The Anatomy of a Claude Motion Prompt

Claude Motion, in beta on Claude Team and Enterprise plans since October 8, 2026, turns your text, charts, and images into animated explainers. It writes code that animates your content, so every word, number, and timing stays editable. A clear prompt gets you most of the way on the first try.

Motion animates what you give it. Your prompt decides what it shows and in what order.

Say what the animation is for and the one message people should remember.

Goal: show the board that Q3 revenue grew because of three new products.

Say who will watch it and where it will play, such as a meeting, a website, or a social feed.

Audience: our board, on a large screen in a meeting.

Attach the report, spreadsheet, chart, logo, or screenshots, and tell Motion to use only that material.

Use only the numbers in the attached Q3 chart.

Aspect ratio

16:9 for screens, 9:16 for Reels and Shorts, 1:1 for feeds

Length

15 to 60 seconds for most explainers

Format: 16:9, about 30 seconds.

List what to reveal, in order. This is the most important part of the prompt.

Scene 1: title. Scene 2: revenue up 18%. Scene 3: the three products driving it. Scene 4: one takeaway.

• Brand colors, as names or hex codes
• Fonts or font style
• Background
• Amount of text on screen

Style: navy background, white and teal accents, bold sans-serif headings, minimal text.

• Pace: calm or energetic
• How things enter: fade, slide, grow, or type on
• Easing: smooth ease-in and ease-out
• Holds: how long to pause on key moments

Motion: calm pace, elements slide up with a smooth ease-out, hold two seconds on each number.

Say how it should end: a takeaway, a call to action, or a logo, and how long to hold the last frame.

End: “Three products, one strong quarter.” Hold the final frame for three seconds.

Create a 30-second, 16:9 animated explainer for our board meeting from the attached Q3 chart. Goal: show revenue grew 18% because of three new products. Scenes: 1) title, 2) revenue rising to +18%, 3) the three products with their share, 4) takeaway. Style: navy background, white and teal, bold sans-serif, minimal text. Motion: calm, smooth ease-out, hold two seconds on each number. End: “Three products, one strong quarter,” hold three seconds. Use only the numbers in the chart.

• “Slow down scene 2.”
• “Change 18% to 19% in the final chart.”
• “Make the title larger and bold.”
• “Replace the logo with this file.”
• “Hold the last frame for two more seconds.”

Changing one detail leaves the rest unchanged.

Chart story

Turn this chart into a [length] animation that reveals [first], then [second], ending on [takeaway]

Process explainer

Animate these [number] steps as a [length] explainer, one step per scene, with simple icons

Social clip

Make a 15-second 9:16 clip from this tip: hook line, three quick points, call to action

• No clear order of scenes
• Too much text on screen
• Asking for footage or realistic people, which Motion does not generate
• No length or format
• Not checking numbers against the source