, rain running down the glass behind her, close-up, static locked-off, blue hour, hard backlight rim, filmic grain.

The clip is silent — add room tone and voiceover in an editor. (3:4, 1080p, HDR)

Once these feel natural, level up with our realistic-video guide and the cinematic b-roll set.