Use screen-left and screen-right for positions in the visible image, and the person's own left or right only when you can establish it. A mirrored selfie can reverse signs, clothing details and gestures. If the source's orientation is uncertain, describe visible placement without guessing anatomical sides. This keeps the brief useful without pretending to know how the camera saved the image.
Name the coordinate system
The viewer's left edge is not necessarily the person's left side. A person facing the camera has their own right side on the viewer's left in a conventional unmirrored image. A side-facing pose is harder to interpret, especially if an arm crosses the torso. State which coordinate system you are using instead of relying on the word left alone.
Visible text can provide a clue, but it is not infallible evidence. A shirt may use reversed lettering as a design, and edited images can contain independent flipped elements. If a particular ring, tattoo or fastening matters, confirm orientation with the owner or another authorized reference rather than inferring it from style alone.
Describe anchors before motion
Identify where the subject begins, where the prop sits and where the camera sees the doorway. Then describe movement relative to those fixed positions. A request to move right can mean traveling toward the screen's right edge or turning toward the person's own right; those are not always the same action.
Use screen coordinates throughout this visual brief. The person begins near screen-left, holds the visible cup beside the screen-right edge of the torso and looks toward the doorway at screen-right. Describe the visible image as supplied; do not infer whether the camera file is mirrored. For the new shot, the person takes one small step toward screen-right while the camera stays in place.
The example deliberately avoids an unsupported claim about which hand holds the cup. If hand identity is essential, resolve it before generation. A clear operational description is more useful than a confident but wrong anatomical label.
Check asymmetrical evidence
Look at jacket fastenings, a hair part, a distinct accessory and background signage. Compare the result to the chosen orientation, not to a different version of the source that a phone application may display mirrored. Save the exact prepared reference used for the task so later revisions have the same anchor.
- Mark the image's screen-left and screen-right edges mentally.
- List the important asymmetrical details.
- State whether the source orientation is known or uncertain.
- Use anatomical labels only where confirmed.
- Describe motion toward visible landmarks when possible.
- Review the output for unintended flips before combining shots.
Do not fix a direction error by flipping an entire finished film without review. That can reverse readable text and every other asymmetrical detail. A corrective crop, revised shot or explicit orientation decision may be safer. If the project contains multiple shots, retain one geography note rather than redefining directions separately in every prompt.
Use precision where it changes the result
Runway's motion-prompting guide includes direction and speed among useful motion components. Our coordinate checklist is a way of making that direction unambiguous; it is not a promise that every model follows each directional instruction exactly.
Can the analyzer prove whether a selfie was mirrored?
Not from every image. It can note visible clues and uncertainty. Ask the owner or compare another authorized source when the distinction matters.
Should all prompts use screen coordinates?
Not necessarily, but one shot should not silently mix systems. In Reverse Prompt, ask for explicit screen-based placement and keep anatomical claims separate from visible observations.