Veo Prompt Cheat Sheet (2026)

Keep this page open while you write Veo 3.1 prompts. It has the exact vocabulary the model understands — shot sizes, camera moves, lighting terms, and the native-audio syntax that makes Veo generate synced dialogue and sound. Every table is copy-paste ready, and the settings section tells you what belongs in the app rather than the prompt. For full walkthroughs, see the 35 best Veo prompts and how to prompt Veo for realistic video.

The 6-part shot formula

Veo responds best when you write like a director handing a crew a shot brief — one flowing paragraph, then the audio lines. Every strong shot breaks into six beats, in this order. The last one, audio, is what sets Veo apart from older models.

Stack the first five beats into one paragraph, add the audio lines beneath, and set duration, resolution, and aspect ratio in the app before you generate. Grab terms from the tables below and drop them straight in. See Veo prompt templates for fill-in-the-blank skeletons built on this exact formula.

Shot sizes

Shot size controls how much of the subject and setting is visible. Pick one per shot and name it explicitly.

Camera moves — one per shot

Use exactly one move per shot. Stacking moves — a pan that also dollies and cranes — makes Veo's motion unstable and shaky. Need a second move? Make it a second clip and join them with Extend.

Lighting & lens

Pair one lighting term with one lens or style term for a consistent, filmic look. Two is plenty — more and Veo starts averaging them out.

Native audio syntax

This is Veo 3.1's headline feature: it generates dialogue, sound effects, and ambient sound synced to the video. Write each layer as its own line beneath the visual paragraph. Keep dialogue short — a clip is only 4-8 seconds, so aim for one or two brief lines.

Output settings

These are chosen in the Gemini app, Flow, or the Gemini API and Vertex AI before you generate — not written into the prompt text. Veo has no inline parameters like Midjourney's --ar, so typing a duration or aspect ratio in the prompt does nothing.

Example prompts

Five complete Veo shots built from the tables above. Each ends with a plain settings note in parentheses — a reminder of what to pick in the app, not text to paste into the prompt.

1. Product close-up with dialogue

A barista sets a ceramic cup on a wooden counter and pushes it toward the camera, steam curling upward. Cozy café interior, early morning light through a tall window. Close-up, slow push-in. Golden hour lighting, shallow depth of field, 85mm.
The barista says, "One oat flat white, coming up."
SFX: espresso machine hissing, cup settling on wood.
Ambient: quiet café murmur, soft jazz.
(no subtitles, no on-screen text)

Best for: product and café ads where the spoken line sells it. (16:9, 1080p, 8s)

2. Walking city scene

A woman in a red raincoat walks briskly down a rain-slicked sidewalk at night, weaving between umbrellas. Downtown street, neon signs reflecting in puddles. Wide shot, steadicam tracking alongside her. Low-key lighting, practical neon, film grain.
SFX: footsteps splashing on wet pavement, distant car horn.
Ambient: steady rain, muffled city traffic.

Why it works: one action, one move, and an ambient bed that grounds the whole shot. (9:16, 1080p, 8s)

3. Nature establishing shot

A lone hiker crosses a ridgeline as morning fog drifts through the valley below. Mountain range at sunrise. Extreme wide shot, slow crane rising to reveal the full valley. Golden hour lighting, volumetric light through the fog, 24mm.
SFX: wind gusting across the ridge, a single crow call.
Ambient: distant birdsong, faint river below.

Best for: openers and travel content — render this one at 4K. (16:9, 4K, 8s)

4. Two-person dialogue

Two friends sit across a small table, one leaning in as the other reacts. Warm bistro interior, afternoon light through a large window. Over-the-shoulder shot, static locked-off camera. High-key lighting, softbox fill, shallow depth of field.
She says, "You actually did it — you quit today?" He grins and nods, "This morning."
SFX: cutlery clinking, a chair scraping nearby.
Ambient: low bistro chatter, warm background music.
(no subtitles, no on-screen text)

Why it works: two short lines fit an 8-second clip, and the audio layers carry the scene. (16:9, 1080p, 8s)

5. Action reveal

A vintage motorcycle roars out of a tunnel onto an open desert highway at dusk. Empty desert road, blue hour sky fading to orange at the horizon. Full shot, dolly out as the bike accelerates toward camera. Backlight from the setting sun, anamorphic flares, film grain.
SFX: engine roar building, gravel kicking up under the tires.
Ambient: open desert wind, faint highway hum.

Best for: high-energy hero shots and title sequences. (16:9, 4K, 6s)

Want more finished examples before you start? Browse the 35 best Veo prompts or grab ready-made skeletons from Veo prompt templates.