Text to Video
Start with the shot, then add subject, motion, location, lighting, and style. Keep the first sentence simple and specific.
- Use one clear subject
- Describe camera movement
- Name the visual style
- Keep the clip short
Prompt Guide
Write better Veo 3.1 Lite prompts
Better prompts produce cleaner motion, fewer retries, and more usable short clips. The trick is to control one variable at a time.
Image to Video
Treat the image as the anchor. Prompt only the motion you want to add so the subject identity stays stable.
- Preserve the main subject
- Add subtle motion first
- Avoid conflicting instructions
- Use fewer variables
Frames to Video
Define the opening and ending states, then write the transition. This works best when the motion has a clear start and finish.
- Describe both frames
- State the transition path
- Control pacing
- Test one motion idea at a time
Simple prompt formula
Subject + motion + setting + lighting + style + duration. Use one clean sentence for each part so the model has fewer places to guess.
Example: a product bottle rotating slowly on a reflective table, soft studio lighting, dark background, cinematic macro shot, 4 seconds.
Common prompt mistakes
- Mixing too many scene changes into one prompt.
- Describing the same subject with conflicting adjectives.
- Changing duration, aspect ratio, and prompt all at once.
- Writing prompts that sound cinematic but do not define motion clearly.
Prompt template
Subject: who or what is in the shot.
Motion: what moves and how it moves.
Scene: where the shot takes place.
Lighting: how the scene is lit.
Style: the visual tone or camera language.
Duration: how long the clip should run.
