Veo text to video prompting guide
Last checked 2026-10-11Veo 3.1 (Google) · Veo 3.1 / Fast / Lite; Veo 3 deprecated
How to prompt Veo in text-to-video mode. Every point links its source; community tips are marked. Your agent gets the same guide through the Atlas MCP (get_guide).
Prompt structure
cinematography→subject→action→context→style ambiance→audio
- Five-part formula: [Cinematography] + [Subject] + [Action] + [Context] + [Style & Ambiance]; cinematography is the most powerful element for tone. source ↗
What the text should describe
- Example: 'Medium shot, a tired corporate worker, rubbing his temples in exhaustion, in front of a bulky 1980s computer ... Retro aesthetic, shot as if on 1980s color film, slightly grainy.' source ↗
- Multi-shot product film as labelled shots repeating the product description verbatim each shot ('the same square bottle'), one camera move per shot. 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
Crane shot starting low on a lone hiker and ascending high above, revealing they are standing on the edge of a colossal, mist-filled canyon at sunrise, epic fantasy style, awe-inspiring, soft morning light.
AI just outshot half the whiskey ads on TV. This prompt slaps on Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, and Seedance 2.0. Full prompt👇 A night whiskey film: walnut bar, copper cap, black-wax chevron seal, dark cherries, candlelight. Shot 1 Fresh Day Hero Night lounge, honed walnut bar, two brass candlesticks burning at left. A tall square smoked-glass whiskey bottle stands centered, copper disc cap, black wax chevron seal, condensation on the glass. Dark cherries, crystal ice cubes, and a coiled copper ribbon sit at the base. Slow push-in toward the bottle. Shot 2 Product Macro Extreme close-up of the same square bottle. The frame fills with wet smoked glass, dark amber whiskey, and the black wax chevron seal. Condensation droplets bead and slide. Fast cinematic push-in toward the seal. Candlelight sparkles in each droplet. Shot 3 Ingredient Splash High-speed slow motion. Ripe dark cherries burst
Unedited, exactly as it was handed to Veo 3.1:
“{
"title": "Crimson Cream: The Artisanal Churn",
"duration": "10 seconds",
"format": "16:9, 4K",
"style": "Cinematic photorealistic artisanal culinary commercial",
"prompt": "Create a seamless 10-second cinematic journey tracing the creation of decadent churned strawberry gelato. Begin with ripe, dew-kissed organic strawberries sliced on chilled dark marble, sending microscopic ruby juice droplets and seeds bursting into the air. Transition into a dynamic zero-gravity vortex where velvety sweet cream, pure vanilla bean specks, and thick strawberry coulis collide and swirl together in mid-air ribbons. Move directly into the churning cylinder where sub-zero brass paddles whip the mixture, rapidly crystallizing into dense, glossy, ribboned ice cream with frost vapors swirling outward. Finish with an ultra-macro 1000fps ice cream scoNext
All Veo modesVeo model, prices & shotsFrom $0.05/s · pricesSeedance text to videoKling text to videoRunway text to videoLuma text to video