Best practices and techniques for writing effective AI video generation prompts. Covers: Veo, Seedance, Wan, Grok, Kling, Runway, Pika, Sora prompting strategies. Learn: shot types, camera movements, lighting, pacing, style keywords, negative prompts. Use for: improving video quality, getting consistent results, professional video prompts. Triggers: video prompt, how to prompt video, veo prompts, video generation tips, better ai video, video prompt engineering, video prompt guide, video prompt template, ai video tips, video prompt best practices, video prompt examples, cinematography prompts
inference-sh351 starsMar 17, 2026
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Best practices for writing effective AI video generation prompts via inference.sh.
infsh login
# Well-structured video prompt
infsh app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{
"prompt": "Cinematic tracking shot of a red sports car driving through Tokyo at night, neon lights reflecting on wet streets, rain falling, 4K, shallow depth of field"
}'
"Slow motion close-up of coffee being poured into a white ceramic cup,
steam rising, morning sunlight streaming through window, warm color grading,
cinematic, 4K, shallow depth of field"
Shot Type: Slow motion close-up
Subject: Coffee
Action: Being poured
Setting: White ceramic cup, window
Lighting: Morning sunlight
Style: Warm color grading, cinematic
Technical: 4K, shallow depth of field
Shot Types
Shot Type
Description
Use For
Wide shot
Shows entire scene
Establishing location
Medium shot
Waist-up framing
Conversations, actions
Close-up
Face or detail
Emotion, product detail
Extreme close-up
Single feature
Drama, texture
Aerial shot
Bird's eye view
Landscapes, scale
Low angle
Camera looking up
Power, grandeur
High angle
Camera looking down
Vulnerability
Dutch angle
Tilted camera
Unease, tension
POV shot
First person view
Immersion
Camera Movements
Movement
Description
Effect
Tracking shot
Camera follows subject
Dynamic, engaging
Dolly in/out
Camera moves toward/away
Focus, reveal
Pan
Horizontal rotation
Survey scene
Tilt
Vertical rotation
Reveal height
Crane shot
Vertical + horizontal
Dramatic reveal
Handheld
Slight shake
Realism, urgency
Steadicam
Smooth following
Professional, cinematic
Zoom
Lens zoom in/out
Quick focus change
Static
No movement
Contemplation, stability
Lighting Keywords
Keyword
Effect
Golden hour
Warm, soft, romantic
Blue hour
Cool, moody, twilight
High key
Bright, minimal shadows
Low key
Dark, dramatic shadows
Rim lighting
Subject outlined with light
Backlit
Light from behind subject
Soft lighting
Gentle, flattering
Hard lighting
Sharp shadows, contrast
Neon
Colorful, urban, cyberpunk
Natural lighting
Realistic, documentary
Style Keywords
Cinematic Styles
cinematic, film grain, anamorphic lens, letterbox,
shallow depth of field, bokeh, 35mm film,
color grading, theatrical
infsh app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{
"prompt": "Smooth tracking shot around a sleek smartphone on a white pedestal, soft studio lighting, product photography style, reflections on surface, 4K, shallow depth of field"
}'
Nature Documentary
infsh app run google/veo-3-1 --input '{
"prompt": "Slow motion extreme close-up of a hummingbird hovering at a red flower, wings in motion blur, shallow depth of field, golden hour lighting, National Geographic style"
}'
Urban Lifestyle
infsh app run google/veo-3 --input '{
"prompt": "Tracking shot following a cyclist through busy city streets, morning rush hour, natural lighting, handheld camera feel, documentary style, authentic and candid"
}'
Food Content
infsh app run bytedance/seedance-1-5-pro --input '{
"prompt": "Close-up of chocolate sauce being drizzled over ice cream, slow motion, steam rising, soft lighting, food photography style, appetizing, commercial quality"
}'
Tech/Futuristic
infsh app run xai/grok-imagine-video --input '{
"prompt": "Futuristic control room with holographic displays, camera slowly pans across the space, blue and cyan lighting, sci-fi atmosphere, Blade Runner aesthetic, 4K",
"duration": 5
}'
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake
Problem
Better Approach
Too vague
"A nice video"
Specify shot, subject, style
Too complex
Multiple scenes
One scene per prompt
No motion
Static description
Include camera movement or action
Conflicting styles
"Minimalist maximalist"
Choose one aesthetic
No lighting
Undefined mood
Specify lighting conditions
Model-Specific Tips
Google Veo
Excels at realistic, cinematic content
Supports audio generation (Veo 3+)
Best with detailed, professional prompts
Frame interpolation available in 3.1
Seedance
Strong at dance and human motion
First-frame control available
Good for consistent character motion
Works well with reference images
Wan 2.5
Best for image-to-video
Animates still images naturally
Good motion prediction
Works with any image style
Grok
Good general-purpose video
Configurable duration (5-10s)
Creative interpretations
Works well with abstract concepts
Workflow: Iterative Prompting
# 1. Start with basic prompt
infsh app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{
"prompt": "A woman walking through a forest"
}'
# 2. Add specificity
infsh app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{
"prompt": "Medium tracking shot of a woman in a red dress walking through an autumn forest"
}'
# 3. Add style and technical details
infsh app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{
"prompt": "Cinematic medium tracking shot of a woman in a flowing red dress walking through an autumn forest, golden hour sunlight filtering through leaves, shallow depth of field, film grain, 4K"
}'
Related Skills
# Generate videos
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-video-generation
# Google Veo specific
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@google-veo
# Generate images for image-to-video
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-image-generation
# General prompt engineering
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@prompt-engineering
# Full platform skill
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@infsh-cli
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