Kling publishes a prompt formula, a 3.0 user guide and its API reference. This sheet is built from those — and corrects what it used to say about the negative field.
- Kling's formula: Subject (with description) + Subject Movement + Scene (with description) + optional camera language, lighting and atmosphere.
- A separate
negative_promptfield survives only on the legacy API, forkling-v2-5-turbo,kling-v2-6andkling-v3. - Even there, Kling says to use the prompt: “It is recommended to supplement negative prompt via negative sentences within positive prompts”
- The upgraded API has no separate field: “The prompt can include positive and negative descriptions”
- Kling 3.0 clips run 3 to 15 seconds, with native audio.
Every rule on this sheet is quoted from the vendor's own published documentation, linked where it is used.
The formula
Kling AI, Text-to-video prompt guide, read at source 16 Sep 2026.
Template:
[subject], [subject description], [how it moves], in [scene], [scene description]. [camera language]. [lighting]. [atmosphere].
Worked example:
A ceramicist in a flour-dusted apron centres clay on a wheel, drawing the form slowly upward, in a north-facing studio at dusk. Slow push-in. Window light only. Quiet, focused atmosphere. No text or watermark on screen.
Breakdown — what each part does
Subject
The main focus — “It can be people, animals, plants, objects, and so on”. Describe it.
Subject Movement
Its own part of Kling's formula. Say how the subject moves.
Scene
Where it happens, with a description.
Camera, lighting, atmosphere
Optional in Kling's formula. Add them when the shot depends on them.
Physics
Kling's older text-to-video guide warned “it is challenging to generate complex physical movements, such as the bouncing of a ball or the trajectory of a high-altitude throw”. Its June 2026 post on 3.0 says “Cloth dynamics, hair movement, fluid behavior, and contact collisions are simulated in real time.” Test physics-heavy shots rather than assuming either.
Does it take a negative prompt?
Kling AI API, Text to Video (legacy), read in a browser 16 Sep 2026 (the reference is JavaScript-only): negative_prompt is listed for the model enum kling-v2-5-turbo, kling-v2-6, kling-v3, “Cannot exceed 2500 characters”, and “It is recommended to supplement negative prompt via negative sentences within positive prompts”. Upgraded Text to Video: “The prompt can include positive and negative descriptions”.
So write exclusions as sentences in the main prompt — "No text or watermark on screen." — whichever API you use.
Corrected 16 Sep 2026: an earlier version of this sheet said the field exists on Kling 1.6 and 2.1 Master and is gone on 3.0 and 2.6, citing a third-party schema page. Kling's own legacy API reference lists it for kling-v2-5-turbo, kling-v2-6 and kling-v3. It also recommended "around five terms" in the field and said Stable Diffusion habits transfer cleanly; neither had a source, and both were removed.
On Kling, exclusions belong in the prompt as plain sentences. The separate field is legacy, and Kling itself points you back to the prompt.
What not to do
Kling's 3.0 guide (6 Feb 2026): “The new model generates up to 15 seconds of continuous video, with a flexible duration ranging from 3 to 15 seconds.” An earlier version of this sheet gave a release date of 7 February 2026; Kling's guide is dated 6 February and no separate release date was found.
Free or paid? What the free plan allows, who owns the output, and when you need to pay: free vs paid AI image, video and music tools.
Where this model sits among the others: which models take a negative prompt, and what each vendor publishes as its formula.
How it compares on price and limits is on the video model comparison.
The checklist
Before you send it:
Kling AI, Text-to-video prompt guide · Kling AI, VIDEO 3.0 user guide · Kling AI, 3.0 photorealistic video guide · Kling AI API, Text to Video (legacy) · Kling AI API, Text to Video All read at source on 16 Sep 2026.
Model versions and vendor documentation both move. Re-read the source before relying on a specific number.
Every other sheet in this set: all model cheat sheets.