Using References in MiniMax H3

How to direct MiniMax H3 with image, video, and audio references

References are most useful when you tell H3 what to take from each one.

An image can establish a character. A video can establish movement. Another image can establish a location or product. Audio can provide a voice or musical reference.

H3 can understand those relationships together and use them to create a new audiovisual result.

The key is to assign each reference a clear creative role.

Reference appearance with images

Use an image when something needs to remain visually recognizable.

That might include:

• a person or character
• clothing
• a product
• an environment
• a visual effect
• an art direction
• a composition

Instead of simply attaching an image and saying:

Use this.

Describe what matters:

Use Image 1 for the woman's appearance, hairstyle, clothing, and accessories.

Or:

Use Image 2 as the visual reference for the motorcycle design. Preserve the body shape, headlight, wheels, and red-and-black color treatment.

This tells H3 which properties are important to carry forward.

Reference motion with video

A video reference can contribute movement without requiring you to recreate its visual content.

For example:

Use Video 1 as the reference for the dancer's choreography and body timing.

Reference the slow circular camera movement from Video 1.

Use Video 1 for the editing rhythm and shot pacing.

H3's reference system can reason about actions, camera movement, temporal structure, and editing style as distinct parts of a video reference.

That means you can borrow how something moves without necessarily borrowing what it looks like.

Reference voice and audio

Audio can also provide creative direction.

For example:

Use Audio 1 as the reference for her voice timbre and delivery.

Use Audio 2 as the musical reference, preserving the beat and overall instrumentation.

Use Audio 1 as the soundtrack while generating new visuals that follow its rhythm.

Be precise about whether you want to reuse an audio signal or simply reference characteristics such as voice, rhythm, timbre, or musical style.

The official H3 reference guide treats those as different relationships.

Combine references by role

The real advantage appears when multiple references work together.

Imagine you have:

• Image 1 — character
• Image 2 — wardrobe
• Video 1 — choreography
• Video 2 — camera movement
• Audio 1 — voice

Your prompt could say:

Create a cinematic performance featuring the woman from Image 1 wearing the outfit from Image 2. Use the choreography and body timing from Video 1. Follow the slow orbiting camera movement from Video 2. When she speaks, use Audio 1 as the reference for her voice timbre and calm delivery. Place the performance on a minimal dark stage with a single overhead spotlight.

Each reference contributes one part of the result.

H3 then has a much clearer map of what should be preserved and what can be newly generated.

Separate identity from performance

One particularly useful pattern is to separate who the character is from what the character does.

For example:

Use Image 1 for the character's appearance. Use Video 1 only for movement.

This allows the character from one source to perform an action from another.

The same idea works for camera:

Preserve the character and environment from Image 1, but reference only the camera motion from Video 1.

Or voice:

Keep the character from Image 1. Use Audio 1 only for voice timbre; use the new dialogue written in this prompt.

The more clearly these responsibilities are separated, the less ambiguity the model needs to resolve.

Use references for style and composition too

References do not have to represent literal subjects.

An image can provide:

• lighting
• color treatment
• composition
• texture
• visual atmosphere

A video can provide:

• camera language
• cut structure
• pacing
• motion style

Audio can provide:

• rhythm
• voice qualities
• sound texture
• musical direction

This makes reference workflows useful for creative direction as well as consistency.

Example: product campaign

Create a premium 9:16 eyewear campaign.

Use Image 1 for the model's identity and Image 2 for the exact eyewear design. Preserve the glasses' wraparound silhouette, mirrored lenses, and narrow temples.

Use Video 1 for the model's confident walking pace and Video 2 for the low tracking camera movement.

The model crosses a minimal white studio while the camera tracks beside her. Reflections move across the lenses as she turns toward camera for the final close-up.

Sharp footsteps echo through the studio. A restrained electronic beat plays underneath with a steady tempo and clean percussion.

Start with fewer references

H3 can reason across many inputs, but that does not mean every generation needs them.

Start with the minimum set required to express the idea.

If character identity matters, start with the character reference.

If motion is missing, add a motion reference.

If the voice matters, add the voice reference.

Build the reference stack around specific problems instead of attaching additional assets simply because they are available.

A helpful reminder

References work best when their responsibilities are explicit.

If two references both appear to define the same character, style, motion, or composition without further explanation, H3 has to decide how those signals should be reconciled.

Tell the model what matters in each source and what is allowed to change.

Key takeaway

Treat references like members of a creative team.

Give every image, video, or audio asset a job: identity, appearance, motion, camera, composition, voice, sound, rhythm, or style.

The clearer those roles are, the easier it becomes to combine multiple sources into one controlled H3 generation.