Google has announced some new updates to its Veo AI video generation tool, with Veo now able to create videos based on reference images, generate vertical videos, and upscale clips to 1080p and 4k resolution.
Veo 3.1 is Google’s most powerful AI video generation system to date, and could be a valuable tool to have in your arsenal for creating video content, especially if you don’t have time to film product clips. Indeed, the capacity to create vertical videos from still images could be a valuable feature in this respect.
As explained by Google:
“Even with short prompts, you can generate dynamic and engaging videos based on ingredient images. You’ll now see richer dialogue and storytelling, making your videos feel more alive and expressive.”
As noted, this could be a valuable addition for product videos, though I would also note that, for narrative-driven content, the concept remains the key, and AI can’t generate that for you.
Some AI-generated videos have gained a heap of traction, and become viral hits of their own, but these are built from a clever idea as their foundation, which is the real key to hitting a home run with your AI video clips, or any video content. Taking the time to come up with a good idea for your videos is just as important, if not more so, than the capacity to create it.
Google also notes that identity consistency has been improved in Veo 3.1, which will ensure that your characters and background elements maintain their look even as the setting and scene changes.
And as noted, you can also now generate videos in a native 9:16 aspect ratio:
“Whether you are creating for YouTube Shorts or other platforms, you can now produce high-quality, full-screen vertical storytelling without cropping or quality loss.”
Given the popularity of short-form video, this could be a valuable addition, which could again make this a tool worth exploring.
Veo 3.1 can also generate videos in 1080p and 4K via upscaling, which will improve the look of your content.
Some handy updates, which are worth a look if you’re thinking about using AI for video generation.
Google says that Veo 3.1 will be available within YouTube Shorts and the YouTube Create app, while it will also be available in both the video and portrait modes in the Gemini app starting today.
“In Shorts, get started by clicking Create [+] and then selecting the 'Create Video' button in your media gallery, or by selecting from the top right corner > Create video. You can also get started by downloading the YouTube Create app on Android and then tapping ‘Generate video.’ Note: This new capability will initially be available to YouTube Create users in India, the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. We hope to roll out more broadly (including to iPhones) in the coming months.”
Google’s also rolling out the updated Veo 3.1 model to Flow, the Gemini API, Vertex AI, and Google Vids.
