higgsfield-troubleshoot

# Higgsfield Troubleshooting Guide

## Common Problems & Fixes

### Problem: Character face is inconsistent or morphing
**Cause:** No Soul ID reference; prompt has conflicting appearance descriptions
**Fix:**
- Create a Soul ID reference and use it in subsequent generations
- Remove any appearance descriptions that contradict each other
- For image-to-video: don't re-describe the face — let the input image carry it
- Use Kling 3.0 for best character consistency (or Kling 2.6 if no audio needed)

---

### Problem: Camera movement isn't working / is generic
**Cause:** Camera described vaguely, not using exact preset names
**Fix:**
- Replace generic descriptions with exact preset names: "Dolly In", "FPV Drone", "360 Orbit"
- Put the camera instruction on its own line or clearly labeled: "Camera: [name]"
- Don't describe what the camera is doing in prose — name the control directly

---

### Problem: Prompt is ignored / output doesn't match
**Cause:** Prompt too long, conflicting instructions, over-specified
**Fix:**
- Cut prompt to under 200 words — trim the least essential details
- Remove any contradictory elements (don't say both "moving fast" and "frozen in place")
- Lead with the most important element: Subject → Action → Camera → Style
- Split complex scenes into multiple separate generations

---

### Problem: Visual style looks wrong / generic
**Cause:** No style specified, or style description too vague
**Fix:**
- Add one of the named styles: Cinematic / VHS / Super 8MM / Anamorphic / Abstract
- Add a specific color grade description: "cold teal and orange", "warm golden amber"
- Specify aspect ratio: 16:9 / 9:16 / 2.35:1
- Add lighting: "golden hour", "neon", "practical only", "overcast"

---

### Problem: Motion preset effect isn't visible
**Cause:** Preset not explicitly named, or scene context doesn't support the effect
**Fix:**
- Name the preset exactly as it appears in the library: "Apply Explosion preset"
- Place the preset instruction at the end of the prompt, clearly labeled
- Make sure the scene context supports the preset — e.g., Animalization needs a subject
  who can logically transform

---

### Problem: Image-to-video barely moves / is static
**Cause:** Prompt re-describes the static elements instead of what should animate
**Fix:**
- Only describe what **changes or moves** — not what is already visible in the image
- Add an explicit camera movement: "Camera: Dolly In" or "Camera: slow Arc"
- Specify the motion type: "hair gently lifts", "eyes blink", "she turns slowly left"
- Add atmospheric motion: "dust floats upward", "light flickers", "steam rises"

---

### Problem: VFX preset looks too artificial / cartoonish
**Cause:** Wrong model for the preset, or prompt style conflicts with effect
**Fix:**
- For grounded presets (Explosion, Freezing): use Kling 3.0 or 2.6 for realism
- For stylized presets (Animalization, Multiverse): use Wan 2.5 — leans into the style
- Add "photorealistic", "physically accurate", "cinematic quality" to the prompt

---

### Problem: Product shots look cheap or over-lit
**Cause:** No lighting specification, background too plain
**Fix:**
- Specify the background surface: "raw concrete", "warm wood grain", "black velvet"
- Add specific lighting: "soft side-light", "overhead product lighting", "practical only"
- Add texture cues: "camera reveals material grain", "surface catches light on edges"
- Use Nano Banana Pro for maximum image sharpness on product images

---

### Problem: Horror/dark content getting blocked
**Cause:** Platform safety filters triggering on explicit content
**Fix:**
- Describe outcomes rather than explicit acts: "aftermath", "tension", "dread"
- Use atmosphere language: "unsettling", "wrong", "something is off"
- Use the motion presets for horror effects rather than explicit descriptions
- Avoid direct descriptions of injury, gore, or explicit threat

---

## Motion Control Failures (Kling 3.0)

When a Kling 3.0 Motion Control generation comes back wrong, the cause is almost
always upstream of the prompt — the motion reference clip, the character image,
or the orientation/scene-source settings. Walk this list before you regenerate.

| Symptom | Root cause | Fix |
|---------|-----------|-----|
| Output suddenly jumps or snaps mid-clip | The motion reference contains a hidden cut, dissolve, or hard transition | Re-trim the reference to a single continuous shot. If the source clip can't be cleaned up, reshoot or pick a different reference |
| Output is shorter than the reference clip | The source motion is too fast or too dense for clean transfer | Slow the source (50–75% playback baked in), reshoot at a calmer pace, or pick a reference with simpler motion |
| Character face drifts or warps across the clip | The character image doesn't have a clearly readable face — bad framing, low light, or the face is too small in frame | Re-shoot or re-generate the character image with closer framing, even lighting, and a neutral or slight expression |
| Body motion looks correct but the face is dead or frozen | Wrong orientation mode for the shot — Image Orientation when you needed Video Orientation, or vice versa | Switch modes: Video Orientation for full-body movement (dance, action); Image Orientation for camera-driven shots with a mostly static body. Regenerate |
| Generated character feels detached from the environment | Scene source is set incorrectly — pulling the wrong background | Decide whether the environment should come from the motion video or the character image, then set Scene source accordingly |
| Motion transfers but identity drifts across the clip | The character image isn't full enough — head or body is cut off, or framing is too tight to anchor identity | Re-upload a character image that shows both head AND body fully; this is what Element Binding needs to keep the face stable through movement |

> For the full Motion Control workflow and pre-flight input checklist, see `../higgsfield-motion/SKILL.md` → "Kling 3.0