Alchemy Lab

"Video Ideation Journey: From Peppa to Alchemy"

Complete documentation of the Alchemy Lite Hero Video creative evolution, including all prompt iterations and solution analysis.

"Think Ultra Hard." — This phrase changed everything.

As developers, we are often accustomed to linear logical thinking: Input A, process B, get C. But when designing the Hero Video for Alchemy Lite, I experienced a creative rollercoaster from concrete to abstract, from playful to minimalist. This is a journey about breaking mindsets and finding the visual soul of a product.

Phase 1: Peppa's Alchemy Dream

Origin: The Vision Story

The initial idea stemmed from the product vision:

"The internet is a 'rich mine' of information, but most web pages are unrefined 'raw ore.' Alchemy Lab is your alchemy workshop, helping you refine raw information ore into 'pure gold' that AI can directly consume."

Since our product logic is "extracting clean Markdown (Gold) from messy web pages (Ore)," why not use a familiar character to demonstrate this process?

Thus, "Alchemist Peppa" was born.

Initial Script Concept: The Digital Furnace

I imagined Peppa Pig wearing a white lab coat, busy in a bright laboratory:

Act 1: The Chaotic Ore (Input: The Chaos)

  • On the left or top of the screen, rough "ore" of varying sizes floats
  • These aren't ordinary rocks; their surfaces flicker with messy HTML tags (<div>, <span style="...">, iframe)
  • They float in zero gravity, as if waiting to be captured

Act 2: The AI Philosopher's Stone (Process: The Core)

  • At the center of the screen is a minimalist "furnace"—a translucent energy core radiating intertwined blue and gold light
  • The core pulses like a heartbeat through "breathing" rhythm
  • When ore touches the core, a gentle particle light effect bursts forth

Act 3: Removing the Dross (Filter: The Purification)

  • Black smoke and debris (symbolizing invalid information, ads) are automatically stripped away, dissipating as faint dust

Act 4: The Birth of Pure Gold (Output: The Gold)

  • Standard, perfect gold blocks flow from the furnace
  • The gold blocks are engraved with elegant Markdown symbols (#, **, > )
  • Occasionally, glowing parchment scrolls emerge (symbolizing PDF permanent archives)

Props List

To realize this vision, I planned the following asset requirements:

Asset Description Purpose
Ore Set 3-5 different shaped rough rocks with code textures Representing raw web pages
Furnace Core Tech-style energy sphere, orange-gold to cyan-blue gradient Representing the AI engine
Knowledge Gold Set Trapezoidal gold bars engraved with Markdown symbols Representing output products
Impurity Particles Fine geometric shapes, dark grey Representing filtered garbage
Background Atmosphere Subtle grid lines or alchemy circle diagrams Workshop foundation

Solution Assessment

Pros:

  • Very intuitive concept, perfectly explains the URL -> Alchemy -> Markdown flow
  • If this were a science video for kids, or an internal meme, it would be perfect

Cons:

  • Peppa is cute, but it sets the wrong psychological expectation for users
  • Users might think this is a toy, or not professional enough
  • Alchemy Lite is a productivity tool; it needs to embody efficiency, precision, and technology

Phase 2: The Stylistic Awakening

Google Labs Style Pivot

When I looked at the descriptions of "Peppa Alchemy" on the screen, I realized a problem: we needed a more "premium" language.

I started looking back at Google's product videos—those smooth lines, frosted glass textures, and minimalist geometric motions.

Style Adjustment Strategy:

  • Remove Characters: No more Peppa, no specific scientists
  • Abstraction: Rocks became floating geometric fragments, flasks became glowing energy fields, gold blocks became perfect smooth spheres
  • Composition: Negative space, lots of it. To fit the webpage's Hero Section, we needed "bottom-heavy" or "right-side-empty" compositions

Prompt V2: Peppa Scientist Version

Based on a sample image of "Peppa doing chemistry experiments," I redesigned the script:

Story Background: Peppa's Scientific Exploration

Today, Peppa has transformed into a "little scientist." She's in the laboratory, ready to explore the mysteries of chemical reactions.

Story details in the frame:

  • Peppa holds a giant magnifying glass, eyes wide with curiosity, observing changes in a flask
  • On the experiment stand before her, a round-bottom flask contains light blue liquid bubbling vigorously
  • On a small rack beside it, four test tubes are neatly arranged, containing liquids of different colors

Core Metaphor Mapping:

  • Turbid liquid = Messy web content (ads, popups)
  • Adding reagent/reaction = Alchemy Lite's extraction process
  • Rising pure bubbles = Extracted Markdown/JSON
  • Magnifying glass = Developer's high standards for detail and structure

English Prompt

A high-quality 2D flat animation in the style of Peppa Pig. Peppa Pig is dressed 
as a little scientist in a white lab coat, standing in a minimal laboratory. 
She holds a large magnifying glass and looks intently with curiosity at a 
round-bottom flask on a stand. Inside the flask, glowing light blue liquid is 
bubbling vigorously, with strings of blue bubbles rising into the air. Next to 
the flask is a rack with four test tubes containing yellow and green liquids. 
Clean white background, vibrant colors, smooth loopable motion of bubbles rising.

Chinese Prompt

高质量的 2D 扁平风格动画，复刻小猪佩奇的画风。小猪佩奇穿着白色的科学家大褂，
站在极简的实验室里。她手里拿着一个巨大的放大镜，正聚精会神、充满好奇地观察着
架子上的一个圆底烧瓶。烧瓶里，发光的浅蓝色液体正在剧烈沸腾，一串串蓝色的气泡
不断向空中升腾。烧瓶旁边有一个试管架，上面插着四支装有黄色和绿色液体的试管。
纯白背景，色彩鲜艳，气泡上升的动态流畅且可循环。

Solution Assessment

Pros:

  • Brand consistency: The project is called Alchemy, Peppa is doing chemistry experiments—same story
  • Visual metaphor: "Magnifying glass observing details" perfectly interprets developer's attention to data structure
  • Emotional resonance: "Peppa becoming a scientist" conveys the joy of exploration

Cons:

  • Still retains a specific character, may affect professional perception
  • Visual language upgraded from "cartoon" to "tech concept film," but not high-end enough

Phase 3: Alchemist Peppa

Identity Adjustment

Adjusted Peppa from "scientist" to Alchemist, directly echoing the product name Alchemy. The "magic" concept is more suitable than "science" for expressing the effortless feeling of "one-click generation."

English Prompt - Magic Transformation

A high-quality 2D vector animation in the style of Peppa Pig. Peppa is dressed 
as a cute Alchemist wearing a purple robe and a pointed wizard hat with stars. 
She stands in a pure white infinite background. She holds a round-bottom flask 
containing glowing blue liquid. With a wave of a small magic wand, the bubbles 
in the flask rise up and transform into clean, white paper document icons.

Text Overlay: Minimalist sans-serif text appears in the center: "Alchemy: Magic for URLs".

Audio: Magical twinkling sound effects (chimes) synchronized with the wand wave. 
The sound of bubbling liquid. Background music is upbeat, magical, and minimal.

Style: Clean, flat design, high contrast, similar to Google Material Design illustrations.

Chinese Prompt - Magic Transformation

高质量的 2D 矢量动画，小猪佩奇风格。佩奇打扮成可爱的炼金术士，穿着紫色长袍，
戴着有星星图案的尖顶巫师帽。她站在纯白的无限背景中。她手里拿着一个盛有发光
蓝色液体的圆底烧瓶。随着她挥动一根小魔杖，烧瓶里的气泡升起，变成了整洁的
白色文档图标。

字幕/文案：极简无衬线字体在中央浮现："Alchemy: Magic for URLs"

声音：魔法闪烁的音效（风铃声）与挥动魔杖的动作同步。液体沸腾的声音。
背景音乐欢快、充满魔法感且极简。

风格：干净、扁平化设计，高对比度，类似于 Google Material Design 插画风格。

Solution Assessment

Pros:

  • Peppa is originally pink; add purple wizard robe and blue potion, the visual effect on pure white background is very clean and premium
  • "Magic" concept is more suitable for expressing the effortless feeling of "one-click generation"

Cons:

  • Still relies on a specific character
  • For a SaaS tool, may still not be professional enough

Phase 4: Homepage Background Video Design

Design Principles

As the homepage Hero Background Video, the design logic is completely different from a "demo video":

  1. Low Distraction: Cannot steal the show, cannot affect foreground text readability
  2. Loopable: Seamless loop, smooth motion, no dramatic camera cuts
  3. Atmosphere: Emphasize the busy and orderly feeling of an "alchemy workshop" running automatically

Prompt V3: Magic Assembly Line

English Prompt

A wide, seamless loop animation of a whimsical Alchemy Factory in Peppa Pig 2D 
flat vector style.

A colorful conveyor belt runs slowly from left to right across a pure white background.
On the left, messy, irregular colorful shapes (blobs) ride the belt. They pass 
through a cute, central "Alchemy Machine" which has glass pipes, bubbling blue 
liquid, and a small chimney puffing cute white cloud smoke.
On the right, clean, identical white square blocks exit the machine in a neat row.

Motion: Smooth, slow, rhythmic, mechanical movement. The smoke puffs gently. 
The liquid bubbles rhythmically.

Colors: Pastel colors, bright but soft, high key lighting, plenty of white space.

Chinese Prompt

宽屏、无缝循环的动画，展示一个异想天开的炼金工坊，采用小猪佩奇 2D 扁平矢量风格。

一条彩色的传送带在纯白背景上从左向右缓慢运行。
左侧，杂乱、不规则的彩色形状（团块）在传送带上移动。它们穿过中间一台可爱的
"炼金机器"，机器上有玻璃管道、沸腾的蓝色液体，还有一个小烟囱喷出可爱的
白色云朵状烟雾。
右侧，整洁、完全相同的白色方块排成整齐的一列离开机器。

动态：平滑、缓慢、有节奏的机械运动。烟雾轻柔地喷出。液体有节奏地沸腾。

色彩：柔和的粉彩（Pastel）色调，明亮但柔和，高调照明，大量留白。

Composition Optimization: Reserving Hero Area

To ensure the homepage Hero area's title (H1) and button (CTA) are clearly visible, the Composition must be explicitly specified in the video generation prompt.

Bottom Composition Version (Recommended - For Centered Title)

A wide, loopable animation of an Alchemy Factory in Peppa Pig 2D flat vector style.

Composition: The entire animation takes place in the lower third of the screen. 
The top two-thirds are pure white negative space.

In the bottom area, a colorful conveyor belt runs horizontally. It carries messy 
shapes into a cute alchemy machine, and clean white blocks come out.
Peppa Pig, dressed as an Alchemist, stands small on the bottom right, supervising 
the machine.

Motion: Gentle, rhythmic movement at the bottom. The top area is static and clean, 
perfect for text overlay.

Colors: High brightness, white background, soft pastel colors for the machine elements.

Phase 5: Google Labs Style

Style Characteristics

Google Labs visual style typically has these characteristics:

  1. Geometric Minimalism: Uses basic shapes (circles, pills, squares)
  2. Fluidity: Emphasizes morphing and physics feedback (elasticity, collision)
  3. Tech Colors: Pure white base, combined with Google brand four colors or high-saturation neon colors, plus frosted glass materials
  4. Experimental: Looks like real-time generated generative art

Prompt V4: Data Morphing Flow

English Prompt

A Google Labs style abstract animation suitable for a website hero background.

Composition: The animation is confined to the bottom 30% of the screen. 
The top 70% is pure, clean white negative space.

Action: On the bottom, a stream of colorful, amorphous, liquid-like blobs 
(representing raw chaos) flows from left to right.
They pass through a sleek, translucent, glass-like prism lens in the center.
As they exit the lens to the right, they instantly crystallize into a perfect, 
organized grid of blue geometric squares and lines (representing clean code).

Style: Minimalist 3D render with flat lighting. Matte textures mixed with 
frosted glass. Physics-based motion.

Colors: White background. Elements use Google brand colors (Blue, Red, Yellow, Green) 
and soft grey.

Chinese Prompt

Google Labs 风格的抽象动画，适合作为网站首屏背景。

构图：动画被限制在屏幕的底部 30%。顶部 70% 是纯净、干净的白色负空间。

动作：在底部，一股彩色的、无定形的、液态的团块流（代表原始混沌）从左向右流动。
它们穿过中央一个光滑的、半透明的、类似玻璃的棱镜透镜。
当它们从透镜右侧出来时，瞬间结晶成完美的、有序的蓝色几何方块和线条网格
（代表整洁的代码）。

风格：极简主义 3D 渲染，平光照明。哑光纹理混合磨砂玻璃材质。基于物理的运动效果。

色彩：白色背景。元素使用 Google 品牌色（蓝、红、黄、绿）和柔和的灰色。

Solution Assessment

Pros:

  • Professional feel: This style implies the tool uses advanced algorithms (AI/ML)
  • Lightweight feel: Lots of negative space and geometric shapes make the website appear to load faster
  • Adaptability: Abstract graphics as background barely interfere with any foreground text color

Cons:

  • Loses the approachability that Peppa brings
  • May be too abstract, users may have difficulty understanding product functionality

Phase 6: Think Ultra Hard

Reflection: What Limited Imagination?

At the moment I was asked to "Think Ultra Hard," I reflected on the main factors limiting expression and imagination:

  1. Literalization Trap: Because the document mentioned "ore" and "gold," I kept drawing "rocks" and "gold blocks." But Firecrawl processes information flows, text, code. Rigidly drawing them as rocks actually reduced the product's "intelligence feel."

  2. Industrialization Trap: Because "factory/workshop" was mentioned, I was limited to "conveyor belts" and "assembly lines" physical structures. But modern AI alchemy should be fluid, instantaneous, quantum, even bio-organic.

Breakthrough Direction

Breaking these limitations, we no longer draw "assembly lines carrying rocks," but instead draw "the birth of order":

  • Don't draw "machines," draw "phenomena"
  • Don't draw "processes," draw "moments"
  • Don't draw "tools," draw "philosophy"

Final Creative Solutions

Solution 1: The Invisible Sculptor

Philosophical Core: "Subtraction." Firecrawl's work is essentially not "creating" content, but "removing" noise. Like Michelangelo said: "David was already in the stone; I just removed the excess."

English Prompt

A minimalist, artistic time-lapse animation. White studio background.

Subject: A large, rough, unshaped block of grey static/noise texture sits in the center.

Action: Invisible lasers (or wind) rapidly "erode" and carve away the outer layers 
of the block. As the grey debris flies off and vanishes, a glowing, smooth, perfect 
golden geometric sphere is revealed to be hiding inside the whole time.
The sphere hovers gently, pulsating with light.

Style: Abstract sculpture, satisfying destruction/reveal animation. 
Clean, high-end art gallery aesthetic.

Feeling: Discovery, revealing the truth, removing the unnecessary.

Chinese Prompt

极简主义、艺术感的延时动画。白色摄影棚背景。

主体：一个巨大的、粗糙的、未成形的灰色噪点/静电纹理块位于中央。

动作：看不见的激光（或风）迅速"侵蚀"并雕刻掉方块的外层。
随着灰色碎片飞出并消失，一个发光的、光滑的、完美的金色几何球体显露出来，
它一直隐藏在其中。球体轻轻悬浮，随着光芒脉动。

风格：抽象雕塑，令人满足的破坏/揭示动画。干净、高端的艺术画廊美学。

感觉：发现，揭示真相，去除多余。

Solution 2: The Golden Cymatics

Philosophical Core: "Resonance/Frequency." Chaotic information is "noise," structured data is "harmony." AI is the tuner adjusting the frequency.

English Prompt

A top-down view of a white flat surface (like a vibrating plate).

Action: Initially, black sand/particles are scattered chaotically across the surface 
(The Noise). A deep, resonant sound wave (visualized as a golden ripple) hits the plate.
Instantly, the black particles migrate and rearrange themselves into a complex, 
symmetrical, golden mandala pattern or a precise circuit board layout.
The pattern holds steady, representing order.

Style: Cymatics visualization, physics simulation, monochromatic with gold accents.

Feeling: Tuning, alignment, the physics of information.

Chinese Prompt

白色平面（像是一个振动板）的俯视图。

动作：最初，黑色沙子/微粒混乱地散布在表面上（噪音）。
一道深沉的共振声波（视觉化为金色的涟漪）击中平板。
瞬间，黑色微粒迁移并重新排列成一个复杂的、对称的、金色的曼陀罗图案
或精确的电路板布局。图案保持稳定，代表秩序。

风格：克拉尼图形（Cymatics）可视化，物理模拟，单色搭配金色点缀。

感觉：调频，对齐，信息的物理学。

Solution 3: Newton's Data

Philosophical Core: "Conservation Law." The input (URL) isn't lost; it just changes form in the process.

English Prompt

A hyper-realistic, minimalist 3D animation. White studio background.

Subject: A "Newton's Cradle" desk toy.

Action:
1. On the left, a ball made of rough, crumbling, dark grey concrete (The Web) swings down.
2. It hits the line of stationary steel balls with a satisfying *clack*.
3. The energy transfers through the line invisibly.
4. On the far right, the ball that pops out is NOT steel. It is a perfect, glowing, 
   translucent Golden Sphere (The Knowledge).
5. The cycle repeats: Grey rock hits -> Magic transfer -> Golden sphere flies out.

Style: High-end product rendering (like Apple/Bang & Olufsen). 
Focus on textures: the dust of the concrete vs. the subsurface scattering of the gold.

Composition: Dead center. Symmetrical.

Chinese Prompt

超写实、极简主义 3D 动画。白色摄影棚背景。

主体：一个"牛顿摆"桌面玩具。

动作：
1. 在左侧，一个由粗糙、破碎的深灰色混凝土（代表网络）制成的球向下摆动。
2. 它撞击静止的钢球队列，发出令人满足的咔哒声。
3. 能量隐形地穿过队列传递。
4. 在最右侧，弹出的球不是钢球。而是一个完美的、发光的、半透明的金色球体（代表知识）。
5. 循环重复：灰色岩石撞击 -> 魔法传递 -> 金色球体飞出。

风格：高端产品渲染（像 Apple 或 B&O）。
专注于纹理：混凝土的灰尘感 vs 金子的次表面散射光感。

构图：正中心。对称。

Solution 4: The Golden Drop

Philosophical Core: "Surface Tension and Diffusion." Extreme comfort (Oddly Satisfying).

English Prompt

A macro, slow-motion shot from a side angle. Pure white background.

Subject: A flat surface of grey, chaotic, rippling liquid (like static noise/mercury).

Action: A single, heavy drop of Molten Gold falls from the top of the screen into 
the grey chaos.

The Impact: The moment the gold drop touches the grey surface, a shockwave of order 
spreads out rapidly. As the ripple expands, the grey liquid instantly crystallizes 
and flips into a perfect, rigid grid of golden geometric tiles.
The chaos is calmed instantly into a shining floor of structured data.

Style: Fluid simulation, high FPS slow motion. 
The contrast between "liquid chaos" and "solid gold order" is key.

Chinese Prompt

侧面视角的微距、慢动作镜头。纯白背景。

主体：一个灰色、混乱、波动的液体（像静电噪点/水银）的平面。

动作：一滴沉重的熔融黄金从屏幕顶部落入这片灰色混沌中。

撞击：金滴接触灰色表面的瞬间，一道秩序的冲击波迅速扩散。
随着涟漪扩散，灰色液体瞬间结晶并翻转成一个完美的、坚硬的金色几何瓷砖网格。
混沌瞬间平息，变成了一片闪耀的结构化数据地板。

风格：流体模拟，高帧率慢动作。"液态混沌"与"固态黄金秩序"之间的对比是关键。

Solution 5: The Rubik's Resolution

Philosophical Core: "Entropy Reduction." Utilizing the globally universal intelligence symbol of "solving a Rubik's cube."

English Prompt

A mesmerizing, surreal 3D loop. Clean white void.

Subject: A floating, shapeshifting cube made of thousands of tiny, mismatched, 
grey debris particles (images, text fragments, noise). It looks like a glitching cloud.

Action: The cloud creates a "breathing" motion (expands slightly).
Then, with a sudden, magnetic *snap*, all the debris violently collapses inward.
In a split second, it locks together to form a flawless, solid Gold Cube with 
intricate circuit-board engravings on its face.
It hovers perfectly still for a second, then explodes back into grey dust, 
only to reform again.

Style: Particle physics, magnetic assembly. 
"Glitch art" transitions into "Industrial perfection."

Feeling: Intelligence, snapping into place, ultimate clarity.

Chinese Prompt

令人着迷的、超现实的 3D 循环。干净的白色虚空。

主体：一个悬浮的、变形的立方体，由数千个微小的、不匹配的灰色碎片微粒
（图片、文字碎片、噪点）组成。看起来像一团故障的云。

动作：这团云做一个"呼吸"动作（轻微膨胀）。
然后，伴随着突然的、磁性的*啪*的一声，所有碎片猛烈地向内坍缩。
在一瞬间，它锁定在一起，形成一个无瑕的、实心的金立方体，表面刻有复杂的电路板纹理。
它完美静止地悬浮一秒，然后炸回灰色尘埃，再次重组。

风格：粒子物理，磁性组装。"故障艺术"过渡到"工业完美"。

感觉：智能，各就各位，终极清晰。

Solution Comparison & Selection Guide

Solution Core Metaphor Best For Technical Difficulty Recommendation
Peppa Scientist Chemistry Experiment Approachability ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐
Peppa Alchemist Magic Transformation Brand Consistency ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Google Labs Assembly Industrial Processing Professional Feel ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Invisible Sculptor Subtraction/Reveal Artistic Feel ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Golden Cymatics Resonance/Frequency Geek Appeal ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Newton's Data Energy Conservation Intellectual Pleasure ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Golden Drop Surface Tension Satisfying Feel ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rubik's Resolution Entropy Reduction Tech Feel ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Conclusion

Looking back at this journey, I realized that creativity is often bound by our own "first intuition."

  • Using Peppa to explain the flow is Logic Intuition
  • Using geometry to express technology is Aesthetic Intuition
  • But the metaphors born from "Think Ultra Hard" are Essential Intuition

The core of Alchemy Lite is not just converting formats; it is the up-dimensioning of information. Our Hero Video finally chose not to show "how" (the conveyor belt), but to show "what" (entropy reduction and crystallization).

This is the meaning of Alchemy: Turning Ore into Gold.