The world of AI-powered content creation is changing quickly, and leonardo.ai has become a key tool that makes it easy for creators to make high-quality photos and videos. Motion 2.0 is a big improvement over the previous version. It makes it easier to turn static pictures into moving animations. This new version makes video generation more consistent and accurate, fixing problems from earlier versions and giving users more control over the motion effects they add to their work. In this post, I’ll talk about my experience making an image in Midjourney and then trying to animate it using Motion 2.0 in Leonardo.Ai. I’ll talk about the problems I ran into and the workarounds I came up with to get the job done with satisfying results.
Creating My ‘Fallen Priest’ Image in Midjourney
So, I decided to go with this creepy theme—a priest who’s gone to the dark side. You know, floating over a glowing pentagram, robes flying around, in some spooky ruined cathedral. I used Midjourney, typed in a detailed description:
A dramatic, realistic illustration of a priest conducting a black mass, floating above a glowing pentagram, robes billowing. Far from the ruined cathedral in the background. Lightning cracks the stained glass overhead. Deep blacks and fiery oranges dominate, with holy icons twisted into demonic shapes. Created Using: Procreate, comic-book gothic style, dynamic composition, dark fantasy realism, glow effects, ink and digital blend, high contrast shading, storm light overlays –ar 3:4 –raw –stylize 300
… and here is a result.
as you can see pentagram is missing, but I like it a lot.
My First Try with Motion 2.0
Next, I took that same prompt and tried Motion 2.0, hoping to get an epic animation. But honestly, it didn’t go great. I generated a few different versions, but none had that epic vibe. The animations looked kinda rough like something was off or unfinished. It just didn’t click. There is no authentic atmosphere, no drama. They lacked that special “wow” factor I was aiming for. After trying a couple more times and still not getting anywhere, I knew I had to change my approach.
KISS method – Keep It Simple, Stupid!
Then it hit me – why not just start from the image I already had? Instead of messing with the original complicated prompt, I uploaded the Midjourney pic directly into Motion 2.0. This time, I kept things super simple and wrote a short prompt: “Priest summoning hell’s flames.” And honestly, this changed everything. Suddenly, the animation felt way more powerful and dramatic. It finally had that dark, epic energy I was aiming for. Using my finished image as a starting point made all the difference.
What Worked Best?
When I compared both attempts, the difference was huge. The first animations from Motion 2.0 using the original prompt felt flat, unfinished, and forgettable. But after switching gears and using my Midjourney image with a simpler prompt, the animation became intense, dramatic, and precisely what I wanted. The key was to start from a finished graphic and keep prompts straightforward. Honestly, it saved a ton of frustration and finally gave me something epic I could share.
Final Thoughts and Tips
So here’s the takeaway. If you’re considering animating AI-generated art, start with an image you’re already happy with and keep your prompts short and precise. Motion 2.0 is cool, but sometimes less is more. My experience showed me that more straightforward prompts can create stronger, more dynamic animations. Give it a shot! It’s way less hassle and way more rewarding.
