How to Write AI Video Prompts That Work: A Practical Guide for Seedance 2.5 and Veo 3.1

ByteDance officially launched Seedance 2.5 on July 31, 2026, and it changes how you should write video prompts. According to ByteDance’s official Seedance 2.5 announcement, a single generation can run up to 30 seconds, and you can feed in up to 30 images, 10 video clips and 10 audio clips as references. Longer clips and more references mean a sloppy prompt now wastes more.

This guide gives you a reusable AI video prompt formula, shows how to write Seedance 2.5 prompts, compares it with Google’s Veo 3.1 prompting method, and lists the mistakes that cause messy results. The templates are original NexPloreInfo examples, not outputs we generated.

What Is New in Seedance 2.5?

Here is what the official announcement confirms, plus what third-party guides add. Features and limits can change, so check the platform you use.

ByteDance did not publish pricing in the announcement, and availability depends on the platform and your region. See our Kling 3.0 vs Seedance 2.5 comparison for how it stacks up against its main rival.

The Quick AI Video Prompt Formula

Most good video prompts share five parts. Google’s Veo 3.1 prompting guide orders them as Cinematography + Subject + Action + Context + Style and Ambiance. An independent Seedance 2.5 prompt guide describes a similar shot brief: subject, performance, ambience, camera and extra cues such as audio and pacing.

• Subject: be concrete. “A barista in a green apron” beats “a person”.
• Performance or action: describe movement over time, not a frozen moment.
• Ambience: place, time of day and lighting.
• Camera: one shot size and one named move, such as a slow push-in.
• Extra cues: sound, pacing and style.

Reusable template: “Slow push-in, medium shot of a baker in a flour-dusted apron, pulling a tray of golden croissants from an oven, then sliding it onto a counter and smiling at a customer. Small corner bakery at dawn, warm window light, soft steam. Ambient noise: oven fan and quiet street outside.”

How to Write Seedance 2.5 Prompts for 30-Second Clips

With up to 30 seconds available, the biggest change is pacing. Describe what happens across the whole clip, in order, instead of one still moment. If the idea has several beats, write it as a timeline, for example: seconds 1 to 10 the baker opens the oven, seconds 11 to 20 she serves the customer, seconds 21 to 30 the camera pulls back to show the shop.

Keep to one idea per clip. The independent guide warns against cramming a multi-beat sequence into a single prompt, so split a longer story into extensions or separate generations.

How to use references in Seedance 2.5

Reference limits are large, so discipline matters more than volume. The independent guide advises saying in the prompt what each reference is for, such as the character, the product or the location. Reference only things that recur, like a main character or a product that must look the same, and skip one-off backgrounds.

A clear pattern is: “Image 1 is the character’s face and outfit, keep it identical in every shot. Image 2 is the product, show it clearly in the final seconds.” Check your platform’s interface for the exact way to tag references, since syntax can differ between apps.

How to Write Veo 3.1 Prompts for Sound and Dialogue

Google’s guide gives simple syntax for audio in Veo 3.1: put spoken lines in quotation marks, label effects with SFX: and background sound with Ambient noise:. It also describes timestamp prompting for multi-shot clips, using blocks such as [00:00-00:02] and [00:02-00:04], and lists 4, 6 or 8 second clip lengths with 720p or 1080p output. That guide was published in October 2025 and covers Veo 3.1, so confirm which Google video model your account currently offers.

Seedance 2.5 and Veo both respond well to a named camera move, so you can reuse your formula in either tool and only adapt the audio and reference parts.

How to Keep Characters Consistent in AI Video

• Use a reference image. Seedance 2.5 accepts many, and Veo 3.1 offers “Ingredients to Video” for the same purpose.
• Describe the character the same way every time. Paste the same two or three identifying details into each prompt.
• Label every reference. Unlabeled images can bleed their look into the scene.
• Try first and last frames. Veo 3.1 can build a transition between a start and an end image.

Need a strong first frame? Our guide to the best AI image generators in 2026 covers tools for creating one.

AI Video Prompt Examples You Can Copy

Product shot

“Slow orbit, macro close-up of glass headphones on a chrome table, a hand lifts them and places them on a stand, bright minimalist studio, soft rim light, premium commercial look.”

Travel reel (9:16)

“Handheld tracking shot following a traveler through a narrow old-town market at sunset, they stop to smell fresh spices, golden hour light, warm and lively mood. Ambient noise: vendors chatting and footsteps on stone.”

Music-style scene

“Neon city street at night, slow dolly-in, rain reflections on the pavement, a singer in silhouette raises the microphone, emotional pop chorus, cinematic lighting.”

Swap the subject, place and sound for your own idea, and change only one variable per attempt so you can see what made the difference.

Common AI Video Prompt Mistakes

• Describing a still image instead of motion over time. Always say what changes.
• Vague camera language. “Cinematic” is not a camera move. Name one.
• Stacking camera moves. A pan, zoom and orbit together often cause jitter.
• Cramming several beats into one prompt. Use a timeline or split the clip.
• Unlabeled references. Say what each file is for.
• Mixed languages. They can garble on-screen text.

Which Tool Should You Prompt For?

Seedance 2.5 suits creators who want long single takes and heavy use of reference files. Veo 3.1 suits creators who want clear camera language and simple audio syntax. Video tools change fast: OpenAI, for example, is closing its Sora API, as covered in our Sora API shutdown explainer, so confirm your chosen tool is supported before building a workflow. For more guides, browse our AI category.

FAQs

What is the best AI video prompt formula?

A reliable one is subject, action, context, camera and style, with sound added when the tool supports it.

How long can a Seedance 2.5 video be?

ByteDance says up to 30 seconds per generation, with multi-round extensions for longer videos.

How many references can Seedance 2.5 use?

According to ByteDance, up to 30 images, 10 video clips and 10 audio clips in a single pass.

How do I add sound to a Veo 3.1 video?

Put dialogue in quotation marks and label effects with SFX: and background sound with Ambient noise:.

Information checked: October 2, 2026. Tool features, limits and prices can change, so confirm on the official pages before you subscribe.