Veo 3: The Complete Guide to Video Generation from Google

Veo 3 is a video generation model from Google DeepMind, available in Neuron. Its main advantage is built-in audio generation: characters speak, the environment sounds, and music adapts to the scene. This guide covers prompt structure, capabilities, and limitations.

Prompt Structure for Veo 3

Basic formula:

Subject + Action + Sound

Optional elements: scene, camera, style.

Subject (who or what)

Description of the main object or character in the frame.

• Young man in a leather jacket

• Red cat

• Old lighthouse on a cliff

Action (what is happening)

Specific action, movement, or change in the frame.

• walks down a rainy street and pulls up his collar

• jumps after a butterfly in a meadow

• lighthouse beam cuts through the fog

Sound (what is heard)

Audio accompaniment -- a key feature of Veo 3.

• sound of footsteps in puddles, rain noise, distant thunder

• meowing, rustling grass, buzzing of a butterfly

• character says: "I'm finally home"

Creating Video from an Image

Veo 3 can animate static images. Send an image and describe what should happen.

Prompt for a landscape photo: Animate the photo: clouds slowly drift, grass sways in the wind, a bird flies on the horizon. Sound: wind noise, rustling grass, distant bird song

Prompt for a portrait photo: The person in the photo turns their head, smiles, and says: "Hi, how are you?" Light wind ruffles their hair. Sound: voice, background street noise

Tip: when working with an image, describe only what should change. The background and composition will remain as in the original.

Examples of Ready Prompts

Portrait with Speech

Close-up of a woman with dark hair. She looks at the camera, slightly tilts her head and says: "You know, sometimes you just need to stop and look around." Soft smile. Background -- evening city in bokeh. Sound: voice, distant city noise

Dynamic Scene

A runner in sportswear starts from a low start on a stadium track. Camera follows from the side at leg level. Sharp acceleration, gravel flies from spikes. Sound: clap of starting pistol, sound of footsteps, heavy breathing

Atmospheric Scene

An old wooden boat rocks on a quiet lake in fog. A fisherman in a plaid shirt casts a fishing rod. Early morning, milky fog, sun rays begin to break through. Static camera from the shore. Sound: water splash, creaking wood, distant cuckoo call

Animation

Cartoon style. A little mouse in a red beret paints a picture on a tiny easel. It dips a brush in paint, makes a stroke, steps back, evaluates the work, nods approvingly. Warm pastel colors. Sound: quiet violin melody, brush rustle

Nature

Slow motion. A hummingbird hovers in front of a red flower, rapidly flapping its wings. Its proboscis touches nectar. Sunlight highlights iridescent feathers. Blurred green background of a tropical garden. Sound: rapid wing buzzing, tropical birds

City Scene

Time-lapse of an evening city. The sun sets behind skyscrapers, window lights turn on, car headlights create light trails on roads. Static camera from a rooftop. Transition from golden hour to blue hour. Sound: muffled city hum, distant sirens

Camera Control

Veo 3 supports different camera movement types:

| Type | Description | Prompt |

|-----|---------|--------|

| Pan | Horizontal movement | Camera pans left to right |

| Tilt | Vertical movement | Camera tilts up from feet to face |

| Zoom | Zoom in/out | Slow zoom on face |

| Dolly | Camera moves toward/away from object | Camera smoothly dollies toward the door |

| Tracking | Camera follows object | Camera tracks runner from the side |

| Aerial | Top-down view | Aerial shot from above, camera descends |

| Static | Fixed camera | Static camera, wide shot |

Style Settings

• Cinematic -- widescreen, cinematic palette, depth of field

• Documentary -- handheld camera, natural lighting, realistic style

• Cartoon -- 2D or 3D animation, bright colors

• Retro film -- grain, faded colors, flicker

• Slow motion -- slow-mo for dynamic scenes

• Time-lapse -- accelerated capture of long processes

Lighting Control

• Golden hour -- soft golden sunset light, long shadows

• Blue hour -- twilight blue light, last minutes before dark

• Noon -- hard top light, short shadows, high contrast

• Night -- neon light sources, city lighting

• Studio -- soft diffused light, neutral background

• Backlight -- light source behind the object, silhouette effect

Limitations of Veo 3

• Duration -- up to 8 seconds per generation

• Resolution -- up to 720p (1280x720)

• Frame rate -- 24 fps

• Consistency -- character may change slightly in complex scenes

• Text -- text rendering in video is less stable than in images

Tip: for longer videos with higher resolution, try Sora 2 -- up to 20 seconds at 1080p.

Veo 3 vs Sora 2

For a detailed comparison with Sora 2, read the Sora 2 guide. Quick summary:

| Parameter | Veo 3 | Sora 2 |

|----------|-------|--------|

| Developer | Google | OpenAI |

| Duration | 8 sec | 20 sec |

| Resolution | 720p | 1080p |

| Audio generation | Excellent | Excellent |

| Speed | Faster | Slower |

| Photo input | Yes | Limited |

| Strength | Audio and speech | Duration and realism |

For editing existing videos, see the Runway Aleph guide.

Advanced Tips

• Start simple -- one character, one action, then add complexity

• Sound changes perception -- adding audio makes the video much more convincing

• Describe emotion -- "thoughtfully", "with relief", "with anxiety"

• Specify pace -- "slowly", "sharply", "smoothly"

• Use pauses in speech -- "He says: 'I... don't know.' (pause) 'Maybe.'"

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Veo 3?

Veo 3 is a video generation model from Google DeepMind, available in the Neuron bot. It creates videos up to 8 seconds with built-in audio generation, speech, and music. It supports creating videos from text descriptions and animating static images.

How to create a video with voiceover?

Add a description of the audio accompaniment in the prompt. For speech, use direct speech in quotation marks: character says: "text". For sounds, describe them: sound of footsteps, rain noise. For music: background piano melody. Veo 3 automatically synchronizes audio with video.

Veo 3 vs Sora 2?

Veo 3 generates faster and works better with audio and speech. Sora 2 creates longer videos (20 sec vs 8 sec) at higher resolution (1080p vs 720p) with more realistic physics. Both are available in Neuron -- choose based on the task.

What are the limitations of Veo 3?

Maximum duration is 8 seconds, resolution is 720p (1280x720), frame rate is 24 fps. For longer and higher quality videos, use Sora 2. Veo 3 is best for short scenes with focus on audio and speech.

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Try it for free at Neuron -- create a video with audio in a few minutes.