AI videos for TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts with Veo 3.1

Get the shape right first

We measured every public gallery video on November 9, 2026. 23 prompts ask for 9:16 in the text, and 4 of those files are 1920×1080 landscape, including a soda bottle on a staircase that ends “Vertical 9:16.” and a UGC mug shot that opens with “Create a realistic 9:16”. The shape is whatever the Aspect Ratio control was set to. In a vertical feed a landscape clip plays as a thin strip, so check the control on every generation.

The model comparison covers the trade-offs between Lite, Fast and Quality.

Cost per post and per month

Mixing models is often the best value for a posting schedule: generate the hook on Fast and the filler on Lite. The cost calculator prices any other plan.

Workflow: idea to posted short

1. 1

   Write the hook as its own clip

   Give the hook a clip of its own: one surprising action or one spoken line. Then you can retake the hook until it lands without paying to regenerate the rest. Story beats come after it as separate clips.
2. 2

   Frame for a phone

   Keep the subject in the middle of the frame, where captions and the platform’s buttons won’t cover it. Close-ups read better on a small screen than wide shots.
3. 3

   Set the controls in the generator

   In the generator: Model: Veo 3.1 Fast · Resolution: 1080p · Aspect Ratio: 9:16 · Duration: 8s · With Audio: on. That hook costs 10 credits; the cost shows next to Generate Video before you start.
4. 4

   Check the frame, then the next scene

   Download the MP4 and check it is really vertical and fills the frame (see the callout below). Then generate the next scene with the same character description.
5. 5

   Join, caption and post

   Join the clips and add captions in your editor or the platform’s app. We don’t post to social platforms for you.

Real vertical clips from our gallery

56 of the 155 gallery videos we measured on 2026-11-08 are vertical. These six are all 9:16 files: four with a sound track (spoken lines or a scored background) and two that show what goes wrong.

• A mouse and a cat at the fridge

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

  Four short sentences: an action, a line with a pause written as “...”, a reaction, and a closing beat. Our frame grabs show the mouse facing the blue-grey cat, then dark shapes spilling out of the fridge.

• Voiceover in a British accent (coffee ad)

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

  The voiceover comes first under its own label, and the picture is described separately. That separation tells the model the words are narration, not something the man on screen says.

• Night-time creator studio with a music cue

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

  It splits picture, sound and exclusions into three blocks. The audio block reads like a music brief: a boom on the first frame, a rising synth, a hit at the end. It adds two foley cues (a shutter click and a whoosh), and “No spoken dialogue, no voiceover” stops the model from adding a narrator. Our frame grabs follow the shot list: camera, softbox, laptop and steaming coffee, then the window and the skyline.

• Black smoke and gold embers (text-free background)

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

  This is a background for titles or voiceover: just atmosphere, one light source and a slow push-in. The negatives line (“No text, numbers, captions, letters, UI, watermarks, or logos”) keeps the frame clean so you can put your own text on top.

• A crow and a water pitcher, “in hindi” with audio off

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

  The scene is three short, filmable beats (flies in, lands, can’t reach the water), which is a good size for one vertical story clip.

• Product-problem hook: soaked shoes after work

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

  This is a classic ad opening in three timed beats: arrival, a reaction close-up, then the problem revealed. Timestamps give the model an order of events. Our frame grabs move from the man’s face to a close-up of wet shoes, as written.

Full prompts are in the dialogue and sound prompt library. For a channel that also posts long videos, see the YouTube workflow.

Limits for shorts

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:

• Words in the prompt don’t set the shape or length. Aspect Ratio and Duration are controls; “9:16” or “15 seconds” in the text is ignored.
• No square or 4:5. For a feed post in those shapes, generate 9:16 and crop in your editor.
• Platform rules. TikTok, Instagram and YouTube each have their own rules on labelling realistic AI-generated content. Check them before you post.

Frequently asked questions