Model & Parameter Selection

Use this page to choose the model path and settings you can actually control from makefx today. For prompting strategy, start with Media Playbooks.

Images

Make Effects routes image jobs through Google's Nano Banana image models and stores the exact provider model ID in each generated image recipe.

Selection	Exact model ID	Use for	Notes
pro	gemini-3-pro-image-preview	assets you expect to reuse, compare, or hand off	default; supports up to 14 references
flash	gemini-2.5-flash-image	quick drafts with one reference or no reference	supports 1 reference and 1K output only

Image parameters

Parameter	Values	Guidance
Aspect ratio	1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 2:3, 3:2, 3:4, 4:3, 4:5, 5:4, 21:9	choose for destination; default image generation is square when omitted
Image size	1K, 2K, 4K	Pro supports all three; Flash supports 1K only
Reference images	Pro supports up to 14; Flash supports 1	label each reference by role
Operation	generate, refine, derive	generate from text, edit an existing variant, or compose from references

Use 16:9 or 21:9 for keyframes and backgrounds, 9:16 for vertical clips, 1:1 for icons and tiles, and portrait ratios for character cards.

Video

Make Effects routes video jobs through Google's Veo 3.1 family. The public CLI lets you set prompt, references, resolution, provider duration, model tier, audio, and production metadata.

Tier	Exact model ID	Use for
generate	veo-3.1-generate-preview	clips you expect to review, place on a timeline, or ship
fast	veo-3.1-fast-generate-preview	cheaper iteration path
lite	veo-3.1-lite-generate-preview	draft path for background motion tests

Video parameters

Parameter	Values	Guidance
Aspect ratio	16:9, 9:16	other values normalize to landscape behavior
Resolution	720p, 1080p, 4k	pick 720p for tests; 4k requires the generate or fast tier
Provider duration	4, 6, 8 seconds	not controlled by --duration-ms; use CLI --duration or the web duration control
Tier	generate, fast, lite	use generate for final clips, fast/lite for iteration
References	up to 3 source images/keyframes	one unstyled image uses image-to-video; two unstyled images use first/last frames; any style image or 3 images uses reference-image mode

The CLI --duration-ms flag records where the clip fits on your production timeline. It does not set the generated clip length; use --duration 4|6|8 for provider duration.

Audio

Choose one audio mode for each request.

Mode	Default use	CLI
speech	one narrator or voiceover	makefx audio speech generate
dialogue	multi-speaker script	makefx audio dialogue generate
music	bed, cue, sting, loop	makefx audio music generate
sfx	one-off sound effect	makefx audio sfx generate

Speech and dialogue depend on voice selection and provider configuration. Treat the voice as a reusable reference for identity. Production can use ElevenLabs; music requests may opt into Lyria with --provider lyria. Stage and local environments may use fake providers. Entitlement, quota, and rate checks can stop image, video, or audio generation before a provider call is made.

Mode	Exact default model
speech	eleven_multilingual_v2
dialogue	eleven_v3
ElevenLabs music	music_v1
Lyria music	lyria-3-clip-preview
sfx	eleven_text_to_sound_v2

Provider reference semantics

Image generation requires references that resolve to completed image variants. Zero image references calls Gemini text-to-image, one-reference refine calls Gemini edit, and derive or multi-reference refine calls Gemini compose. Reference labels such as Image 1: or Style ref 1: are included in prompt text; they are not typed provider channels.

Video references use Veo-specific channels. Zero images is text-to-video. One unstyled image is sent as the top-level image input. Two unstyled images use first/last-frame interpolation. Any style image, or three final image inputs, uses Veo referenceImages[]; style images are typed as provider STYLE, and the remaining references are typed as ASSET.

Audio generation does not accept image references today. Voice IDs and ordered dialogue voice selections are the reference-like controls for speech and dialogue identity.

Decision tables

Images

Situation	Pick
final asset with several references	pro image model
quick draft with one reference	flash image model
character turnaround or tile set	pro image model
character plus style plus background	pro image model

Video

Situation	Pick
final shot from a keyframe	generate tier, 1080p or 4k, 8s
quick motion test	fast or lite tier, 720p, 4s or 6s
vertical social clip	generate tier, vertical aspect ratio, 6s or 8s

Audio

Situation	Pick
narration	speech
character conversation	dialogue
background bed	music
event sound	sfx

Controls you can set

Start with these controls when shaping output:

• --aspect for image/video shape where supported
• --count for batches
• audio mode subcommands
• production metadata such as --production-id, --shot-id, --scene-label, --timeline-start-ms, and --duration-ms

If a control is not listed here, let Make Effects use its defaults and focus on prompt, references, aspect, count, and production metadata.