The world of video production is evolving rapidly, with artificial intelligence (AI) making it easier than ever to create high-quality content. One of the standout tools in this space is the Luma AI Dream Machine, an advanced AI video generator that simplifies the process of bringing your creative ideas to life.
As I mentioned in my earlier Luma AI review, while this tool may not yet replace the artistry and expertise of traditional cinematography, it certainly has the potential to lower production costs and make high-quality video creation accessible to a broader audience.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to use the Luma AI Dream Machine to make a movie trailer and everything will be done with AI tools! We’ll cover everything from generating visuals, ensuring smooth transitions with start and end frames, and editing your final trailer. Plus, we’ll show you how to add a personalised soundtrack, without breaking any copyrights.
Step 1: Generating Your Images
Before diving into Luma AI, you’ll need high-quality visuals to set the tone for your trailer. I’m a regular Midjourney user, so I’ll be using that as a tool for generating images. However, don’t feel restricted to this AI generator, use whichever you’re comfortable with to get best results.
I color graded the images a little in Adobe Lightroom for a better contrast and achieving a bolder look with bolder shadows.
How to get better results in any image generator? Define your idea. Research colour palettes, get a basic grasp of camera angles, and use your best prompting knowledge. If you need any help or advice, join AI Connect Network on Discord and give us a bump!
I wish I could give better advice on learning cinematography to include it in prompts, however I had some background as a hobby photographer. Just make a list of your favourite movies and try to note the scene transitions, colour changes and palettes, motion and camera coherence.
These are some of the images I used. It is in a mix of styles made in v 4 to v6.1, which we covered earlier.
Step 2: Uploading Images to Luma AI Dream Machine
Once you have your images, it’s time to bring them to life with Luma AI Dream Machine. This powerful tool can generate realistic video sequences from still images, allowing you to create dynamic and engaging scenes.
To get better cohesion in your video, you can include start and end frames within Luma AI – as I did to achieve the Moon apperance at the end of the trailer. This feature was added after my review, and I have to say it is a gamechanger to maintain visual continuity.
Let me show you some direct, unprocessed footage of Luma AI Dream Machine:
I incorporated motion effects to create the sensation of being lost in the underground. The movement enhances the feeling of unfamiliarity and evokes a sense of tunnel vision, amplifying the fear of being in a place where you know you’re an outsider.
Here’s another example of a video snippet used in the final trailer:
Step 3: Editing Your Trailer
After Luma AI has generated your video clips, it’s time to piece them together into a coherent trailer. CapCut is a popular, user-friendly video editing tool that offers a range of features to help you fine-tune your trailer. You can trim clips, add transitions, overlay text, and more. I used to edit Tik Tok videos for my account, so being familiar with the tool made this a lot faster and as I’m ashamed to admit, I edited all this on my phone while bored in public transport. But, it makes it great for mobility.
While CapCut is an excellent option, other powerful video editors to consider include:
- Adobe Premiere Pro: A professional-grade editor with advanced features for precise editing.
- Final Cut Pro: Ideal for Mac users, offering a smooth editing experience with a focus on high-quality output.
- DaVinci Resolve: Known for its color grading capabilities, DaVinci Resolve is perfect for adding a cinematic touch to your trailer. And make sure you can run it on your PC first and check specifications!
Step 4: Adding the Soundtrack
No movie trailer is complete without a powerful soundtrack and sound effects to elevate the visuals. Udio, an AI tool designed for music generation, can create custom music tracks that match the mood and pacing of your trailer. Whether you need something suspenseful, uplifting, or dramatic, Udio can craft the perfect audio accompaniment to make your trailer truly stand out.
This part was a challenge for me. I consider myself tone-deaf and had no idea what might be appropriate to convey the creepy factor and increase suspense in my trailer. So, I used the method I suggested before – remember what kind of music left that impression on me. Then, I made a few experimental soundtracks, downloaded them and merged them with Reaper, a program for audio processing.
Step 5: Finalizing and Exporting Your Trailer
Add the soundtracks in CapCut, align them with your video clips and with your music in place, it’s time to finalise your trailer. Review the entire video to ensure that the pacing, transitions, and audio are all aligned perfectly. Experiment with transitions, and put yourself in the viewers seat. Once you’re satisfied with the result, export your trailer in high resolution, ready to share with the world.
How does the final trailer look and sound? Turn your speaker on and give it a watch.
Considering this is my first attemt at such a project, what would you say on this dystopian trailer?
The trailer was meant to represent an intro to a dystopian, cult-like society, practising the rites of the Moon. No matter where you move out, home-sick brutalist buildings will always follow me, as they impose this grandiose feeling. However, they radiate emptiness, especially in bad and foggy weather. So why not fill that emptiness with an image of society we hope we’ll never meet.
How would you name the movie?
Final overview
Creating a movie trailer has never been easier, thanks to AI-powered tools like the Luma AI Dream Machine, Midjourney, and Udio. By combining these technologies with user-friendly video editors like CapCut, Adobe Premiere Pro, or DaVinci Resolve, you can produce a professional-quality trailer that captivates your audience.
But the benefits of the Luma AI Dream Machine extend far beyond just movie trailers. Small businesses can leverage this powerful tool to create eye-catching advertisements, enhance their websites with dynamic video content, and engage customers in new and exciting ways. By lowering production costs and simplifying the creative process, the Luma AI Dream Machine makes high-quality video creation accessible to everyone, empowering small companies to compete with larger players in the market.
