MiniMax H3 Lite Text to Video: a quick draft machine
MiniMax H3 Lite turns text into 4 to 15 second clips at 768p or 480p. What each setting does, prompts that suit it and when to move to a bigger model.
Most video ideas are not good ideas, and the quickest way to find out which are is to see them move. MiniMax H3 Lite Text to Video is a good fit for that job. The word Lite in the name is a hint: this is the model you reach for when you want to know whether a scene works, and you do not want to pay finale prices to find out.
The whole settings list
- Prompt (required). Up to 7000 characters, which is much more room than a single sentence needs.
- Aspect ratio. 16:9 by default, with 21:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4 and 9:16 as the other choices.
- Resolution. 768p by default, or 480p.
- Duration. 4 to 15 seconds in whole seconds, 5 by default.
That is everything. There is no seed, no negative prompt and no starting picture in this variant, so the prompt carries the whole job.
Give it one surprise and one camera move
Five seconds is enough for a single event. The samples in the gallery that read best have one clear hook and one decision about the camera, and the rest of the prompt is texture.
A young man walks through a busy futuristic plaza. A huge billboard stops its advert and shows a live close-up of his face with a glowing welcome line. He halts, confused, while the crowd keeps moving normally around him. The camera tracks beside him, then tilts up to the billboard. Grounded sci-fi mystery, cinematic city scale.A miniature floating island with a tiny pastel village, cascading waterfalls and flowering trees, soft pink clouds at golden sunset. Three bright hot-air balloons drift slowly past while the camera gently orbits the island. Toy-like 3D animation, coral, teal and gold palette, warm light.A draft routine that saves money
- Pick the aspect ratio you will publish in. A vertical 9:16 frame composes differently from 16:9, so a draft in the wrong ratio tells you little.
- Run at 480p for 4 or 5 seconds. You are judging action and camera, not sharpness.
- Change one thing in the prompt and run again. Two changes at once and you will not know which one helped.
- When the motion is right, run the same prompt at 768p and the length you need.
- If the final needs more detail than 768p gives, take the winning prompt to a heavier model using the text to video prompt guide.
If you already have a picture of the opening shot, skip the guessing and use the image to video sibling; how motion prompts work covers the writing. For deciding between models at all, choosing an AI video model is the shortest read.
The honest limitation
768p is the ceiling, so this is not the model for a big screen or a hero shot you will crop into. The settings list has no sound option, so do not plan around controlling audio. Readable text on screen, crowds that must stay distinct and fast sports-style action are where lighter models slip first; if your idea depends on one of those, draft it here and expect to finish it elsewhere.
Questions
How long can a clip be?
From 4 to 15 seconds, set in whole seconds. The default is 5.
Can I make vertical video?
Yes. Choose 9:16 for vertical, or 1:1 and 3:4 for other portrait-style frames. 21:9, 16:9 and 4:3 are available for wide formats.
Which resolution should I test with?
480p for drafts, since you are checking motion and framing. Switch to 768p for the run you intend to keep.
Can I start from my own picture?
Not in this variant. Use the image to video version of the same model, which takes a first frame and an optional last frame.
