Introduction
This article provides a guide for starting to prompt for video using the model Veo3. As well as providing some key principles, it uses some examples to show how you can modify different parts of a prompt to produce different results.
Veo3 is a text-to-video and image-to-video generation model. In both cases, a prompt must be provided to tell the model what you are looking to generate.
Veo applies safety filters to help ensure that generated videos and uploaded photos don't contain offensive content. For example, prompts that violate responsible AI guidelines are blocked.
Do also check out our Veo3 Video guides on Image to Video and Text to Video
Prompting: The Basics
Good prompts are descriptive and clear. To get your generated video closer to what you want, start with identifying your core idea and then refine your idea by adding keywords and modifiers.
The following elements should be included in your prompt:
Subject: The object, person, animal, or scenery that you want in your video.
Context: The background or context in which the subject is placed.
Action: What the subject is doing (for example, walking, running, or turning their head).
Style: This can be general or very specific. Consider using specific film style keywords, such as horror film, arthouse, or animated styles like cartoon style.
Camera motion: Optional: What the camera is doing, such as aerial view, eye-level, top-down shot, or low-angle shot.
Composition: Optional: How the shot is framed, such as wide shot, close-up, or extreme close-up.
Ambiance: Optional: How the color and light contribute to the scene, such as blue tones, night, or warm tones.
See How can I prompt for different types of movement in video generation? for further tips for prompting effectively for camera and in-frame motion.
Examples
This example shows how you can use each of the elements in your prompt.
Prompt:
"Close up shot (composition) of melting icicles (subject) on a frozen rock wall (context) with cool blue tones (ambiance), zoomed in (camera motion) maintaining close-up detail of water drips (action)."
Top Tips for Writing Prompts
Use descriptive language: Use adjectives and adverbs to paint a clear picture for Veo.
Provide context: If necessary, include background information to help your model understand what you want.
Reference specific artistic styles: If you have a particular aesthetic in mind, reference specific artistic styles or art movements.
Utilize Pencil's Comprehensive Prompting Guide: Consider exploring the Pencil Prompting Guide for detailed walk-throughs and examples.
Enhance the facial details in your personal and group images: Specify facial details as a focus of the photo like using the word portrait in the prompt.
Further guidance and examples can be found in the Google Veo Prompt Guide