# Quick Start Guide Slates is a desktop app for creating AI-generated videos. You write prompts, generate images and video clips, organize them in storyboards, and edit them together on a timeline. This guide walks you through the full workflow. **Time needed:** About 10 minutes to read. You'll be generating within the first 2. ## Before you start You need two things: 1. **Slates installed** on your desktop (Windows or macOS). 2. **Slates Credits** so you can generate. Generation runs entirely on Slates Credits. Every license comes with **1,000 credits** to start, and you can buy more from your account page on the Slates website. ## Step 1: Sign in 1. Open Slates. You'll see a sign-in screen. 2. Enter your **email address** and click **Sign In**. 3. Check your email for a **magic link** from Slates. 4. Click the link in the email. It opens in your browser and confirms your login. 5. The app detects the confirmation and signs you in automatically. > No passwords. You sign in with a magic link every time. Your session stays active until you sign out or log in on a third device (Slates allows two active devices). ## Step 2: Check your credits Every generation runs on Slates Credits. 1. Your **credit balance** shows in the top-right of the top navigation bar. 2. Click the balance any time to buy more credits on the Slates website. 3. New licenses come with **1,000 credits**, so you can start generating right away. > All generation runs on Slates Credits. Pick a model, and the cost draws from your balance. ## Step 3: Create a project 1. You start on the **Home** screen, which shows all your projects as a grid of cards. 2. Click **New Project**. 3. Give it a name (you can rename it later). 4. Click the project card to open it. Everything you generate (images, videos, characters, storyboards) lives inside this project. ## Step 4: Generate your first image At the bottom of the screen you'll see the **prompt box**. This is where all generation happens. 1. Make sure the mode is set to **Create Image** (the first tab above the prompt box). 2. Choose a **model** from the dropdown. Start with **Nano Banana 2**. It's fast and cheap. 3. Type a prompt. Something simple like: `a detective standing in a neon-lit alley at night, cinematic lighting` 4. Click **Generate**. Your image appears in the **Gallery** tab once it's done. That's it. You just generated your first image. ### Adjusting settings Click the **gear icon** inside the prompt box to reveal more options: - **Resolution** - 1K, 2K, or 4K (higher = more detail, more cost). - **Aspect ratio** - 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, and more. - **Quantity** - generate 1 to 4 images at once. - **Negative prompt** - describe what you *don't* want in the image. ## Step 5: Generate video Switch to a video mode using the tabs above the prompt box. ### Text-to-Video 1. Select the **Text-to-Video** tab. 2. Choose a model, like **Kling V3 Standard** or **Veo 3.1 Fast**. 3. Write a prompt describing the motion: `the detective walks down the alley, camera tracking slowly behind him` 4. Adjust the **duration** (5–10 seconds for most models). 5. Click **Generate**. Video generation takes longer than images. Expect 1–3 minutes depending on the model and duration. ### Frames-to-Video This mode lets you control a video's start and end points with keyframe images. 1. Select the **Frames-to-Video** tab. 2. Click the **First Frame** slot and pick an image from your gallery (or paste one in). 3. Optionally set a **Last Frame** to define where the motion ends. 4. Write a motion prompt: `slow zoom in, slight head turn to the right` 5. Click **Generate**. The AI generates a video that transitions between your chosen frames. ## Step 6: Use reference images Reference images are one of the most powerful features in Slates. Instead of trying to describe a look with words, you paste or attach images and the AI uses them as visual guidance. ### Paste directly into the prompt box - **Copy any image** from the web, your file explorer, or another app. - **Paste** it into the prompt box (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V). - The image appears as a reference thumbnail below your prompt. - Generate as usual. The model incorporates the visual style, lighting, composition, and details from your reference. ### Use multiple references In **Create Image** mode, you can add multiple reference images depending on the model: | Model | Max references | |-------|---------------| | Nano Banana 2 | 14 | | Seedream 5 Lite | 10 | | FLUX.2 Max | 4 | More references give the AI more information about what you want. A pasted screenshot carries lighting, color grade, mood, composition, and atmosphere. Far more than words can describe. ## Step 7: Create characters, environments, and styles These are organizational tools that let you save and reuse reference images with a single keystroke. ### Characters 1. Open the **Gallery** tab, then click the **Characters** sub-filter. 2. Click **New Character**. 3. Name your character and choose a style (photorealistic, anime, 3D, etc.). 4. Slates auto-generates a **turnaround sheet** (4-view reference) and an **expression sheet** (multiple emotions). Or you can pick existing images manually. 5. Now in any prompt, type **@character_name** and Slates attaches those references automatically. ### Environments 1. Click **New Environment** in the Gallery's Environments sub-filter. 2. Name the location and generate a grid of variations. 3. Reference it later with **@environment_name** in your prompts. ### Styles 1. Click **New Style** in the Gallery's Styles sub-filter. 2. Add a single reference image that defines a visual style (color palette, lighting, mood). 3. Reference it with **#style_name** in your prompts. Styles automatically pin as "key visuals" that get attached to every generation. > **These are shortcuts, not magic.** Typing `@eric` is just a faster way to attach Eric's reference images. You can always paste images manually for the same result. ## Step 8: Explore with grids Grids let you generate multiple variations at once to explore different directions. 1. Generate an image as usual. 2. In the gallery, right-click the image and choose **Generate Grid** (2x2 or 3x3). 3. Each cell in the grid generates a different variation of your prompt. 4. Click any cell to extract it as a standalone image, ready to use in your project. This is useful for finding the right character design, composition, or color palette before committing to a direction. ## Step 9: Build a storyboard Storyboards organize your shots into a sequence before you generate video. 1. Switch to the **Storyboards** tab in your project. 2. Click **New Storyboard** and give it a name. 3. Your storyboard starts with one scene. Add **frames** to the scene using the **+** button. ### Working with frames Each frame represents a shot in your sequence: - **Image** - drag an image from the gallery onto the frame, or generate directly into it. - **Shot label** - auto-generated (1A, 1B, 2A...), editable. - **Notes** - free-text field for production notes. - **Motion prompt** - describe the camera/character motion for when you generate video from this frame. - **Frame type** - mark frames as: - **First** (green) - opening keyframe for frames-to-video generation. - **Last** (red) - closing keyframe (needs a First frame before it). - **Ingredient** (blue) - reference image for multi-image generations. ### Organizing scenes - Drag frames to reorder them within a scene or move them between scenes. - Add new scenes with the **+ Scene** button. - Each scene groups related frames together. ### Show Clips Toggle **Show Clips** to see all video clips generated from each frame's image. Select a **preferred clip** for each frame. This is the version that gets used when you export to the timeline. ## Step 10: Edit on the timeline The timeline editor lets you arrange your clips into a final sequence. 1. Switch to the **Timeline** tab in your project, or right-click a clip and choose **Add to Timeline**. 2. The editor shows a multi-track timeline with video and audio tracks. ### Timeline basics - **Add clips** by dragging them onto tracks. - **Trim** clips by dragging their edges to set in/out points. - **Move** clips by dragging them along the timeline. - **Split** clips using the **Razor tool** - click anywhere on a clip to cut it at that point. - **Adjust** clips using the **Slip tool** - shift the in/out points without moving the clip's position on the timeline. ### Clip transforms Select a video clip to adjust: - **Scale** - zoom in or out. - **Position** - move the clip on the canvas (X/Y). - **Opacity** - fade clips in or out. ### Keyboard shortcuts | Key | Action | |-----|--------| | Space | Play / Pause | | Ctrl+Z | Undo | | Ctrl+Y | Redo | | Delete | Remove selected clips | ### Playback settings Set the timeline's frame rate (24, 30, or 60 fps) and resolution (1080p, 2K, or 4K) using the controls above the timeline. ## Step 11: Export ### Export as MP4 1. Click the **Export** button in the timeline editor. 2. Choose a save location. 3. Slates trims, processes, and concatenates all your clips into a final MP4 file. 4. Progress shows stages: preparing, encoding, finalizing. ### Export to DaVinci Resolve If you want to continue editing in a professional NLE: 1. Click **Export as DaVinci XML** in the timeline editor. 2. Import the XML file into DaVinci Resolve. 3. All your clips, timing, and transforms carry over. ## Other generation modes Beyond images and standard video, Slates offers several specialized generation types: ### Ingredients Combine multiple reference images into a new composition. Select the **Ingredients** tab, add up to 3 images, write a prompt describing what to create from them, and generate. ### Lip-Sync Sync a character's mouth to speech: 1. Select the **Lip-Sync** tab. 2. Add a video clip or image as the source. 3. Choose your audio: type text for **text-to-speech** (with voice, language, and speed options), or upload an **audio file**. 4. Generate. The output is a video with synchronized mouth movement. ### Motion Transfer Transfer motion from one video onto a still image: 1. Select the **Motion Transfer** tab. 2. Add a **source video** (the motion reference) and a **target image** (the character to animate). 3. Choose the character orientation: follow the video's pose, or keep the image's original facing. 4. Generate. The character in your image moves like the person in the source video. ## Understanding costs Slates shows you the estimated cost of every generation before you click Generate. ### Slates Credits Credits never expire, no subscription, and you get instant access to every model. You see the cost before every generation. Top up in packs from $10 to $500 (bigger packs cost less per credit) from the Slates website. Your credit balance shows in the **top navigation bar**. When it drops below $2.00, you'll see a low-balance warning. Click the balance to buy more credits. ### Slates Pro Slates Pro gets you up to 40% more credits on every pack, for life, plus 4K video. Same models, same quality. You just get more credits per dollar. ### Usage tracking Open **Settings** and scroll to **Usage Stats** to see your spending breakdown by model and time period (this month, last 7 days, or all time). ## Storyboard JSON import/export Slates supports importing and exporting storyboards as JSON, designed for LLM collaboration. ### Export Right-click a storyboard and choose **Export as JSON**. The file contains your scene structure, frame labels, notes, motion prompts, and frame types. ### Import Click **Import Storyboard** and select a JSON file. Slates rebuilds the storyboard with all metadata intact. ### The workflow 1. Plan your storyboard in ChatGPT or Claude. Describe your scenes and shots. 2. Ask the AI to output a storyboard in Slates JSON format. 3. Import the JSON into Slates. 4. Your frames appear with prompts and notes ready to go. Just generate. ## Quick reference | What | Where | |------|-------| | Create a project | Home screen → New Project | | Generate images/video | Prompt box (bottom of screen) | | Switch generation mode | Tabs above the prompt box | | Buy credits | Click credit balance in top nav | | Create characters | Gallery → Characters → New Character | | Build storyboards | Storyboards tab → New Storyboard | | Edit on timeline | Timeline tab | | Export video | Timeline → Export | | Check usage & costs | Settings → Usage Stats | ## Troubleshooting ### Generation fails immediately Make sure you're signed in and have a positive credit balance. Click the credit balance in the top nav to top up if it's low. ### "Insufficient balance" or "Low credits" Your credit balance is too low for the generation. Click the credit balance in the top nav to purchase more on the Slates website. ### Images or videos don't appear in the gallery Generation is still in progress. Check the prompt box for a progress indicator. Video generation can take 1–3 minutes. If it's been longer, the generation may have failed — try running it again. ### "Session expired" or unexpected sign-out Slates allows two active devices. Signing in on a third device automatically signs out the oldest one. Just sign in again. ### Video export produces a black screen Make sure your clips are positioned on the timeline tracks (not just in the gallery). The export only includes clips placed on the timeline.