Wan 2.2 Animate / Replace

Wan 2.2 Animate / Replace Prompting Guide

Wan 2.2 Animate and Replace work best when you understand the division of labor: the image defines the subject, the source video defines the motion or scene timing, and the prompt refines identity, realism, stability, and integration.

Best Overall Formula

Reference subject + source motion or scene + preservation instructions + integration instructions + artifact control

Why This Mode Feels Different

Unlike pure text-to-video, Animate and Replace already inherit structure from source media. The prompt should refine and stabilize rather than trying to reinvent the whole scene.

Single Biggest Rule

Preserve first, enhance second.

Best Order to Write

Identity + what stays fixed + what transfers + scene match + cleanup constraints

Prompt Anatomy

1) Identity

Lock the face, hair, clothing, proportions, and defining visual traits from the reference image.

2) Source Motion

Let the motion, expressions, timing, or scene flow come from the source clip.

3) Integration

Preserve lighting, perspective, background, framing, and camera behavior where appropriate.

4) Cleanup

Target flicker, edge problems, warped anatomy, unstable hands, or drifting identity.

Animate

Animate mode transfers motion from a driving video onto the subject in the reference image.

Preserve the exact face, hairstyle, and clothing from the reference image. Transfer the body motion and facial expressions from the driving video with natural human movement, smooth head motion, realistic blinking, stable hands and fingers, and consistent identity throughout. Keep the background unchanged and maintain clean edges with minimal flicker.

Replace

Replace mode swaps a performer in a video with the subject from the reference image while preserving the original scene timing and camera behavior.

Replace the original performer with the subject from the reference image while preserving the exact face, hairstyle, clothing, and body proportions. Match the lighting, color tone, and perspective of the scene. Keep the original camera motion, timing, and background. Ensure natural integration with clean edges, stable anatomy, and minimal flicker.

Motion Guidance

Animate Focus

  • facial expression transfer
  • head movement
  • body motion transfer
  • natural blinking
  • stable gesture motion

Replace Focus

  • scene timing preservation
  • camera continuity
  • lighting match
  • perspective match
  • body proportion consistency

Harder Cases

  • fast body turns
  • occluded faces
  • crowded scenes
  • complex hand interaction
  • extreme lighting shifts

Camera and Scene Preservation

These modes usually work best when you preserve the original scene structure instead of fighting it.

  • keep original background
  • preserve framing
  • match perspective
  • preserve timing
  • preserve camera movement
  • match scene lighting

Identity and Edge Control

preserve exact facial identity, maintain original hairstyle, preserve clothing and accessories, stable body proportions, consistent face across frames, clean edges, minimal flicker, stable hands and fingers, consistent anatomy

Useful Negatives

  • no distorted limbs
  • no drifting identity
  • no edge tearing
  • no flickering face
  • no broken hands
  • no duplicate body parts
  • no background instability

Strong Master Template

[Reference subject] from the reference image,
preserving [face / hair / outfit / proportions],
transfer or preserve [motion / timing / scene structure] from the source video,
match [lighting / perspective / framing / camera movement],
keep [background or original environment] stable,
with [clean edges / stable anatomy / consistent identity / minimal flicker]

Bottom Line

Animate = transfer motion onto the subject. Replace = swap the subject into the scene. In both cases, preserve first and stylize second.