Sora

Our verdict on Sora

Sora 2 is the most fun AI video tool we have used when you are the star: its Cameo feature put Jordan on an oil rig, in a Formula One car and skydiving with real facial fidelity. For everything else, Google Veo beat it in every comparison we ran. Sora is a strong toy and a decent API, but not our default video model.

What we built with Sora

• Launch-week Cameo videos (October 2025): the day after Sora 2 came out, Jordan had made at least 10 to 15 videos at no cost through the invite-only app. On air in Episode 15 he generated a black Labrador making sushi in a chef's hat.
• Sora 2 API video generator (October 2025): a quick standalone tool on the Sora 2 API. It makes horizontal or vertical videos, lets you pick the clip length, add a reference image and remove the Sora watermark, and keeps a video history. Jordan used it to make a 12-second clip of two capybaras on our podcast saying "like and subscribe."

Jordan planned to fold Sora into our main Ryz Labs Video Studio as one more model and retire the standalone tool.

How we use Sora

1. Record your Cameo first. Film your face, moving your head left, right and around. Sam noticed the black hoodie Jordan wore while recording showed up in many later videos, so dress for the clips you want.
2. Put yourself in activities you never did. Our best results were Jordan tanning leather, scuba diving with sharks and dunking in a basketball game. Calmer scenes looked most real.
3. Use the API when you need control. Jordan's tool sets orientation, length (12 seconds for the capybara clip) and an optional reference image for continuity.
4. Size reference images exactly. If the image is not the exact size the API wants, the call fails.
5. Keep prompts short. Overly long inputs sometimes made the API fail, even after Jordan added stop-gaps.
6. Turn off the watermark for your own channels. Jordan built a remove-watermark toggle straight into the tool.
7. Run the same prompt on several models. Jordan's idea in Episode 17: send one prompt to Sora and Veo, maybe several times each, then keep the best clips and cut them together.

When I add a reference image, it has to be this exact size. Otherwise, it doesn't work.

— Jordan Metzner, Episode 17

Where Sora falls short

• Physics on active scenes. Sam's skateboarding and soccer videos were "pretty wonky" compared with Veo 3, and one of Jordan's clips gave him three fingers.
• Realism next to Veo. In June and August 2025, before Sora 2, Jordan said Sora was not nearly as good as Veo 3 Fast. With Sora 2 in October, the capybara test still went to Veo 3.1 Fast.
• Mumbled dialogue. In Episode 18 Jordan pointed out that spoken lines in AI video often are not real words, the way text in AI images used to be.
• Limited to people you know. You can only put friends in a video if they have granted you access on the app.
• Interest fades without you in it. After a day of use, Jordan's take was that the novelty is mostly about seeing yourself.

I think already I've noticed, you know, the videos are interesting because you're the star of it and less interesting when you're not the star of it.

— Jordan Metzner, Episode 15

We did not test Sora pricing beyond the free invite period. In April 2026 (Episode 40), Jordan mentioned in passing that OpenAI had shut down the Sora content-generation business, so check its current status before you build on it.

Sora compared

• Sora vs Google Veo: Sora 2 wins on putting your own face in a video; Veo wins on physics and realism in every test we ran.

Episodes featuring Sora

• Episode 1: why we built a video tool on Veo 3 after Sora's early quality disappointed.
• Episode 10: Jordan rates Sora well behind Veo 3 Fast.
• Episode 15: Sora 2 launch day, Cameos and a live generation.
• Episode 17: the Sora 2 API tool and the capybara test against Veo 3.1 Fast.

FAQ

Is Sora 2 better than Veo?

Not in our tests. Sam found Sora 2's physics wonky on active scenes like skateboarding and soccer, and when we ran the same capybara prompt through both, we thought Veo 3.1 Fast looked better and more real.

How do you remove the Sora watermark?

Jordan built his own tool on the Sora 2 API with a remove-watermark option, since he never wants a watermark on content for our own channels. We did not test other watermark removers on the show.

What is Sora 2 Cameo?

You film your face, turning your head left, right and around, and Sora 2 can then put you inside your own videos. You can only make videos of other people if they have granted you access and you are connected on the Sora app.

How long does Sora 2 take to generate a video?

On launch week Jordan saw generation times of about three to five minutes per video. His API clips also took a few minutes each.