Models / Veo / Start & end frame
Veo start & end frame prompting guide
Last checked 2026-10-11Veo 3.1 (Google) · Veo 3.1 / Fast / Lite; Veo 3 deprecated
How to prompt Veo in start/end frame mode. Every point links its source; community tips are marked. Your agent gets the same guide through the Atlas MCP (get_guide).
Prompt structure
camera move between→action→audio
- Five-part formula: [Cinematography] + [Subject] + [Action] + [Context] + [Style & Ambiance]; cinematography is the most powerful element for tone. source ↗
What the text should describe
- 'First and last frame' generates the transition between start and end image with audio; describe the camera move between them and the audio. source ↗
- lastFrame must be used with the image parameter. source ↗
- If frames are quiet the clip is quiet: Veo followed the frames but nothing happened; the fix was to write timed events between them ('the ceiling bulb flickers twice and goes out'). community source ↗
- Constrain what must not move: 'Torso, shoulders, suit … remain completely stationary … No body translation, no camera movement, no zoom.' community source ↗
Camera vocabulary
- Movement: dolly, tracking, crane, aerial, slow pan, POV. Composition: wide, close-up, extreme close-up, low angle, two-shot. Lens: shallow depth of field, wide-angle, soft focus, macro, deep focus. source ↗
Responds well to
- Audio: dialogue in quotes (A woman says, "..."), 'SFX: ...', 'Ambient noise: ...'. source ↗
Duration and limits
- Text input limit 1,024 tokens. durationSeconds 4, 6 or 8; must be 8 with reference images, extension, or 1080p/4k. Aspect 16:9 or 9:16. Extension: +7 s up to 20 times, up to 148 s total, 720p only, Veo-generated input only. source ↗
Multi-shot
- Timestamp prompting: [00:00-00:02] shot one ... [00:02-00:04] shot two, each with camera, action, SFX or emotion. source ↗
Avoid and failure modes
- Phrase exclusions positively: 'a desolate landscape with no buildings or roads' rather than 'no man-made structures'. source ↗
- Creators report an unwanted slow-motion feel on Veo 3.1; state real-time speed explicitly (community report, unverified). community source ↗
Negative prompt
Supported via negativePrompt. source ↗
Real prompts, credited
See the screen recording for the video generation process. Generate video Model: Veo 3.1 Resolution: 720p Aspect: Widescreen 16:9 Duration: 8 seconds Audio: off First frame: the still where she faces you, bulb on Last frame: this one, back turned, door open Prompt She turns slowly away from the camera toward the dark open doorway as the ceiling bulb fades. Her cream dress and hair catch the last sunset light from the window. Soft natural motion, locked camera, no cuts, no fog, no second figure, no text. The issue was the video clip was not spooky at all. The clip is a slow turn in a pretty hallway. The bulb never dies, the door only opens on the last frame, and nothing else moves. Veo followed the frames, and the frames are quiet. The new prompt used was: She stands still, then slowly turns her back to the camera. As she turns, the ceiling bulb flickers twice and goes out. The clo
2/ Video generation Use Veo/Seedance/Higgsfield I used Veo. The idea is to make a character, complete a motion from top left to top right. You can use this prompt: "Animate the character’s head through one smooth, continuous upper arc from the top-left orientation in the first frame to the top-right orientation in the last frame. The head travels naturally through the entire arc. Torso, shoulders, suit, and overall body remain completely stationary. Hands and gun move subtly and synchronously with the head, following the same rotational momentum. Preserve the character’s proportions, low-poly 3D style, and facial features exactly. No body translation, no camera movement, no zoom. Smooth, controlled, continuous motion."
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