Fairy Lights as the Only Lamp
Turn the other lamps off. The string is the only light, and it leaves a catchlight in each eye.
Fairy lights are the only lamp in this still. Turn the other sources off, including the overhead, the window if it is still bright, and any hidden fill. The string has to be close enough, and bright enough, that each eye carries a catchlight from those bulbs. Dark eyes mean the face was lit from somewhere you did not name. The skin can be dim and still look like skin. Approve the still before the host moves. If the face looks real, say the host is AI. Turn the work lamp and the window off, bring the string close enough to light the mouth, and approve the still only when each eye has a catchlight from those bulbs. One speaker, inside a practical reel of 15–45 seconds. The first 3 seconds show the potter in that single practical and say the shop line. Reject a ceiling wash, empty eyes, or a plastic orange glow. If the face or the voice could be mistaken for a real person, the caption must say it is AI, and the platform label stays visible.
Name one practical
Say that the fairy lights are the only source, and say where the string hangs. A second lamp in the description will sneak back in as a flat wash. If the room is too dark to see the mouth, bring the string closer. Do not solve it by adding a ceiling light you then have to explain away. Name the shelf where the string hangs, and delete any second source from the description before you generate again. The first 3 seconds show that string as the only lamp and say the shop line. Reject a flat wash you cannot point to a bulb for.
Match the catchlights
Each eye should show a small bright point from the same string. Two different shapes mean two lights. A catchlight at the bottom of the iris means the source is below the face, which a hanging string usually is not. If the eyes are empty, the still is not ready to move. Match the two catchlights so they share one shape, and reject the still if a point sits at the bottom of the iris or an eye is empty. In the first 3 seconds both eyes carry the string and the voice says the line. Do not post mismatched glints.
Keep a real skin color
Dim is not the same as orange. The cheeks may warm slightly and should still show skin. A plastic glow means the string became a filter. Lock this face, approve the still, and only then let it move. A life photo can reuse the host in this light once the eyes and the color agree. Label the realistic face as AI. Separate dim from orange on the cheeks, lock the face, and only then let it move. In the first 3 seconds, viewers see real skin and hear the shop line. Throw out a plastic glow or a face that no longer matches the lock before the file goes up.
A worked example
A potter sits in the studio after dusk with the work lamp off. A string on the shelf behind one shoulder is the only light. Both eyes show a small warm catchlight, and the skin stays a real color. A still with a bright ceiling wash is rejected. The caption says the host is AI. Leave the studio work lamp off, confirm both eyes, then use that still. The first 3 seconds show the string on the shelf and the two small catchlights, and they say the shop line. Reject the bright ceiling wash. One speaker, 15–45 seconds. If the face looks real, the caption says the host is AI.
Before you post
- Use the string as the only lamp.
- Show a catchlight in each eye.
- Approve the still, and label the host as AI.
Where Scro fits
Scro locks this host and lets you approve the still before motion, so the catchlights are settled first. Life photos can reuse the same face. Change clothes only if you intend to. Export 9:16, and label the realistic face as AI. Settle the catchlights in the still, then export 9:16. The first 3 seconds show the string as the only lamp and say the shop line. Reject empty eyes. If the face or voice could be mistaken for a real person, the caption says it is AI, and the platform label stays put.
Use the string alone. Finished samples are on the examples page.
Related: Christmas Cafe Menu Reel.