Explainer and marketing videos with Veo 3.1

Which settings to pick

The Lite vs Fast vs Quality comparison covers what each tier is for. For ads built around a physical product, the product ad workflow is a better fit.

What it costs

Eight 8-second scenes give 64 seconds, trimmed to 60 in the edit. Retakes are extra. Use the cost calculator for other lengths.

Workflow: script to finished explainer

1. 1

   Split the script into scenes

   About one sentence of narration per scene, eight scenes for a 60-second video. Under each sentence, note what the viewer should see while it plays.
2. 2

   Fix one style block

   Flat 2D or photoreal, background, palette as hex codes (the gallery’s green motion-graphics prompt uses #00AF06), and what never appears (“No human characters, no phone UI”). Start every scene prompt with it.
3. 3

   Write each scene as a layout and a motion sequence

   What is on screen first, then what appears and moves, in order. Exact counts help: the timeline prompt below says “Exactly four small circular dots are evenly placed along the line — no more, no fewer”.
4. 4

   Generate silent scenes

   In the generator: Model: Veo 3.1 Fast · Resolution: 1080p · Aspect Ratio: 16:9 · Duration: 8s · With Audio: off. That is 6 credits a scene, shown next to Generate Video before you start.
5. 5

   Assemble under the voiceover

   Lay the scenes under your recorded voiceover, then add titles, captions, real figures and your logo in the editor.

Real explainer-style clips from our gallery

Motion graphics and medical or scientific visuals that users shared, with settings measured from each file. The angioplasty prompt is a useful counter-example: it tries to fit a whole procedure and four statistics into one 8-second clip.

• Flat 2D motion graphics in a brand colour

  Veo 3.1 Fast · 9:16 · 1080p · 8 s · audio off · 6 credits (about $1.28–$1.50)

  It gives an exact hex colour (#00AF06), a step-by-step animation sequence and a list of things to leave out (characters, phone UI, logos). Motion graphics are best briefed by layout and motion, not adjectives.

• Four-point timeline animation

  Veo 3.1 Fast · 16:9 · 1080p · 6 s · audio off · 5 credits (about $1.07–$1.25)

  It pins down the count (“Exactly four small circular dots … no more, no fewer”) and how the travelling dot moves, which suits chapter markers in an explainer.

• Electric current along a four-node line

  Veo 3.1 Fast · 16:9 · 1080p · 6 s · audio off · 5 credits (about $1.07–$1.25)

  This is a variant of the timeline idea on black. “No camera movement, flat 2D vector aesthetic” keeps it graphic rather than filmed.

• Abstract radar texture in 4K

  Veo 3.1 Fast · 16:9 · 4K · 4 s · audio off · 10 credits (about $2.13–$2.50)

  This is the only 4K clip in the gallery when we checked. A short, plain prompt is enough for a looping texture to sit behind a graphic or title.

• Cross-section of a tooth cavity (clinical explainer)

  Veo 3.1 Fast · 9:16 · 1080p · 8 s · audio off · 6 credits (about $1.28–$1.50)

  In about 20 words it gives the subject, the process (“progressing through enamel into dentin”), the style and the background. A white background makes the clip easy to drop into slides or an explainer edit.

• Miniature anatomical model with a caption

  Veo 3.1 Fast · 9:16 · 1080p · 8 s · audio on · 10 credits (about $2.13–$2.50)

  It has one strong idea (a transparent body model), a camera plan (“slow orbiting camera reveal”) and an order for the highlights: heart, lungs, digestive system, brain. In our frame grabs the caption rendered almost word for word (“One body Every system, working together.”). That is close, but the first period is missing, which is typical of generated text.

• Medical explainer that packs a whole procedure into 8 seconds

  Veo 3.1 Lite · 16:9 · 720p · 8 s · audio off · 2 credits (about $0.43–$0.50)

  The visual language is right for a medical explainer: an anatomical view, a zoom inside the artery, cross-sections, a neutral clinical palette, and a closing list of what not to show (surgery, wounds, faces, brands).

• Rising revenue chart with synced sound effects

  Veo 3.1 Lite · 9:16 · 1080p · 8 s · audio on · 5 credits (about $1.07–$1.25)

  It ties each sound effect to something on screen (a cash-register “cha-ching” each time the numbers tick up). That is how you ask for synced sound rather than a soundtrack laid over the top.

More full prompts are in the prompt library, and the prompting guide covers prompt structure.

Limits for explainers

The limits every workflow shares (8-second clips, 16:9 and 9:16 only, unreliable generated text, drift between clips, optional sound, rights) are listed once on the use cases page. These are the ones specific to this kind of video:

• Charts and numbers are decorative. The gallery’s revenue-chart prompt asks the screen to count from 12,400 to 98,000. Treat anything like that as atmosphere and overlay real data yourself.
• Brand colours need checking. A hex code in the prompt steers the palette but isn’t guaranteed to match exactly; correct it in the grade if it matters.
• Medical and technical visuals are illustrations. Anatomy, mechanisms and procedures can look plausible and still be wrong. Have someone who knows the subject check every scene before it goes out.

Frequently asked questions