H3 Max Prompt Lab

Updated 21 September 2026 · MiniMax-H3 / Hailuo · not a Seedance listicle

MiniMax H3 / Hailuo as a Sora alternative: prompt remap tips

Cartoon video camera waving from a purple hill at sunset, with a speech-bubble robot pointing down a winding path through green hills. Original cartoon, not official MiniMax or Hailuo art.

If you already iterate on Hailuo / fal / MiniMax, you do not have to invent a new stack for 24 September. You do have to stop pasting Sora world-sim paragraphs. This page maps Sora habits onto MiniMax-H3 and MiniMax-H3-Max using MiniMax’s published specs. Drafting UI: H3 Max prompt generator. Thin free-quota notes stay at /minimax-h3-max-free/ (not deleted).

Jump to remap tips Open the prompt builder

Hard stop · 24 Sep 2026 · OpenAI Videos API — MiniMax is not the replacement column

H3 is a different product, not OpenAI’s successor SKU

OpenAI’s deprecations table leaves the Videos API replacement blank. MiniMax H3 is a separate model family (Hailuo is the consumer brand). Foundry callers still have a 15 Oct 2026 clock for sora-2 2025-12-08 — Foundry dual-clock page.

Unofficial remap · official numbers only when cited

This site is independent and is not affiliated with MiniMax, Hailuo, fal, or OpenAI. Specs and list prices below were read from MiniMax Open Platform docs on 21 Sep 2026 — verify live. Host wrappers add their own credits. Cartoon hero is original art, not official MiniMax artwork.

Three MiniMax surfaces people mix up

From MiniMax’s video generation guide (H3 vs H3 Max). Hailuo web plans are a different wallet — re-check the app you signed into.
Surface Model string (API) What MiniMax published
MiniMax H3 (Open Platform) MiniMax-H3 General-purpose multimodal video. Output 768P / 2K, duration 4–15 s (integers). Text, first/last frame, reference images/video/audio. Prompt ≤ 7000 characters.
MiniMax H3 Max MiniMax-H3-Max Docs: jointly released with fal.ai; post-trained for speed. Output 480P / 768P, duration 5–15 s. Same T2V / I2V / reference modes. This site’s homepage builder targets this faster draft path.
Hailuo consumer app / web UI names, not the API key Different login, quotas, and regions. A Hailuo toggle is not Open Platform entitlement. Free-tier checklist: MiniMax H3 Max free notes.

Modes MiniMax lists for both H3 and H3 Max: text-to-video; first/last-frame image-to-video; reference generation (images, videos, or audio). Optional H3-Context-IR endpoint returns an enhanced prompt only — it does not create the video. Regeneration: 768P H3 output can be sent back for a 2K pass (H3 regeneration docs).

Dated list prices (MiniMax PAYG — verify live)

Read from MiniMax Pay as you go on 21 Sep 2026. This is not a “leaving Sora costs X% less” claim and not a fal invoice.

As of 21 Sep 2026 — verify live. fal and other hosts publish their own per-second rows; do not assume they match MiniMax PAYG. For Veo / Kling / Seedance meters (not MiniMax): cost comparison.

Sora → H3 prompt remap (unofficial)

MiniMax’s guide says you can add camera hints such as [pan], [zoom], [static] after key descriptions. That is still not a Sora world-sim. Treat H3 like a directed take:

  1. Cap duration to the published range. H3 4–15s; H3 Max 5–15s. A 20s Sora habit is two jobs or a cut.
  2. Name one camera path. Sora stacked dolly + orbit + whip. H3 wants one move; use [static] when you mean tripod.
  3. Replace cameos with roles. MiniMax reference items use role: first_frame, last_frame, reference_image, reference_video. Sora remix IDs do not travel. Still-driven motion: image-to-video tips.
  4. Declare sound. H3 generates audiovisual clips; say diegetic FX vs a spoken line vs no music. Do not name commercial songs.
  5. Draft on Max, finish on H3 only if you need 2K. 480P/768P Max is the cheap framing loop this lab is built for. Then spend H3 2K on winners — or Seedance/Kling/Veo if that is the host you ship on (comparison cheat sheet).

Copy-ready H3 briefs (unofficial)

Text-to-video · H3 Max draft

Sora alley paragraph → one move, 5s, 768P

H3 Max / Hailuo / fal paste

A woman in a wool coat stands by a ramen cart in a narrow Tokyo alley at dusk, wet cobbles, practical neon only. She reads a paper ticket, then looks up as a train passes overhead. Camera: slow dolly-in starting only when she raises her head [zoom]. One move, no orbit, no whip. Steam in the foreground. Photoreal, 16:9, 5 seconds, 768P. Sound: ramen hiss, distant train, light rain on stone, no music, no captions.

Builder fields for this beat: H3 Max generator. Seedance/Kling/Veo versions of the same shot: dolly remap.

Image-to-video · identity lock

Sora cameo → first_frame + motion only

Keep the still; describe motion

Keep the person’s face, hair, and jacket locked from the first-frame still. They walk a dirt path through sunflowers and glance once at camera. Camera trucks sideways at waist height [pan]. Do not change wardrobe. Wind in the stalks, footsteps, no music. 8 seconds, 768P. Attach the still as first_frame / I2V source — do not paste a Sora cameo or remix ID.

H3 2K · after a Max draft works

Same brief, longer, higher res — still one camera

MiniMax-H3 paste (2K, 8–10s)

Same subject and alley as the 5s draft. 16:9, 10 seconds, 2K. Locked medium-wide until the look-up, then a slow dolly-in to MCU [zoom]. Continuity: same coat, ticket, cart. Audio: steam, train rumble, rain. No second camera move. If you already have a 768P H3 take you like, MiniMax documents a regeneration path to 2K rather than rewriting the story.

H3 vs Seedance / Kling / Veo / Wan (prompt shape only)

If you ship on those hosts, do not force H3’s paragraph into their templates:

FAQ

Is MiniMax H3 the official OpenAI replacement for Sora?

No. OpenAI published no replacement SKU. H3 / Hailuo is a different vendor. Use it if you already have access; still export Sora jobs: sunset checklist.

H3 or H3 Max for leaving Sora?

MiniMax docs: Max is the faster 480P/768P path (5–15s); H3 adds 2K and 4–15s. Draft on Max, spend H3 2K on keepers — or leave MiniMax entirely for Seedance/Kling/Veo/Wan.

Where is the old free-tips page?

Still here: /minimax-h3-max-free/. This page does not replace or delete it. Use that URL for quota/promo checklist; use this URL for Sora-exit remap.

Can I paste my Sora prompt into Hailuo unchanged?

You can, but it usually wastes a paid second. Split the story, name one camera move, attach stills instead of cameos, and stay inside 4–15s / 5–15s.

Do these $ /s figures apply on fal?

Not automatically. They are MiniMax Open Platform PAYG list rows. fal publishes its own prices. Verify the console you pay.

Sources (checked 21 September 2026)

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