Overview
- Google Vids, which received a major update Thursday, now lets users direct and customize AI avatars with simple prompts so characters can act in scenes and stay consistent across shots.
- Vids now taps Veo 3.1 to generate eight‑second clips inside the editor, with 10 free video generations per month for free accounts and up to 1,000 per month for Google AI Ultra and Workspace AI Ultra.
- The release adds direct export to YouTube with uploads set to Private by default for review, and a new Chrome Screen Recorder to capture your display with audio or webcam video.
- Veo 3.1 Lite, released Tuesday through the Gemini API and Google AI Studio, costs less than half of Veo 3.1 Fast at the same speed and supports text‑to‑video, image‑to‑video, 16:9 or 9:16 framing, 720p or 1080p, and 4, 6, or 8‑second clips.
- A further price cut for Veo 3.1 Fast takes effect April 7 to lower costs for builders, a step that underscores Google’s video push after OpenAI shut down its Sora project last week.