Motion design
4.0/10Thin line-art that falls apart mid-transition. Not UI-safe.
Creative Arena · Updated October 2, 2026
Veo 3.1 for ads: prompts, examples and scores
Veo 3.1 Fast placed second on faces and UGC in the Sprites bakeoff, with natural creator energy and native audio. At $0.90 a clip it is the most expensive model in the round, and it went off-brief on the product ad.
6.9/10average on 4 ad briefs
0briefs won
$0.90per clip in the bakeoff
42smedian generation, ~8s clip
1085public Elo, Veo 3.1 Fast
Every Veo 3.1 Fast clip, with the prompt
Each brief went to every model with the identical prompt. Scores are out of 10 for the brief, not for looks.
All 6 models on this prompt
Face realism
8.5/10Cinematic softness, natural blink-to-smile; a touch less skin detail.
Prompt
Extreme close-up portrait of a woman in her early 30s with freckles and natural skin, soft window light. She looks down, lifts her eyes to camera and breaks into a shy smile; subtle eye movement and a blink. 85mm, photorealistic.
E-com product ad
6.5/10Gorgeous, but swapped in a spray-pump bottle and pouring liquid: off-brief.
Prompt
Luxury product ad: amber perfume bottle, gold cap, label 'NOIR', on a wet black stone plinth. Water splash erupts in slow motion, warm rim light, camera orbits 90°. High-end commercial.
UGC creator ad
8.5/10Natural creator energy and native audio; product ends up small.
Prompt
Vertical smartphone selfie, UGC style. A friendly woman in her 20s in a bright bathroom holds a white serum bottle to camera, tilts it to show the label, taps it and smiles while talking. Handheld, natural daylight, not cinematic.Where Veo 3.1 Fast wins and breaks on ads
Use it for
- Cinematic faces with a natural blink-to-smile.
- Creator energy plus native audio: the one-shot talking UGC ad without a separate voice track.
- The model to reach for when the ad needs dialogue in the clip itself.
Watch out for
- Follows its own taste over the brief: it swapped in a spray-pump bottle and pouring liquid on a perfume packshot.
- Products end up small in UGC frames.
- Thin line-art motion design that falls apart mid-transition. Not safe for UI or logo work.
- The highest price per clip in the round.
Director stack and public rank
Astra → Veo 3.1
Astra still prefers Omni; Veo stack wins only when you need Google-native audio FX. Stack score 1210, editorial.
Veo 3.1 Fast on the public board
1085 Elo on the Artificial Analysis text-to-video arena. AA #15. Speedy Veo for UGC dialogue when Omni is unavailable.
Sora 2 vs Veo 3.1: Sora is discontinued
Sora 2 vs Veo 3 is still a common search, but the comparison is over. OpenAI closed the Sora app in April 2026 and removed the Sora 2 models from its API on September 24, 2026.
On the public text-to-video board Veo 3.1 and Sora 2 sat a few Elo points apart before Sora left. For short-form ads the replacement decision is by job: Veo 3.1 for dialogue in the clip, Seedance 2.0 for faces and UGC, Kling 3.0 for product and physics shots.
Compare Veo 3.1 Fast
Kling 3.0 vs Veo 3.1 for adsKling 3.0 vs Veo 3.1 on the same ad prompts: the clips side by side, the score on each brief, which to use for product, UGC and faces, and the price.Seedance 2.0 vs Veo 3.1 for adsSeedance 2.0 vs Veo 3.1 on the same ad prompts: the clips side by side, the score on each brief, which wins faces and UGC, and when Veo is worth more.Kling vs Veo on priceCost per finished ad and failed-generation policy for Kling and Veo.Director by SpritesFinished, on-brand video ads every Monday, reviewed by a human. You never write a prompt.Kling 3.0Every Kling 3.0 clip from the bakeoff, scored.Seedance 2.0 FastEvery Seedance 2.0 Fast clip from the bakeoff, scored.Wan 3.0Every Wan 3.0 clip from the bakeoff, scored.MiniMax H3 MaxEvery MiniMax H3 Max clip from the bakeoff, scored.Happy HorseEvery Happy Horse clip from the bakeoff, scored.AI video prompt examplesAll seven bakeoff prompts, word for word, with every clip.
Frequently asked questions
Is Veo 3.1 good for ads?
For talking UGC and face close-ups, yes: Veo 3.1 Fast scored 6.9/10 across 4 briefs and placed second on both. It was last on the product packshot, where it ignored the brief, and it costs $0.90 a clip, the most in the round.
Sora 2 vs Veo 3: which should I use for ads?
Veo, because Sora 2 is gone: OpenAI removed it from its API on September 24, 2026, after closing the app in April. For dialogue in the clip, Veo 3.1. For faces and UGC without dialogue, Seedance 2.0 scored higher in the Sprites bakeoff.
How do I write a Veo 3.1 prompt for a UGC ad?
Describe the phone, the person, the room and the beats, and say what it is not: 'Vertical smartphone selfie, UGC style... handheld, natural daylight, not cinematic.' Ask for the product to stay large in frame, because Veo tends to let it shrink.
Which director stack uses Veo?
Astra → Veo 3.1. GPT-6 Astra still prefers Gemini Omni Flash for one-shot dialogue; the Veo stack wins when you need Google-native audio effects.
Want finished ads, not model bakeoffs?
Director by Sprites: every monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human. You never write a prompt. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns.
Apply for Director