Google integrates Veo 3.1 and avatar prompting into Vids

On Thursday, Google added new features to Vids, its enterprise-focused video editor app. The update integrates Veo 3.1, Google’s video-generation model, and introduces tools that allow users to direct digital avatars using natural language prompts. Through these prompts, users can direct avatars to act in a scene, such as interacting with a product, a prop, or a piece of equipment. According to Google, Vids maintains character consistency despite the dynamic nature of the output. The company also stated that based on the theme of the video, users can customize characters by tweaking their appearance, changing apparel, and creating new backgrounds through prompts.

The integration of Veo 3.1 allows users to generate eight-second clips directly within the editing tool. Google is structuring access to this model through tiered generation limits. All users receive 10 free generations per month. Meanwhile, the company said that Google AI Ultra and Workspace AI Ultra accounts can generate up to 1,000 Veo videos per month.

These updates build on a series of iterations Google has made since first unveiling Vids in 2024 to cater to enterprise content creation. In February, the company added 2D and 3D cartoon-style avatars and added language support for seven voice-over languages, including French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese. Last month, Google added its Lyria 3 and Lyria 3 Pro music creation models to Vids to let users add sound effects or music to their clips.

The latest rollout also introduces several workflow utility features:

• Direct YouTube export: Users can export finished videos directly to YouTube, saving the hassle of downloading and uploading them to a channel. All exported videos are private by default, allowing users to review the video before making it public.
• Screen recording: A new screen-recording Chrome extension is being added to the video suite, allowing users to capture their screens with audio or video.

With these additions, Google is positioning Vids to compete more directly with specialized AI video generation platforms, including Synthesia, HeyGen, D-ID, and Lemon Slice.

Why it matters

Google is scaling Vids’ capabilities to compete directly with specialized AI video platforms by embedding its own generative models and workflow tools into the editor.