Before and after reveal prompts: hold the before, earn the after

Say which clip is the before, which is the after, how long each holds, what goes between, and how to cut to the reveal. The reveal is the payoff. The prompt's job is to make it wait.

Minimal:

Open on the blank canvas, show a few seconds of process, then reveal the finished painting.

Standard:

Make a 20-second 9:16 before and after. Before is the blank canvas clip, hold 3 seconds. Middle is 10 seconds of process clips, sped up 4x, one cut every 2 seconds. After is the finished painting on the wall, hard cut on the beat, hold 5 seconds. Use the uploaded track, with the reveal landing on the first chorus hit. No captions except "before" and "after" as small text.

Full:

Build a 25-second vertical before and after reveal of the painting. Before is the blank canvas on the easel, hold 3 seconds, small text "day 1" bottom left. Middle is 12 seconds from the process clips, sped up 4x, cut every 2 seconds on the beat, ordered chronologically so the painting visibly fills in. Do not show the finished piece at any point in the middle. Reveal is a hard cut to the finished painting on the studio wall exactly on the first chorus hit of the uploaded track, punch in 10% over 2 seconds, hold 6 seconds total, small text "day 9." Then a final 3-second shot of me standing next to it, no text. Music at full volume through the reveal, ducked to 40% on the last shot. No wipes, no split screen, no zoom other than the one on the reveal.

What each part does

"Do not show the finished piece in the middle" keeps the reveal a reveal. Agents will otherwise pull the best-looking clip early. "Chronologically so it fills in" makes the middle a story. The chorus hit is the one sync point that matters. The slow punch-in is the only movement, which is why it reads.

Fixes

• Reveal too early. "Move the finished painting to 0:15 and fill the gap with process clips."
• Reveal too short. "Hold the after for 7 seconds."
• Middle drags. "Speed the process to 6x, cut every 1.5 seconds."
• Finished piece leaked. "At 0:09 the finished painting is visible. Replace that clip."

FAQ

Hard cut, wipe, or split screen? Hard cut on a beat. Split screen only if before and after are the same framing and the difference is subtle.

Does this work for non-art? Same shape for a room makeover, a haircut, a website redesign. Before, process, reveal, hold.

Related

• /formats/before-after-transformation
• /prompts/montage-beat-sync
• /how-to/structure-a-storytelling-video
• /features/beat-sync

Rules that apply to every prompt

1. One target per prompt. Length, platform, purpose.
2. Quote the exact line when you mean a specific moment.
3. Give numbers, not adjectives. "Pauses over half a second," not "snappy."
4. Say what not to add. Zooms, transitions, music, effects.
5. One fix per follow-up message. Ask for a list of changes with timestamps if you want to check.