Sora 2 is OpenAI's second-generation video model, and it sits at the top of the current generation for one specific capability: photorealistic physical coherence. It can simulate how real-world physics behave — water, fabric, light, and atmospheric effects — in a way that makes impossible scenarios look completely plausible.

This guide covers what Sora 2 does exceptionally well, how to structure prompts that get the best results, and how to access it without a standalone OpenAI subscription.

What Makes Sora 2 Different

Most AI video models generate visually appealing clips. Sora 2's distinguishing characteristic is physical believability — the generated world behaves like the real one, even when the scenario itself is impossible.

Where Sora 2 leads:

Impossible physics scenarios that look real (water flowing upward, objects defying gravity)
Environmental simulation (weather, atmospheric effects, natural light behavior)
Complex cause-and-effect motion (one object's movement logically affects another)
"What if" scenarios requiring the world to behave consistently

Where other models compete:

Rapid generation speed: Seedance 2 and LTX-2 are faster for batch production
Dynamic transformation: Kling 3 handles sharp physical transformation more cleanly
Cinematic style: Veo 3.1 often produces more aesthetically refined atmospheric shots

How to Access Sora 2

You can access Sora 2 in two ways:

Direct: Via OpenAI's platform with a ChatGPT Pro subscription.

Via aicut: aicut provides access to Sora 2 alongside Veo 3.1, Kling 3, Seedance 2, and other models from one dashboard — without a separate OpenAI subscription. This is the better option if you want to compare Sora 2 output against other models for the same prompt.

Sora 2 Prompt Structure

Sora 2 responds to specificity. The more precisely you describe the physical mechanism of what you want, the better the output.

Basic structure:

[Subject] + [Physical event or action] + [Camera direction] + [Lighting/atmosphere]

What to emphasize in Sora 2 prompts:

The physical mechanism (water rises, leaves fall upward, shadow detaches) not just the aesthetic result
Camera movement (slowly tracks left, tilts up to follow, holds static)
Environmental conditions (morning mist, golden hour, underwater)
Time dimension (slow motion, time-lapse, real-time)

Weak prompt: A dramatic scene with water.

Strong prompt: A glass cylinder fills with water that flows upward from the bottom, forming a suspended sphere at the top. Camera slowly tracks upward with the rising water. Studio lighting with soft side-fill. Slow motion.

5 Prompt Categories for Sora 2

1. Impossible Physics

A feather falls upward through a forest canopy in slow motion. The camera tracks it as it rises. Morning light filters down through the trees in the opposite direction.

A candle flame burns downward, its smoke rising normally. Dark background. The flame behavior is the only anomaly — everything else is photorealistic.

2. Environmental Spectacle

A lightning storm viewed from above the cloud layer — looking down at the storm. Each bolt branches in slow motion. The camera is stationary.

Dense fog rolls through a canyon at sunrise. The fog has visible layers — each moving at a slightly different speed. Wide shot.

3. Microscale Events

A soap bubble pops in slow motion, the iridescent film visible as it tears and retracts. Black background. High-speed photography aesthetic.

A single droplet of ink falls into clear water and blooms in extreme detail — tendrils spreading in slow motion. Macro lens.

4. Surreal Realism

A subway train travels through an underwater tunnel — fish swim past the windows. Passengers read newspapers, completely unbothered. Photorealistic.

A city park at noon. All the shadows have detached slightly from their objects and begun drifting sideways. No one has noticed.

5. Object Physics

A stack of books falls in slow motion — each book falls at the same rate but begins gently fanning its pages open as it drops. Library setting.

A heavy iron anchor falls through clear Caribbean water in slow motion. The light from above refracts through it.

Generation Settings

Duration: 8–15 seconds. Sora 2's physical simulations often need more time to play out than shorter clips allow. Under 6 seconds, complex physics scenarios can feel truncated.

Seed variation: Run the same prompt 3 times minimum. Sora 2 has meaningful variance between seeds — the first generation is rarely the best one.

Aspect ratio: 9:16 for TikTok/Reels/Shorts (vertical), 16:9 for YouTube standard. Sora 2 handles both well.

When to Choose Sora 2 vs. Other Models

Scenario	Use Sora 2	Use alternative
Photorealistic impossible physics	✅	—
Cinematic atmospheric clip	Sometimes	Veo 3.1 (better lighting fidelity)
Fast iteration / prompt testing	❌	Seedance 2 (faster)
Dynamic transformation	Sometimes	Kling 3 (crisper transitions)
Environmental spectacle	✅	—

Key Takeaways

Sora 2's core strength is physical coherence — impossible scenarios rendered with real-world physics.
Prompt specificity matters more with Sora 2 than most models — describe the physical mechanism, not just the aesthetic.
Generate 3+ seed variations before deciding a prompt doesn't work.
Access Sora 2 alongside other top models on aicut — no separate OpenAI subscription required.

Try Sora 2 now at aicut — compare it with Veo 3.1, Kling 3, and Seedance 2 in one dashboard.