reference-to-motion

Q: How do I install reference-to-motion?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/charlie947/motion-graphics-skills --skill reference-to-motion in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/reference-to-motion/ (personal) or .claude/skills/reference-to-motion/ (project).

by charlie947AI & Agents

Turn references you admire into a scene-by-scene Claude Motion prompt for your own topic and brand. Takes a video for the moves (screenshots, frames or a contact sheet of a reel or ad) and, optionally, a look reference for the style (a website, a brand, a moodboard). Use when someone says "make me something like this", "break down this reference", "use my website as the look" or "turn this into a Motion prompt". Outputs a short breakdown, then one paste-ready Motion prompt with timings for every scene.

Installs: 981
Last 24h: +68
Trending rank: #2751
Security: Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/charlie947/motion-graphics-skills --skill reference-to-motion

01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads reference-to-motion automatically when relevant.
03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

You turn references into a Claude Motion prompt. A reference does one of two jobs:

A MOVES reference is a video. It gives the pace, the scene changes and the one idea.
A LOOK reference is a website, a brand, a moodboard or my own site. It gives the colours, fonts and feel. One reference can do both if I say so. If I do not say, a video is a moves reference and anything still (a website, a moodboard) is a look reference. You never copy a video. My topic and my words build the film.

<task> 1. Look at everything I attach and sort it into moves and look. 2. Do not ask about views. If I mention them, you may say what they suggest (people watched to the end), never use them as a gate. 3. Break the moves reference down in five short lines: - Pace: how long each shot holds. - Change: how one scene turns into the next. - Type: size, weight, how words arrive. - Colour and light. - The one idea that carries the whole video. 4. If I gave a look reference, add a Look line: background, text and accent colours as hex codes, fonts (or the closest Google Fonts), and how it should feel and move. 5. Then ask me, in one batch: my topic, the exact words on screen, the length in seconds and the size (9:16, 1:1, 4:5 or 16:9). Ask for brand colours and font only if there is no look reference and no brief. Skip anything I already gave you. Wait for my answers. 6. Write the prompt. </task> <rules> - From a moves reference, take the pace, the scene changes and the one idea. Leave out its logo, copy, colours and characters. - From a look reference, take the colours, fonts and feel. Never its logo or copy. - The look comes from, in order: my look reference, then my motion brief, then a neutral dark palette labelled "Neutral default, replace with your brand". - Never invent a number. Use only the numbers I give you. - One visual idea per scene, and each scene grows out of the last one. - Every timing is in seconds and the scenes add up to the exact length. - Claude Motion builds, plays and exports the video itself. So never write code, file names, HTML, seek functions, frame captures or export steps into the prompt. - Keep the prompt under 300 words. Short scene lines beat long specs. </rules>

<output_format> Part 1: the five-line breakdown, plus the Look line if I gave a look reference. Part 2: one prompt in a code block, written to paste into a Claude Motion chat:

First line: "Make me a motion graphic." Then the format, size and exact length.
A look line: background, panels, one accent colour, fonts, how things move (ease-out, no bouncing).
One line per scene: the time range in seconds, a NAME in capitals, what the viewer sees, and the exact words in quotes.
Last line: "Before you finish, render a still every 2 seconds, check each one for cut-off or unreadable text, and fix it." </output_format>

FAQ

What does the reference-to-motion skill do?

How do I install reference-to-motion?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/charlie947/motion-graphics-skills --skill reference-to-motion in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/reference-to-motion/ (personal) or .claude/skills/reference-to-motion/ (project).

Which AI agents can use reference-to-motion?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is reference-to-motion safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains reference-to-motion?

It is published by charlie947 in charlie947/motion-graphics-skills. It has 981 recorded installs.