Getting Started with Long Stories: Create Your First Video

Introduction

Long Stories lets you create long-form AI videos with narration, visuals, and characters — all from your browser. No traditional editor needed.

If you've just logged in, the interface can feel overwhelming: universes at the top, settings on the side, a big empty canvas. This guide walks you through one complete path — from a blank account to your first finished video — covering just enough to get you moving without getting lost.

What Is a Universe?

A Universe is a reusable creative environment. Think of it as a "show world" that stores:

• Visual style (3D, animated, cinematic, etc.)
• Default narrator voice
• Characters associated with this project
• Overall tone and context

When you generate videos inside a universe, Long Stories reuses those settings so your videos feel consistent across episodes. If you're making a series, channel, or recurring content — always work inside a universe.

Step 1 — Create a Universe (Recommended)

Go to: Universes tab → Create Universe

1. Name your universe — use something that describes the project world, not just one video. Example: "Space Adventures", "3D Story World", "Neon City Episodes".
2. Choose a visual style — pick 3D, animated, or cinematic. This becomes the default look for every video in this universe. You won't need to re-type it in every prompt.
3. Select a narrator voice — browse available voices and pick one that fits your tone. On premium plans, you can also add a custom voice.
4. Set privacy — choose Public or Private. For personal or early projects, Private is safest.
5. Click Create / Continue — Long Stories builds internal rules for your universe and redirects you.

Your universe is now ready to use.

Just want to explore first? Skip universe creation and use the Open universe or any Featured universe from the create-video screen. These are great for quick experiments before you commit to a style.

Step 2 — Create Characters (For Consistent Storytelling)

Go to: Characters tab → Add Character

Characters ensure the same face, style, and voice appears across your scenes and episodes.

From an image:

1. Upload a clear, front-facing image.
2. Long Stories analyzes it and builds a visual description automatically.
3. Edit the description if anything feels off.

From text:

Write a short, specific description — appearance, clothing, personality (e.g., "young scientist, messy hair, round glasses, yellow jacket, always curious").

Add a voice (optional but powerful): Assign a voice to the character. When they have dialogue in a script, Long Stories will automatically use that voice for their lines.

For a full walkthrough on building great characters, see: How to Create Characters for Consistent Stories.

Step 3 — Start a New Video

Go to: Create New Video

1. Pick your universe from the top selector — either your custom one or a featured universe for quick tests.
2. Select characters if your story uses recurring people. Skipping this means the system invents characters on the fly, and they won't stay consistent across videos.
3. Choose how to feed the story:

If you want exact control over timing and visuals — use a script. If you're just trying things out — a short prompt is enough.

Step 4 — Configure Settings

Visual style: Inside a universe, the style applies automatically. Leave it as-is for your first video.

Duration:

• Keep it short for early tests — 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
• Studio plans support up to 15 minutes.
• Longer videos = longer generation time + more credits.

Animation mode:

• Storyboard only — static frames, great for planning shots.
• Fast — quick animated draft.
• Pro — high quality, use for final versions.

Start with Storyboard or Fast. Save Pro for when you're happy with the storyboard.

Step 5 — Voiceover Settings

With voice: Long Stories generates narration from your script. You can change the narrator, pick an accent, or use a custom voice. You can also change the script language.

Without voice: Visuals are generated with music but no narration — useful if you plan to add your own voiceover later.

For beginners, With voice gives you the full experience out of the box.

Step 6 — Extra Controls

• Aspect ratio — Vertical (9:16) for Reels/Shorts/TikTok, Horizontal (16:9) for YouTube.
• Captions — Turn on for accessibility and muted viewers. Strongly recommended.
• Auto-walk — Automatic character movement. Disable if you prefer composed, still shots.

Step 7 — Generate and Wait

Click Generate. Long Stories now:

• Parses your script or prompt
• Generates images
• Applies animation and motion
• Renders voice, music, and captions

Expected time: 5–20 minutes, depending on length, complexity, and animation mode. Treat it like a render — click generate, then do something else.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Updated on: 16/03/2026