Sora Output Specs
Ratio, duration and destination affect the prompt, shot design and storyboard from the start.
#Choose the destination
Use vertical 9:16 for short-video placements, landscape 16:9 for longer video/presentations/site heroes, and square where the placement requires it. Ratio is a composition decision as well as an export setting.
#Plan short units
Three- to five-second tests establish a shot or visual direction. Longer short promotions need a planned sequence. The original guide lists Sora app duration tiers and a stitched-video limit, but these are historical product/account details: confirm current availability and allowances in the product you use rather than treating them as permanent guarantees.
Duration can affect both control and usage allowances. Establish the shot with a short sample before extending it.
#Decide before export
Record the destination, caption space, ending/action space and whether another editor will finish the piece. These determine subject placement, whitespace and shot density.
For workflows that include audio, also decide whether there is dialogue, whether ambience matters and whether another soundtrack will replace it.
#Production order
Lock the platform and ratio, prepare the storyboard, generate shot-sized segments, then align export and naming conventions. Longer generation is not a substitute for sequence planning.