Google Vids adds Gemini Omni and personal avatars

Google is adding two new video tools to Google Vids: Gemini Omni for prompt-based video generation and editing, and personal avatars that can present videos without a camera setup.

According to Google, users have created millions of videos in Vids over the past year. In February, the company rolled out Veo 3.1 to all users to help generate videos inside Vids. Now it is extending those capabilities with Gemini Omni, which lets users create high-quality videos by describing what they want in natural language and optionally adding image references such as a photo or rough sketch.

Omni also handles iterative edits. Users can refine either AI-generated clips or videos shot on a phone by typing requests to swap backgrounds, fix lighting, or add effects. Google says the system supports step-by-step edits, so changes can be made without restarting the project.

The second update, personal avatars, is designed for quick updates or personalized messages. Users can create a digital avatar that looks and sounds like them by uploading a selfie and a short voice recording. After that, they can type a script and have the avatar deliver it.

Google says Gemini Omni and personal avatars are available in Google Vids for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, as well as Google Workspace business customers. Access to personal avatars is currently limited to users in certain regions who are 18 or older. The avatars are tied to a user’s Google Account and limited to the account holder’s likeness.

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For disclosure, Google says every generated clip includes an invisible SynthID digital watermark so people can verify that a video was created with AI.