Google Vids receives a significant boost from AI to simplify video creation with some exciting new features.
Google
Google Workspace's AI-driven video tool, Vids, has recently received a substantial upgrade and seems eager to take on more tasks for you. With smarter editing capabilities, enhanced automation, and a keener eye for detail, creating a professional-looking video now appears almost suspiciously effortless.
What’s new in Vids?
Directable Avatars: You can now incorporate avatars into your scenes and instruct them on what actions to perform. Want a presenter to answer a phone call, point to a sales graph, or walk someone through a product demonstration? Simply type your instructions. The best part is that their facial expressions and voice remain consistent throughout, preventing your video from resembling a chaotic mix of disjointed clips. It feels cohesive, intentional, and, dare I say, almost too easy.
Custom Avatars: If the built-in avatars aren't quite to your liking, you can create your own from scratch. Customize their appearance, change outfits, adjust backgrounds, and overall set the desired tone. For example, you could have the same avatar present quarterly results in a formal office context, then seamlessly transition to a lively, vibrant background for a product walkthrough, all while maintaining their identity.
Veo 3.1 Integration: This feature is genuinely enjoyable. You can produce short video clips within Vids just by entering a prompt or uploading an image. Something like “a cinematic drone shot of a beach at sunset” transforms into an actual video clip in seconds. Each month, you get 10 free 8-second generations, which may seem sufficient until you begin experimenting and find yourself wishing for more.
Direct Export to YouTube: After finalizing your video, you can directly upload it to YouTube from within Vids. It’s quick, seamless, and eliminates one of those minor yet genuine nuisances in the process.
Screen Recording via Chrome Extension: Vids also includes a built-in screen recorder accessible through a Chrome extension. You can capture your screen along with your voice or even video, making it perfect for brief tutorials, demonstrations, or walkthroughs. For instance, while explaining a feature or guiding someone through a tool, you can record it instantly without needing additional software. It’s straightforward and, more importantly, it works flawlessly when you need it.
My thoughts on these new features
Google has a solid track record with AI, rarely releasing anything that feels half-finished, and the same approach is evident with Vids. These features alleviate some of the challenges associated with video creation. Tasks that typically require multiple tools, numerous attempts, and a fair amount of patience now seem much more streamlined. On the surface, everything sounds quite promising. From clip generation to avatar direction and final output refinement, much of the labor-intensive, repetitive work appears to be done for you.
That said, I would still want to spend some quality time with it to identify its strengths and weaknesses, as that’s often where the true story lies. For now, however, it does seem as though Google is steering Vids in a positive direction. If this trend continues, we can anticipate a much more effective and useful video tool, rather than just another impressive-sounding AI feature that fades into the background with regular use.
Shimul is a contributor at Digital Trends, bringing over five years of experience in the tech industry.
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