Google expands AI-powered Vids platform to free users, adds new features

AI-powered video editor Google Vids is now free for all, offering templates and editing tools to simplify video creation, while also rolling out various new features

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Google is expanding access to its AI-powered video editor, Vids, by rolling out a basic version for all free accounts. Previously limited to Google Workspace and AI Premium subscribers, the tool is now more broadly available with templates, stock media, and essential editing features. Users can create videos by converting a Slides presentation, uploading clips, or recording themselves directly within the app.

 

Additionally, Google has introduced new AI-powered features, including storytelling with AI avatars, smarter editing tools, and more. However, these advanced editing features will continue to be available only to paid-tier users.

What is Google Vids?

Launched last year, Vids is Google’s newest addition to the Workspace lineup. Designed for quick video presentations, it leverages AI to streamline the process with tools for storyboarding, scene suggestions, stock imagery, and background music, making video creation more accessible. Vids functions much like Google Slides, offering over a hundred templates across categories such as how-to guides, documentaries, and celebrations. 

Google Vids: New features

Google is enhancing video creation in Workspace with a new set of AI-powered tools in Vids, designed to help teams and individuals produce professional-looking content in minutes. The features include:

 

AI video generation with sound

 

The rollout of Veo 3 adds powerful video generation capabilities. Teams can now create AI-driven video clips with sound in minutes, making it easy to personalise client presentations or showcase a brand. A new image-to-video feature also lets you turn photos—such as product shots or company stock images—into short, dynamic eight-second clips with audio using just a text prompt. It is rolling out today.

 

Storytelling with AI avatars

 

At Google I/O, the company announced AI avatars to help teams streamline their video content and present information more clearly. Starting today, users can simply write a script, pick an avatar, and let it deliver the message. This is said to be useful for training, onboarding, product demos, or explainer videos. 

 

Smarter editing tools

 

Vids now includes a new automatic transcript trim feature that removes filler words and long pauses with just a few clicks. These smarter editing tools are rolling out today. Google also confirmed that features such as noise cancellation, virtual backgrounds, filters, and appearance adjustments will be added by next month. These are similar to the features already familiar to Google Meet users but are built directly into Vids.

 

Flexible video formats

 

Vids will soon support portrait, landscape, and square formats, ensuring videos are optimised for YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, or any other platform without requiring extra editing. This option will be available by next quarter.

 

“Vids on Vids” instructional series

 

Google is launching a “Vids on Vids” tutorial series to help new users. According to the Google blog, the series offers best practices and hands-on demos of core features like AI avatars, animations, stock media, and voiceovers. It walks users through the entire video workflow—from planning a story with AI, to recording in the Vids studio, to keeping viewers engaged with transitions. New episodes will be added as fresh features roll out.