Exploring Veo 3: Strengths, Shortcomings, and Potential
*Post Oak Central - rendered by BOLDRVIZ, Animated in Veo 3
Introduction
AI generated content is progressing fast - nearly monthly there is yet another new tool to note.
When Google’s Veo 3 came out (with a price tag of $250 a month), we were initially dismissive - but a teammate shared the video below, and we knew we had to test it!
The video compares various AI video gen competitors animating a still image of a female archeologist - mid dig. We noted:
Veo3 includes cool background soundfx
The magnifying glass can deform awkwardly
What the Archeologist discovers really varies
Seeing Pika 2.2 made us laugh. We initially tried to use it for our 2023 Christmas Story - but discovered the morphing and lack of consistent detailing provided a total inability to keep details portrayed correctly. In the above snip note her deformed hands and what they are holding.
So with the greatness of Veo 3 presented, we got a subscription and dove in on creating a Demo Reel from our past projects. The following examples are all AI Generated Animations built from Static BOLDRVIZ Renderings.
This post will cover what we discovered creating our reel - with unexpected strengths, shortcomings, and potential.
Strengths We Loved
Water Simulation
Water simulation is incredibly complicated - yet Veo 3 does it with ease. Traditional methods for portraying CGI waves requires hours of physical simulations and calculations, with additional hours of rendering. Veo 3 can knock out a solid draft in 5 minutes.
Cinematic Camera Movement
Veo 3 can take a still image and quickly generate ideas for how that image might come to life. We found the tracks Veo 3 created to have cinematic like movement and be very appealing.
Idea Generation
Veo 3 can take a shot in the dark and propose interesting camera track ideas. In the above example, it proposes highlighting a serene escape through morning fog and birds. While it goes a little wild, it shares a brilliant draft on how we might bring a project like this to life!
Where Veo 3 Falls Short
Morphing People
Animating people is a huge promising aspect of Veo 3 - but also where it falls short. Animating the above shot using traditional methods of character rigging and rendering would take us at least a week of time. So while characters front sides become backsides, and bikes become unicycles, we see some serious potential!
Morphing Vehicles
Vehicular details also get lost in Veo 3. Cars will crash into people, morph into blobs, or drive backwards.
Inconsistent Detailing
Architectural details can morph mid shot. Furniture gets mangled, railings change materiality, and details get lost. While exciting - the above clip highlights how Veo 3 is definitely not suitable for projects requiring consistent details
Prompt Responsiveness
At the end of the day, we found prompting to be guesswork heavy, and limited in its ability to fix output or input issues. In the above example, we couldn’t get the car to drive off the image to the left and it took turning around the car in photoshop to keep the car from morphing.
Where Veo 3 Fits at BOLDRVIZ
(For Now)
We are now using Veo 3 to help with cartooning animations. We have found it very useful for exploring creative direction and visual tone.
It can be used to replace VFX Detail Shots, specifically ones involving water or fire.
However, ultimately, we are excited to start using it to produce AI Motion Stills - Economical animations for clients who are more concerned with a wow factor and who are okay sacrificing details.
Check out our AI Motion Still Demo reel below!
Conclusion
Veo 3 is inspiring—but still a ways from delivering high quality and accurate animations.
We are excited to introduce AI Motion Stills to our Service Offering—and we’re curious to see where it evolves next. Fixing morphing people and cars would present an enormous opportunity.
Have you tried Veo 3? Or are you curious what it would take for us to use it on your project? Let us knows in the field below!