Studio vs Composer: Which Lane to Use
Studio is template-first and fast. Composer is prompt-first and flexible. Here's how to pick the right lane for each video.
Studio lane — template-first
The Studio lane starts with an archetype. You pick a template that matches the style of video you're making (tutorial, reaction, listicle, talking-head, etc.) and the system injects structured style guidance around your prompt.
Under the hood, the Studio lane uses the structured generation engine: a 4-block composition scaffold (Foreground → Style → Supporting Object → Background). The template fills in the Style block with archetype-specific framing, so you don't have to describe the visual style from scratch.
Best for:
- Repeatable content formats (you publish the same type of video every week)
- Creators who want a polished result with minimal prompt writing
- Podcast Mode (rotating guests, locked host style)
- New users getting familiar with the tool
Composer lane — prompt-first
The Composer lane gives you full control. You write the entire prompt yourself, then optionally layer in panels:
- Person — lock a face for identity consistency
- Style References — supply inspiration images to borrow a visual mood
- Images — include a specific element from an uploaded image
Under the hood, the Composer lane uses the freeform engine: the FOREGROUND identity-lock and the inspiration mood-board framing remain identical to Studio, but the forced Supporting Object and opinionated Background blocks are dropped. Your prompt and references drive composition directly, giving you maximum flexibility.
Best for:
- One-off thumbnails that don't fit a template
- Creators who have a clear visual concept and want to express it precisely
- Testing novel styles or breaking from your usual format
Switching mid-session
The lanes share the same credit system and the same output format (1280×720 PNG). There is no lock-in — you can generate in Studio for rapid iteration, then switch to Composer for a custom variant, and compare results side-by-side.
Podcast Mode
Podcast Mode lives inside the Studio lane. It locks the host Person across episodes and lets you swap in a guest Person per generation. See the Podcast Thumbnails guide for the full walkthrough.