Sora Video Generation
Generate videos using OpenAI's Sora API.
API Reference
Endpoint: POST https://api.openai.com/v1/videos
Parameters
| Parameter | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
prompt | string | Text description of the video (required) |
input_reference | file | Optional image that guides generation |
model | sora-2, sora-2-pro | Model to use (default: sora-2) |
seconds | 4, 8, 12 | Video duration (default: 4) |
size | 720x1280, 1280x720, 1024x1792, 1792x1024 | Output resolution |
Important Notes
- Image dimensions must match video size exactly - the script auto-resizes
- Video generation takes 1-3 minutes typically
- Videos expire after ~1 hour - download immediately
Usage
# Basic text-to-video
uv run ~/.clawdbot/skills/sora/scripts/generate_video.py \
--prompt "A cat playing piano" \
--filename "output.mp4"
# Image-to-video (auto-resizes image)
uv run ~/.clawdbot/skills/sora/scripts/generate_video.py \
--prompt "Slow dolly shot, steam rising, warm lighting" \
--filename "output.mp4" \
--input-image "reference.png" \
--seconds 8 \
--size 720x1280
# With specific model
uv run ~/.clawdbot/skills/sora/scripts/generate_video.py \
--prompt "Cinematic scene" \
--filename "output.mp4" \
--model sora-2-pro \
--seconds 12
Script Parameters
| Flag | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
--prompt, -p | Video description (required) | - |
--filename, -f | Output file path (required) | - |
--input-image, -i | Reference image path | None |
--seconds, -s | Duration: 4, 8, or 12 | 8 |
--size, -sz | Resolution | 720x1280 |
--model, -m | sora-2 or sora-2-pro | sora-2 |
--api-key, -k | OpenAI API key | env var |
--poll-interval | Check status every N seconds | 10 |
API Key
Set OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable or pass --api-key.
Prompt Engineering for Video
Good prompts include:
- Camera movement: dolly, pan, zoom, tracking shot
- Motion description: swirling, rising, falling, shifting
- Lighting: golden hour, candlelight, dramatic rim lighting
- Atmosphere: steam, particles, bokeh, haze
- Mood/style: cinematic, commercial, lifestyle, editorial
Example prompts:
Food commercial:
Slow dolly shot of gourmet dish, soft morning sunlight streaming through window,
subtle steam rising, warm cozy atmosphere, premium food commercial aesthetic
Lifestyle:
Golden hour light slowly shifting across mountains, gentle breeze rustling leaves,
serene morning atmosphere, premium lifestyle commercial
Product shot:
Cinematic close-up, dramatic lighting with warm highlights,
slow reveal, luxury commercial style
Workflow: Image → Video
- Generate image with Nano Banana Pro (or use existing)
- Pass image as
--input-imageto Sora - Write prompt describing desired motion/atmosphere
- Script auto-resizes image to match video dimensions
Output
- Videos saved as MP4
- Typical file size: 1.5-3MB for 8 seconds
- Resolution matches
--sizeparameter