logo
Unlock the Secret to Longer Midjourney Videos for Better Storytelling

Unlock the Secret to Longer Midjourney Videos for Better Storytelling

Geeky Gadgets02-07-2025
Have you ever wished your Midjourney videos could last longer, capturing more of your creative vision without feeling rushed? While the platform's default 5-second clips are a great starting point, they often leave creators wanting more—more time to build a narrative, more room for dynamic visuals, and more opportunities to captivate an audience. The good news? With the right techniques, you can extend these videos far beyond their initial limits, unlocking a world of storytelling potential. In this instructional feature, we'll explore how to transform those brief moments into longer, seamless sequences that truly bring your ideas to life. Whether you're crafting atmospheric landscapes or animating intricate stories, mastering video extension is your gateway to creating content that stands out.
By following this Future Tech Pilot video guide, you'll discover how to use Midjourney's animate feature to its fullest, including step-by-step methods for extending videos, crafting effective prompts, and overcoming common challenges. You'll also learn the difference between auto extend and manual techniques, and how to decide which approach best suits your project. Along the way, we'll share actionable tips to refine your workflow, maintain narrative cohesion, and push the boundaries of what's possible with Midjourney. Ready to elevate your creative projects? Let's explore the tools and strategies that will help you craft longer, more engaging videos that leave a lasting impression. Midjourney's Video Feature Getting Started: Generating Videos with Midjourney
Midjourney allows you to transform a static 2D image into a short video using its animate feature. The initial output is a 5-second clip, which serves as the foundation for further extensions. You can extend this clip in 4-second increments, up to a maximum duration of 21 seconds. This incremental approach provides a structured way to build a cohesive narrative while maintaining control over the video's flow and progression.
To begin, upload your chosen image and use the animate feature to generate the initial clip. This first step is crucial, as the quality and composition of the starting image significantly influence the final video. Pay attention to details such as lighting, perspective, and subject placement, as these elements will carry through the entire sequence. Methods for Extending Videos
Midjourney offers two primary methods for extending videos: auto extend and manual extend. Each method has distinct advantages, depending on your creative goals and the level of control you wish to maintain. Auto Extend: This method automatically continues the video based on the existing scene. It is a convenient option for quick extensions, as the AI generates additional frames without requiring new prompts. However, it may lack the nuance and variety needed for more complex storytelling, as the AI tends to follow a predictable path.
This method automatically continues the video based on the existing scene. It is a convenient option for quick extensions, as the AI generates additional frames without requiring new prompts. However, it may lack the nuance and variety needed for more complex storytelling, as the AI tends to follow a predictable path. Manual Extend: This approach allows you to guide the AI using custom prompts, allowing greater creative flexibility. By carefully crafting prompts, you can introduce new elements, refine transitions, and create more dynamic, story-driven extensions. While this method requires more effort and attention to detail, it offers superior control over the video's narrative and visual style.
When choosing between these methods, consider the complexity of your project and the level of customization required. For straightforward extensions, auto extend may suffice. For intricate narratives or artistic projects, manual extend is often the better choice. How to Make Longer Midjourney Videos
Watch this video on YouTube.
Dive deeper into Midjourney's video feature with other articles and guides we have written below. Crafting Effective Prompts
The quality of your video extensions depends heavily on the prompts you provide. Well-crafted prompts ensure smooth transitions, cohesive narratives, and visually appealing results. To achieve this, follow these guidelines: Maintain consistency: Ensure your prompts align with the existing scene. For example, if your video depicts a serene forest, avoid introducing unrelated elements like urban landscapes or futuristic technology.
Ensure your prompts align with the existing scene. For example, if your video depicts a serene forest, avoid introducing unrelated elements like urban landscapes or futuristic technology. Keep prompts realistic: Overly complex or fantastic prompts can confuse the AI, leading to disjointed or unrealistic results. Focus on gradual changes that build on the existing scene.
Overly complex or fantastic prompts can confuse the AI, leading to disjointed or unrealistic results. Focus on gradual changes that build on the existing scene. Repeat key elements: Repeating prompts across extensions helps the AI maintain continuity and complete actions seamlessly. This technique is particularly useful for creating smooth transitions and cohesive narratives.
Experiment with different phrasing and levels of detail to find the optimal balance for your project. Remember that clear, concise prompts often yield the best results. Optimizing Your Workflow
Efficient workflow management is essential when working with Midjourney's video tools. One of the most useful features is the scrubbing navigation tool, which allows you to quickly navigate through video frames. By holding the Control (or Command) key, you can pinpoint specific extension points and refine your video with greater precision.
Adopt an iterative approach to video creation. After each extension, review the output carefully and make adjustments as needed. Focus on maintaining consistency, visual appeal, and narrative flow at every stage. This step-by-step process ensures higher-quality results and minimizes the risk of errors or inconsistencies.
Additionally, consider organizing your prompts and project files systematically. Keeping track of your progress and settings can save time and help you replicate successful techniques in future projects. Challenges and Limitations
While Midjourney's video extension tools are powerful, they are not without limitations. As videos grow longer, the quality of the output may decline. The AI often converges on a single creative path, reducing variety and making it challenging to introduce new elements. Additionally, moderation controls may restrict certain prompts, particularly those involving hyper-realistic or distressing content.
Understanding these challenges is key to setting realistic expectations and adapting your approach. By working within the platform's capabilities, you can achieve impressive results while minimizing frustration. Be prepared to experiment and iterate, as success often comes through persistence and creative problem-solving. Advanced Features for Enhanced Storytelling
To elevate your videos, explore advanced features such as camera movements and dynamic actions. For instance, incorporating a slow zoom or panning motion can add depth and drama to your scenes. These techniques enhance the visual impact of your video and create a more immersive experience for viewers.
Another effective strategy is to allow time for actions to unfold naturally. By maintaining consistent prompts across multiple generations, you can create a sense of progression and build tension within your narrative. This approach is particularly useful for storytelling that requires gradual development or emotional buildup.
Use features like 'style raw' with caution, as they can produce unpredictable results. While these tools offer exciting possibilities, they require careful experimentation to achieve the desired effect. Creative Applications and Examples
Midjourney's tools enable a wide range of creative possibilities. For example, you could depict a shark emerging from the water, using dynamic camera angles to capture the tension and movement. Similarly, subtle character interactions or emotional expressions can be brought to life with careful prompting and attention to detail.
Other potential applications include creating atmospheric landscapes, visualizing abstract concepts, or animating scenes from a story or script. Experimenting with different scenarios and techniques can help you discover new ways to tell your story and push the boundaries of your creativity.
By mastering the art of video extension with Midjourney, you can produce visually stunning and emotionally engaging sequences that resonate with your audience. Whether you are a filmmaker, artist, or content creator, these tools offer endless opportunities for innovation and expression.
Media Credit: Future Tech Pilot Filed Under: AI, Top News
Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

There's an art to staging a comeback. But the best artists know when it's time to take a pause
There's an art to staging a comeback. But the best artists know when it's time to take a pause

The Guardian

time36 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

There's an art to staging a comeback. But the best artists know when it's time to take a pause

When the comedian Marc Maron announced he would soon end his pioneering interview podcast WTF – famed over nearly 16 years for hosting fellow comedians, wider celebrities and even Barack Obama (when he was more president than content creator) in his garage – he said something you don't often hear: 'It's OK for things to end.' In the time of the relentless scroll, culture often feels like it is drowning in cynical money grabs, nostalgia, franchises and 'IP rentierism'. Bands, TV shows and film concepts are either never-ending or ever-repeating. It was refreshing, then, to see something stop in such a poised manner rather than descend into irrelevance and indifference. Maron gave no major reason for quitting beyond that he and his producer were a bit burnt out and it was the right moment. 'I don't think we live in a time where people of my generation and slightly older know how to move on from anything or stop,' he said. Regardless of the manner of the ending, though, there is often an urge to return – be it out of financial need, creative desire, sheer boredom or some sense of unfinished business. Maron's guest when the departure was announced was the comedian John Mulaney, who responded: 'If you miss it and you want to come back … just come back,' he said. 'I sometimes feel bad for people that feel trapped by their finale.' No one is really keeping score of the comings and goings, though for a long time I think I was overly invested. I wanted to resist the plethora of reunions, particularly in music and TV, that have littered the last two decades. There has been a deadening sense of stagnation. More directly, the comebacks could often be dispiriting: a group of tired-faced older people vainly chasing their shadows to cash a cheque. But as Mulaney suggested, the comeback offers new possibilities. And even if it falls flat, intrigue abounds. I asked a few friends what they made of the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That, which, now in its third season, elicits unusual responses. They all say it is absolutely terrible, a shadow of its former self, and yet perplexingly compelling. They are watching every new episode. Many reunion audiences, meanwhile, just want to relive the magic – or experience it for the first time. It's hard to quibble with the sentiment. Even the most fervent Britpop idealist doesn't think Liam and Noel Gallagher revived Oasis because the brothers missed spending time together. As many pointed out, the starting pistol for the band's reunion might have been fired when Noel announced his divorce in January 2023. There is a lot of money to be made in their tour. Though, given the price gouging, a little bit too much money. But as the mass singalongs and pints-in-the-air hysteria at their first gigs in Cardiff last week showed, there is a huge amount of fun to be had in communing together, singing along to songs that, while 30-odd years old, remain timeless. My own resolve about comebacks softened sometime after LCD Soundsystem returned in 2016. James Murphy's group had initially disbanded in 2011 with a grand farewell concert at Madison Square Garden (the moment was preserved in a lavish documentary). For a band so self-reflexive and studied in its references, a 'hell freezes over' reunion tour was probably inevitable. But the speed at which this was happening – only five years! – seemed cynical, almost insulting. It looked like a blot on what they had previously achieved. Reluctantly I went to one of their 2017 reunion shows, and well, it was great. What I realised was that being overly precious about reunions and revivals was ultimately pointless: the whole rhythm of how they came, went and then came back again was a bit of an artificial construct anyway. If new shows give lots of fans a chance to see them play and provide pleasure, there's nothing wrong with that. LCD Soundsystem released a 'comeback' album in 2017. It's fine. There is a handful of strong songs on it, but their vital moment had passed. However, the idea of tarnishing an earlier legacy is somewhat arbitrary – one great piece of art doesn't necessarily get diminished because a later related piece of art isn't at the same level. I have no interest in watching a second of the Frasier revival that emerged in 2023, somehow including Nick Lyndhurst. It has now been cancelled, but regardless, it couldn't spoil any Channel 4 morning commune with the original series of Seattle's finest radio psychotherapist (itself, of course, a spin-off from Cheers). Often when a band returns, their new music sounds like some required throat-clearing to help justify further tours. I was surprised then to find I loved Pulp's recent comeback single, Spike Island. It was a track of wit and invention that stood comfortably alongside their best work. The ensuing album More stands up to repeated listens too. A well-timed revival can offer something new. And yet I remain drawn to the elegant and elongated pause. By all accounts Maron has no intention of retiring, with various projects on the boil beyond his podcast. But there is a certain grace in calmly walking away from the work that defined you. The once-behemoth alt-rock band REM amicably called it a day in 2011 after a series of albums with diminishing returns. It's striking how absent the band are from culture now, given how big they were just a few decades earlier. Amid constant rounds of 80s and 90s nostalgia, surely there have been some lucrative reunion tour offers. Yet aside from the occasional interview and impromptu performance, there has been nothing. For me, the group's frontman, Michael Stipe, has had one of the great post-band semi-retirements. If Instagram is a guide – and that platform is an entirely accurate representation of life – he seems to have spent the last decade doing assorted creative projects, some political activism, visiting friends' art shows around the world and generally just having a lovely old time (although he did delete all his posts in early 2025). Granted, there's been a more vexed attempt to make a solo album, long in gestation. But he's a model of the form – if you can afford it, of course. Perhaps the key isn't whether you return or not – it's knowing when to pause when you've run out of creative energy, space or time. The audience can decide on the rest. Larry Ryan is a freelance writer and editor

Danny DeVito breaks silence on Jack Nicholson's health after frail public appearance sparked fan concern
Danny DeVito breaks silence on Jack Nicholson's health after frail public appearance sparked fan concern

Daily Mail​

time44 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Danny DeVito breaks silence on Jack Nicholson's health after frail public appearance sparked fan concern

Danny DeVito has opened up about his friend Jack Nicholson and said the Oscar winner is doing 'great.' Nicholson, 87, was last seen in public during an appearance on the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary show in February, and many fans were concerned he looked quite frail. DeVito, 80, spoke about his long friendship with Nicholson, while promoting the 50th anniversary re-release of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, their first film together. 'I just saw Jack a couple weeks ago — it was his birthday a month ago, and he's great,' the Taxi star told People. Looking back on the experience of making the groundbreaking 1975 film, DeVito said he and his fellow cast members — including Christopher Lloyd and Louise Fletcher — were 'in awe' of Nicholson, who had already been building a reputation with films such as Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, and Chinatown. 'We're in the presence of this guy who's really at his moment, where he was breaking out into the big time,' DeVito said of his initial encounter. 'There was no need for an icebreaker,' the Emmy winner recalled. 'He was immediately just so embracing…He started out exactly the way everybody else did, where he couldn't get a job. It was like he came to Hollywood and he was going to just write and direct, and then comes along after the Corman stuff,' he said of Nicholson's start in low-budget thrillers such as The Terror and The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. 'He was in our milieu, and he was always just as open and genuine, and we all felt it immediately,' DeVito said. 'Of course, he was doing it because he's that way,' the write and director explained. 'And he was also doing it because that had to be, because we had to be all joined at the hip in that movie, and we had such great performances.' DeVito noted he and Nicholson eventually bonded over their shared New Jersey backgrounds. They were born in the same hospital and both had sisters who were hair dressers in the same local area. The two would go on to work together again on Goin' South, which was directed by Nicholson, Terms of Endearment, Hoffa, which DeVito directed and the sci-fi comedy Mars Attacks. 'When I was a kid, I always heard about this really handsome guy from Neptune who went out to California and became a movie star,' he recalled. DeVito was keeping that information to himself, but it was his friend and former roommate Michael Douglas, 80, who was producing the film, who spilled the beans. 'Jack came running around the corner: "Ahhhh! You're from Asbury Park?"' he asked. Nicholson received his first Oscar award for his portrayal of a rebellious convict sent to a psychiatric hospital, where he inspired rebellion against a dominating nurse. In fact One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was the first film since 1934's It Happened One Night to sweep all five of the top Academy Awards; Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress for Fletcher, Best Director for Milos Forman, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Superman — it's my five-star movie of the summer
Superman — it's my five-star movie of the summer

Times

timean hour ago

  • Times

Superman — it's my five-star movie of the summer

He stumbles, he falls, he bleeds — occasionally he even sneaks a look at his social media mentions. How telling that, after 20 years of mis-starts and misfires, vulnerability would be the key to making Superman work on screen again. James Gunn's new Superman is not perfect but it has wit, smarts, pace and the same sardonic, goofy humour that Gunn brought to Guardians of the Galaxy. How strange that a film about misfit mutants would prepare him for the straight-arrow Superman — but Gunn seems to understand what we want: hope, heart, a dash of silliness and the same sense of up-and-at-'em adventure that made the original comic strips buzz. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the summer movie we've all been waiting for. Superman has always represented a distinct type of corn-fed American optimism — McCartney to Batman's Lennon. The creation of scrawny, short-sighted, Jewish ghetto kids from Manhattan's Lower East Side who dreamt of being Douglas Fairbanks, Superman recalls a balmier, more innocent time in American history when the mission to 'smack down the bullies of the world', as one of Superman's creators, Joel Siegel, put it, didn't send everyone diving for their Chomsky. The problem that has bedevilled adaptations since the 1978 original is: how do you make that optimism work for more cynical times, now that 'the bullies' and 'America' are no longer mutually exclusive categories? Here's how: no origin story. We don't need to hear again how the planet Krypton blew up and Kal-El crash-landed in Mom and Pop's backyard before heading to the big city to work for The Daily Planet. Instead Gunn sets us right down in the thick of it: Superman (David Corenswet) has just taken a beating from an armoured monster let loose by the rogue republic of Boravia. 'Did you consult with the president?' Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) demands to know during a date that quickly turns into a combative interview. 'You seemingly acted as a representative for the United States of America.' • The actors who played Superman, ranked from worst to best 'I wasn't representing anyone but me,' he protests. 'And … doing good.' So much for truth, justice and the American way. Go tell it to a congressional committee. Such hand-wringing over the burden of power is par for the course in superhero movies these days, but critiques of American unilateralism only go so far when your hero wears red underpants. Superman's saving grace has always been his slight silliness because it has kept him from the solemnity that clogs up the works with Batman and all the other edgier heroes, so intent on giving us a guided tour of their dark sides. The most radical thing about Gunn's film is not that it nods to the Washington bearpit, but Superman's insistence that kindness is 'the real punk rock'. Whether shielding a girl from exploding debris or a dog from a falling building, he would Make America Kind Again. Arrayed against him is Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) trying to turn the US Department of Defense against its most famous illegal alien so he can make a mint from arms deals involving his latest batch of superheroes, or 'metahumans' as they are known. He's like a cross between Tony Stark and Elon Musk. Metahumans are everywhere these days, including a gang of do-gooding showboats who call themselves the 'Justice Gang' — Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) — and whose exploits explain at a stroke why people might flock to a boy scout like Superman. He spends half his time preventing the collateral damage from his fellow superheroes' interventions. More than just reinventing his star, then, Gunn has invented a universe in which Superman makes sense, which is almost as important: the DC Universe is go. • Read more film reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews Corenswet is pretty much perfect in the role. After the stony severity of Henry Cavill labouring under his saviour complex in Zack Snyder's humourless Man of Steel — a film so embarrassed by the Superman mythos it couldn't even bring itself to say his name — Corenswet has the casual, locker-room vocab ('Hey, buddy') and underdog gallantry of a gentle-giant athlete. Dimpled and decent, he plays Superman with a slight bee in his bonnet about being thought too much of a Pollyanna and even has a dog named Krypto who tears up the Fortress of Solitude when Superman is not around, hurtling into action like a speeding bullet when needed. He's one of the best things in the film: Gunn knows how seriously to take his story and when to cut loose and have fun. Yes, the plot is a little busy with portals and black holes and all the usual interdimensional malarkey, but there's none of the lumbering heaviness that usually accompanies such plot devices. At just over two hours Superman has all the zippy action you want — the flying sequences come with Top Gun-style G-force buffeting and sonic booms — as well as the humour and heart that will get people coming back for more. In some ways the stop-start development process that has plagued Superman has paid off: Gunn took his time, got it right and has been rewarded with a bullseye. ★★★★★12A, 129min Tom Cruise's espionage swansong was the usual mix of daft plot and spectacular stunts, taking $575 million at the box office — but it needs about $800 million to break even. Cruise got out in the nick of time. Brad Pitt's charisma provided the horsepower for Jerry Bruckheimer's pedal-to-the-metal racing drama — Apple's first big hit at the box office, and Pitt's strongest ever opening weekend. Who said the stars were in eclipse? • The best films of 2025 so far The latest Jurassic Park movie, starring Scarlett Johansson, has had a soft opening compared with the previous three films in the series, but the director Gareth Edwards delivered the film at a relative snip — $180 million — as well as great monsters. Extinction will have to wait. Can Matt Shakman's retro-futuristic direction, together with stars Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby, undo the 'meh' factor and reverse Marvel's downward spiral at the box office? Superhero fatigue is real. Times+ members can enjoy two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman each Wednesday. Visit to find out moreWhich films have you enjoyed at the cinema recently? Let us know in the comments below and follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store