Veo 3 just landed on BasedLabs. If you’ve been using Veo 2 or pairing clips with our Image-to-Video converter or AI GIF Generator, you already know that tight prompting is what turns model power into scroll-stopping video. Here’s the lean playbook our top creators follow.
1. The Eight Essentials of a Strong Prompt
- Scene – One clear sentence describing the action, characters, and overall vibe.
- Visual style – Pick one (cinematic, realistic, anime, surreal, etc.) and stick with it.
- Camera movement – State it plainly (static, slow pan, tracking, aerial). Avoid slang such as “robo-arm.”
- Main subject – Describe who or what the camera should favour in crystal-clear terms.
- Background – Name the setting and, if helpful, the era (for example, “neon Tokyo alley, 2090”).
- Lighting & mood – Soft daylight, harsh spotlight, twilight haze—whatever sets the emotion.
- Audio cue (optional) – A single phrase for music, ambience, or SFX.
- Colour palette – Limit yourself to two or three dominant tones for consistency.
Dialog, subtitles, and language tips
- Write dialogue like this: She says: I’m not afraid… (no quotation marks).
- Quotes, parentheses, or brackets can trigger auto-subtitles; leave them out if you don’t want on-screen text.
- Mentioning a language (“street signs in Korean”) changes the cultural context even if there’s no speech.
2. Prompt-Writing Rules That Actually Matter
- Use full sentences, not keyword lists. Natural language helps the model connect details.
- Be generous with detail. Fifty to 120 words is the sweet spot.
- Stick to the eight-part structure. Muscle memory speeds you up.
- Iterate quickly. Tiny tweaks to lighting or camera movement often beat starting from scratch.
- Need inspiration? Browse concept pages like the Bigfoot AI Generator or Yeti AI Generator for sample ideas you can copy into Veo 3.
3. From Plan to Prompt — A Worked Example
Prompt plan
- Scene: Glamorous woman in a moonlit pool beside a calm alligator.
- Visual style: Cinematic.
- Camera: Slow water-level zoom toward her face.
- Main subject: Woman holds steady eye contact.
- Background: Classical statues, blue ceramic vases.
- Lighting: Candle reflections, soft fill on face.
- Audio: Low ambient electronic track with water ripples.
- Colour palette: Deep slate grey, ocean blue, warm gold.
- Dialog: I’m not afraid of anything… except Sundays without drama.
- Subtitles: Off.
Full prompt
A cinematic night-time scene: a glamorous woman with an afro and gold jewellery shares a luxurious outdoor pool with a calm alligator. Classical statues and large blue ceramic vases frame the space, all dimly lit. The camera starts at water level and slowly zooms toward the woman’s face as she meets the lens with unwavering gaze. Candlelight shimmers across the water; a subtle fill light outlines her features. Deep slate grey, ocean blue, and warm gold dominate the palette. Soft ambient electronic music plays, punctuated by gentle ripples. She says: I’m not afraid of anything… except Sundays without drama. No subtitles.
Paste that into the Veo 3 generator, hit Generate, and you’ll nail it on the first try.
4. Quick Fixes for Common Issues
- Unwanted subtitles? Remove quotation marks, brackets, and parentheses.
- Random colours? Limit your palette to just a couple of hues.
- Flat lighting? Add a lighting directive (“soft rim light” or “dramatic chiaroscuro”).
- Camera ignores subject? Make sure the main subject is named early in the prompt.
5. Next Moves
- Remix still images with the Image-to-Video tool.
- Turn your best three-second loop into a share-ready GIF via the AI GIF Generator.
- Short on ideas? Check out the Bigfoot AI Generator and Yeti AI Generator landing pages for imaginative sample concepts you can adapt in Veo 3.
FAQs
What is Veo 3? Veo 3 is BasedLabs’ latest text-to-video model that delivers cinematic-quality clips from detailed prompts. It interprets scene, style, camera, lighting, audio, and more to produce professional visuals in seconds. Explore it here: veo-3.
How do I prompt Veo 3? Follow the eight-part structure—Scene, Visual style, Camera movement, Main subject, Background, Lighting & mood, Audio cue, Colour palette—and write full sentences. Include dialogue plainly (e.g. She says: Hello). For a deep dive, see our step-by-step guide above.
Where can I use Veo 3? You can use Veo 3 directly on the BasedLabs platform. Visit the Veo 3 tool page to start generating, or funnel in from any landing page—like Veo 2 or our other AI tools—and click “Generate” to switch to Veo 3.