[Guide] Sora2 Prompt Examples: A Guide to Writing Effective Video Generation Prompts

Writing good prompts is key to generating quality videos with Sora2. Here are some practical prompt examples and tips for writing effective video generation prompts.

Writing prompts for video generation is like briefing a cinematographer who has never seen your storyboard. If you leave out details, the model will improvise, and you may not get what you envisioned. On the other hand, leaving some details open can give the model creative freedom, leading to surprising and beautiful interpretations.

Try a few times – small adjustments can make a big difference. Small changes to camera, lighting, or action can dramatically shift the outcome. Collaborate with the model: you provide direction, and the model delivers creative variations.

The prompt controls the content of the video, but some settings must be configured in the API call, not in the prompt text. Things like video length, resolution, and model version.

Video length options are 4 seconds, 8 seconds, and 12 seconds. In my experience, 4-second clips tend to produce the most stable results and the model understands your intent more accurately. If your project allows, you may see better results by stitching together two 4-second clips in editing instead of generating a single 8-second clip.

For resolution, higher resolutions generate more detail and more accurate lighting transitions, but lower resolutions may introduce some softness or artifacts. Choose the resolution that fits your needs.

A clear prompt describes a shot as if you were sketching it onto a storyboard. State the camera framing, note depth of field, describe the action in beats, and set the lighting and palette. Anchoring your subject with a few distinctive details keeps it recognizable, while a single, plausible action makes the shot easier to follow.

Describing multiple shots in a single prompt is also valid if you need to cover a sequence. When you do this, keep each shot block distinct: one camera setup, one subject action, and one lighting recipe at a time.

Shorter prompts give the model more creative freedom. You might get surprising results, but they might also differ from what you expected.

Longer, more detailed prompts restrict the model's creativity but give you more control. It will try to follow your guidance, but might not always do so reliably.

#### Example of a Short Prompt

In a 90s documentary-style interview, an old Swedish man sits in a study and says, "I still remember when I was young."

This prompt works well because:

• `90s documentary` sets the style of the video. The model will choose variables like camera lens, lighting, and color grade accordingly.
• `an old Swedish man sits in a study` describes subject and setting in minor detail, letting the model take creative liberties in what the person and setting should look like.
• `and says, "I still remember when I was young."` describes the dialogue. Sora will likely be able to follow this exactly.

This prompt will produce videos that match these requirements, but many details are left open. For example, the time of day, weather, outfits, tone, look and age of the character, camera angles, cuts, set design, and many other factors.

Unless you describe these details, Sora will make them up. So if you have a clear idea, it's better to include these details in your prompt.

For complex, cinematic shots, you can go beyond the standard prompt structure and specify the look, camera setup, grading, soundscape, and even shot rationale in professional production terms. This is similar to how a director briefs a camera crew or VFX team.

Detailed cues for lensing, filtration, lighting, grading, and motion help the model lock onto a very specific aesthetic.

Format & Look

Duration 4s; 180° shutter; digital capture emulating 65 mm photochemical contrast; fine grain; subtle halation on speculars; no gate weave.

Lenses & Filtration

32 mm / 50 mm spherical primes; Black Pro-Mist 1/4; slight CPL rotation to manage glass reflections on train windows.

Grade / Palette

Highlights: clean morning sunlight with amber lift.
Mids: balanced neutrals with slight teal cast in shadows.
Blacks: soft, neutral with mild lift for haze retention.

Lighting & Atmosphere

Natural sunlight from camera left, low angle (07:30 AM).
Bounce: 4×4 ultrabounce silver from trackside.
Negative fill from opposite wall.
Practical: sodium platform lights on dim fade.
Atmos: gentle mist; train exhaust drift through light beam.

Location & Framing

Urban commuter platform, dawn.
Foreground: yellow safety line, coffee cup on bench.
Midground: waiting passengers silhouetted in haze.
Background: arriving train braking to a stop.
Avoid signage or corporate branding.

Wardrobe / Props / Extras

Main subject: mid-30s traveler, navy coat, backpack slung on one shoulder, holding phone loosely at side.
Extras: commuters in muted tones; one cyclist pushing bike.
Props: paper coffee cup, rolling luggage, LED departure board (generic destinations).

Sound

Diegetic only: faint rail screech, train brakes hiss, distant announcement muffled (-20 LUFS), low ambient hum.
Footsteps and paper rustle; no score or added foley.

Optimized Shot List (2 shots / 4 s total)

0.00–2.40 — "Arrival Drift" (32 mm, shoulder-mounted slow dolly left)
Camera slides past platform signage edge; shallow focus reveals traveler mid-frame looking down tracks. Morning light blooms across lens; train headlights flare softly through mist. Purpose: establish setting and tone, hint anticipation.

2.40–4.00 — "Turn and Pause" (50 mm, slow arc in)
Cut to tighter over-shoulder arc as train halts; traveler turns slightly toward camera, catching sunlight rim across cheek and phone screen reflection. Eyes flick up toward something unseen. Purpose: create human focal moment with minimal motion.

When writing prompts, style is one of the most powerful levers for guiding the model toward your desired outcome. Describing the overall aesthetic – for example, "1970s film," "epic, IMAX-scale scene," or "16mm black-and-white film" – sets a visual tone that frames all other choices. Establish this style early so the model can carry it through consistently.

The same details will read very differently depending on whether you call for a polished Hollywood drama, a handheld smartphone clip, or a grainy vintage commercial. Once the tone is set, layer in specifics with shot, action, and light.

The more specific you write, the more control you'll have over the results. Instead of vague cues like "a beautiful street," write "wet asphalt, zebra crosswalk, neon sign reflection." Instead of "moves quickly," specify "jogs three steps and stops at the curb."

Using verbs and nouns that point to visible results will give you a clearer, more consistent output.

| Weak Prompt | Strong Prompt |

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

| "A beautiful street at night" | "Wet asphalt, zebra crosswalk, neon signs reflecting in puddles" |

| "Person moves quickly" | "Cyclist pedals three times, brakes, and stops at crosswalk" |

| "Cinematic look" | "Anamorphic 2.0x lens, shallow DOF, volumetric light" |

Camera direction and framing shape how a shot feels. A wide shot from above will emphasize space and context, while a close-up at eye level will focus attention on emotion. Depth of field adds another layer: shallow focus can make a subject stand out against a blurred background, while deep focus keeps both foreground and background sharp.

Lighting sets tone just as strongly. A soft, warm key creates something inviting, while a single hard light with cool edges pushes toward drama.

Examples of good framing instructions:

• `wide establishing shot, eye level`
• `wide shot, tracking left to right with the charge`
• `aerial wide shot, slight downward angle`
• `medium close-up shot, slight angle from behind`

Examples of good camera motion instructions:

• `slowly tilting camera`
• `handheld eng camera`

Movement is often the hardest part to get right, so keep it simple. Each shot should have one clear camera move and one clear subject action. Actions work best when described in beats or counts – small steps, gestures, or pauses – so they feel grounded in time.

"Actor walks across the room" doesn't give much to work with. A line like "Actor takes four steps to the window, pauses, and pulls the curtain in the final second" makes the timing precise and achievable.

Weak:

Actor walks across the room.

Strong:

Actor takes four steps to the window, pauses, and pulls the curtain in the final second.

Light determines mood as much as action or setting. Diffuse light across the frame feels calm and neutral, while a single strong source creates sharp contrast and tension. When you want to cut multiple clips together, keeping lighting logic consistent is what makes the edit seamless.

Describe both the quality of the light and the color anchors that reinforce it. Instead of a broad note like "brightly lit room," specify the mix of sources and tones: "soft window light with a warm lamp fill and a cool edge from the hallway." Naming three to five colors helps keep the palette stable across shots.

Weak:

Lighting + palette: brightly lit room

Strong:

Lighting + palette: soft window light with warm lamp fill, cool rim from hallway
Palette anchors: amber, cream, walnut brown

For even more fine-grained control over the composition and style of a shot, you can use an image input as a visual reference. You can use photos, digital artwork, or AI-generated visuals. This locks in elements like character design, wardrobe, set dressing, or overall aesthetic. The model uses the image as an anchor for the first frame, while your text prompt defines what happens next.

1. Include an image file as the `input_reference` parameter in your POST /videos request

2. The image must match the target video's resolution (size)

3. Supported file formats: `image/jpeg`, `image/png`, `image/webp`

If you don't already have visual references, OpenAI's image generation model is a powerful way to create them. You can quickly produce environments and scene designs and then pass them into Sora as references. This is a great way to test aesthetics and generate beautiful starting points for your videos.

Dialogue must be described directly in your prompt. Place it in a block below your prose description so the model clearly distinguishes visual description from spoken lines. Keep lines concise and natural, and try to limit exchanges to a handful of sentences so the timing can match your clip length. For multi-character scenes, label speakers consistently and use alternating turns; this helps the model associate each line with the correct character's gestures and expressions.

You should also think about rhythm and timing: a 4-second shot will usually accommodate one or two short exchanges, while an 8-second clip can support a few more. Long, complex speeches are unlikely to sync well and may break pacing.

If your shot is silent, you can still suggest pacing with one small sound, such as "distant traffic hiss" or "a crisp snap." Think of it as a rhythm cue rather than a full soundtrack.

A cramped, windowless room with walls the color of old ash. A single bare bulb dangles from the ceiling, its light pooling onto the scarred metal table at the center. Two chairs face each other across it. On one side sits the Detective, trench coat draped across the back of his chair, eyes sharp and unblinking. Across from him, the Suspect slouches, cigarette smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling. The silence presses in, broken only by the faint hum of the overhead light.

Dialogue:
- Detective: "You're lying. I can hear it in your silence."
- Suspect: "Or maybe I'm just tired of talking."
- Detective: "Either way, you'll talk before the night's over."

The hum of espresso machines and the murmur of voices form the background.

Remix is for nudging, not gambling. Use it to make controlled changes – one at a time – and say what you're changing: "same shot, switch to 85 mm," or "same lighting, new palette: teal, sand, rust." When a result is close, pin it as a reference and describe only the tweak. That way, everything that already works stays locked.

If a shot keeps misfiring, strip it back: freeze the camera, simplify the action, clear the background. Once it works, layer additional complexity step by step.

One effective way to write prompts is to separate the different kinds of information you want the model to use. This is not a one-size-fits-all recipe for success, but it gives you a clear framework and makes it easier to be consistent. Not every detail needs to be included – if something doesn't matter for the shot, you can leave it out.

In fact, leaving certain elements open-ended will encourage the model to be more creative. The less tightly you specify every visual choice, the more room the model has to interpret and surprise you with unexpected but often beautiful variations. Highly descriptive prompts yield more consistent, controlled results, while lighter prompts can unlock diverse outcomes that feel fresh and imaginative.

Descriptive Prompt Template:

[Prose scene description in plain language. Describe characters, costumes, scenery, weather and other details. Be as descriptive to generate a video that matches your vision.]

Cinematography:
Camera shot: [framing and angle, e.g. wide establishing shot, eye level]
Mood: [overall tone, e.g. cinematic and tense, playful and suspenseful, luxurious anticipation]

Actions:
- [Action 1: a clear, specific beat or gesture]
- [Action 2: another distinct beat within the clip]
- [Action 3: another action or dialogue line]

Dialogue:
[If the shot has dialogue, add short natural lines here or as part of the actions list. Keep them brief so they match the clip length.]

#### Example 1: Hand-painted 2D/3D Hybrid Animation

Style: Hand-painted 2D/3D hybrid animation with soft brush textures, warm tungsten lighting, and a tactile, stop-motion feel. The aesthetic evokes mid-2000s storybook animation — cozy, imperfect, full of mechanical charm. Subtle watercolor wash and painterly textures; warm–cool balance in grade; filmic motion blur for animated realism.

Inside a cluttered workshop, shelves overflow with gears, bolts, and yellowing blueprints. At the center, a small round robot sits on a wooden bench, its dented body patched with mismatched plates and old paint layers. Its large glowing eyes flicker pale blue as it fiddles nervously with a humming light bulb. The air hums with quiet mechanical whirs, rain patters on the window, and the clock ticks steadily in the background.

Cinematography:
Camera: medium close-up, slow push-in with gentle parallax from hanging tools
Lens: 35 mm virtual lens; shallow depth of field to soften background clutter
Lighting: warm key from overhead practical; cool spill from window for contrast
Mood: gentle, whimsical, a touch of suspense

Actions:
- The robot taps the bulb; sparks crackle.
- It flinches, dropping the bulb, eyes widening.
- The bulb tumbles in slow motion; it catches it just in time.
- A puff of steam escapes its chest — relief and pride.
- Robot says quietly: "Almost lost it… but I got it!"

Background Sound:
Rain, ticking clock, soft mechanical hum, faint bulb sizzle.

#### Example 2: 1970s Romantic Drama

Style: 1970s romantic drama, shot on 35 mm film with natural flares, soft focus, and warm halation. Slight gate weave and handheld micro-shake evoke vintage intimacy. Warm Kodak-inspired grade; light halation on bulbs; film grain and soft vignette for period authenticity.

At golden hour, a brick tenement rooftop transforms into a small stage. Laundry lines strung with white sheets sway in the wind, catching the last rays of sunlight. Strings of mismatched fairy bulbs hum faintly overhead. A young woman in a flowing red silk dress dances barefoot, curls glowing in the fading light. Her partner — sleeves rolled, suspenders loose — claps along, his smile wide and unguarded. Below, the city hums with car horns, subway tremors, and distant laughter.

Cinematography:
Camera: medium-wide shot, slow dolly-in from eye level
Lens: 40 mm spherical; shallow focus to isolate the couple from skyline
Lighting: golden natural key with tungsten bounce; edge from fairy bulbs
Mood: nostalgic, tender, cinematic

Actions:
- She spins; her dress flares, catching sunlight.
- Woman (laughing): "See? Even the city dances with us tonight."
- He steps in, catches her hand, and dips her into shadow.
- Man (smiling): "Only because you lead."
- Sheets drift across frame, briefly veiling the skyline before parting again.

Background Sound:
Natural ambience only: faint wind, fabric flutter, street noise, muffled music. No added score.

Writing effective prompts is key to generating high-quality videos with Sora2. Whether you use short prompts to give creative freedom or detailed prompts to pursue a specific aesthetic, both approaches are valid. Try a few times and collaborate with the model to find the best results.

When writing prompts, keep these points in mind:

• Be specific: Use specific visual language instead of vague descriptions
• Be explicit about camera and lighting: Specify framing, angles, depth of field, light quality and colors
• Describe actions in beats: Make timing clear and describe achievable actions
• Set style first: Set the overall aesthetic first so the model can maintain it consistently
• Try a few times: Use the Remix functionality to make small changes one at a time and find the best results

Try these methods and you should be able to write better prompts for Sora2.

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We've covered how to write video generation prompts for Sora2. But when you actually start writing, you might run into some issues.

Prompts are unclear and don't produce the expected results. Prompt structure is inappropriate, making it hard for the model to understand your intent. For specialized tasks like video generation, you might not know how to structure prompts properly. You keep trying different approaches but struggle to find the ideal prompt.

If you find writing prompts difficult, try our free tool Dativus. It can help you:

• ⚡ Optimize prompts: Converts vague instructions into structured prompt templates
• 🎨 Specialized task support: Specifically supports prompt optimization for video generation and image generation tasks
• 🔒 Privacy-first: BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) mode ensures all data is processed locally in the browser and never sent to servers
• 🌍 Multi-language support: Supports multiple languages including English, Chinese, and Japanese for both interface and output

Dativus is very lightweight, completely free, stores all data locally, and requires no registration. It also supports custom prompt templates to adapt to different use cases. Give it a try: Dativus Website