How to Create Long Video with Google Veo 3

If you’ve ever tried using Google Veo 3, you probably noticed one limitation right away: it can only generate videos up to 8 seconds long. That might sound like a big drawback, especially if you want to tell a story that feels smooth and continuous. Eight seconds is just enough for a glimpse of action, a quick mood shot, or a snippet of a scene—but not enough to create a complete narrative.

But here’s the good news: there’s a clever workaround that allows you to turn those short clips into longer, seamless videos. And the best part? You don’t need to be a video editing professional or have fancy tools installed. With a smart combination of ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and a simple frame extraction technique, you can chain multiple 8-second clips together so they look like one continuous story.

The method we’re going to cover today is called the “video → screenshot → image-to-video” technique. Don’t let the name intimidate you—it’s actually very beginner-friendly once you go through it step by step. You’ll basically generate your first video using text prompts, then take a screenshot from the last frame, and finally use that screenshot to guide the next scene. Repeating this process lets you create storylines that stretch far beyond the original 8-second limit.

In this Mangidik article, I’ll walk you through every step of the process. We’ll start by preparing the master prompt, then move on to generating the first video scene, extending it with follow-up clips, and finally previewing the final result. If you follow along, by the end you’ll have the tools you need to build longer and more engaging videos using Google Veo 3.

Step 1: Preparing the Prompt

Before anything else, you need a good prompt. This is the foundation that will make your workflow smooth. The prompt tells ChatGPT exactly how to create scene-by-scene video instructions for you. Don’t worry, I’ve already prepared a ready-to-use prompt template that you only need to customize slightly.

Here’s the prompt you’ll be working with:

You are an AI prompt writer specialized in creating continuous video prompts for Google Veo 3 using a "video → screenshot → image-to-video" technique to make longer stories.

📌 USER INPUT:

1. Character Descriptions: [write here]

2. Main Scene Description: [write here]

3. Number of Scenes: [write here]

4. Visual Style: [e.g., Ultra realistic 2D animated style / cinematic style / other]

🎯 YOUR TASKS:

1. Create the first scene as a **Text-to-Video prompt** (Scene 1).

2. Create follow-up scenes as **Image-to-Video prompts** (Scene 2 → final).

3. Keep **character descriptions, setting, and color palette consistent** across all scenes.

4. Always start follow-up scenes with: "continuation of the previous scene".

5. Add small but clear scene progression in each step (new action, expression, or camera movement).

6. Maintain the same visual style across all scenes.

7. Output each scene inside **separate triple backtick code blocks** for easy copying.

8. Label each block with the scene number and type.

This prompt is designed to automatically generate the structure you need. The only things you have to edit are:

1. Character descriptions – Write the names or even roles (e.g., “Anna, a young botanist exploring the forest”).
2. Main scene description – A broad idea of what’s happening (e.g., “Tomas fishing at the river, struggling at first, then catching a big fish”).
3. Number of scenes – You decide how many parts your video story will have.
4. Visual style – Choose a look you like, whether realistic, cinematic, 3D animated, or even Ghibli-style.

Once you’ve made those edits:

1. Copy the entire prompt.
2. Open ChatGPT (I recommend the app version for convenience).
3. Paste the prompt and tap send.

ChatGPT will then generate detailed video prompts, broken down into one text-to-video prompt for the first scene and several image-to-video prompts for the continuation scenes.

Step 2: Generate the First Scene

Now that you have your prompts, it’s time to generate the actual video. Here’s how to create Scene 1:

1. Copy the prompt for Scene 1 that ChatGPT gave you.
2. Open Google Gemini.
3. Select the Video with Veo option.
4. Paste the Scene 1 prompt.
5. Hit Send and wait a few minutes.
6. Once it’s done, download your 8-second video.

That’s your starting point. Think of Scene 1 as the introduction to your story—the base clip that all future scenes will build on.

Step 3: Generate the Following Scenes

This is where the magic happens. To continue the story smoothly, you need to use the last frame of your previous video as a reference for the next scene. That way, the transition feels natural.

Here’s the process:

1. Take a screenshot of the last frame from Scene 1. 
2. Alternatively, visit FinalFrame, tap Choose video, upload your Scene 1 video, and download the fourth frame, which is the last one.
3. Go back to Google Gemini.
4. Upload the screenshot (the last frame) as your starting image.
5. Copy and paste the prompt for Scene 2 (from ChatGPT).
6. Hit Send and wait for the video to render.
7. Download the result.

Repeat the same steps for Scene 3, Scene 4, and so on. Each time, you’ll use the last frame of the previous clip and pair it with the next prompt from ChatGPT. By stacking these clips, you’re essentially creating one continuous narrative, even though each segment is technically just 8 seconds long.

Step 4: Preview the Final Result

Once you’ve generated all the scenes, it’s time to watch your story come together. Play the clips in order, and you’ll see how naturally they flow. Each scene transitions smoothly into the next because you’ve been using consistent prompts and frames along the way.

If you want, you can take it one step further by combining all the clips into a single video file. Any basic editing app like CapCut, VN, or even iMovie will do the trick. Just line up the clips back-to-back, and you’ll have a complete video that looks like it was created in one go.

For a visual walkthrough of everything we’ve covered, you can check out this tutorial video.

Conclusion

Even though Google Veo 3 limits you to 8-second clips, you don’t have to settle for short and incomplete stories. With this method, you can break free from that restriction and build longer, more immersive videos. The key is the smart use of prompts, screenshots, and image-to-video transitions, which together create the illusion of continuity.

So, the next time you want to make a narrative video—whether it’s a cinematic short, an animated adventure, or even a simple tutorial—you’ll know how to extend your clips beyond the usual limit. It takes a bit of setup at first, but once you get into the rhythm, it becomes second nature.

Remember: your creativity is the only real limit here. Experiment with different characters, styles, and storylines. The more you play around with prompts, the more control you’ll have over the storytelling. And before you know it, you’ll be producing videos that feel professional and flow effortlessly, all starting from Google Veo 3’s tiny 8-second clips.