Google now lets you direct avatars through prompts in its Vids app

On Thursday, Google unveiled exciting enhancements to its video editing application, Vids. Among the key updates is the ability for users to direct and personalize avatars using natural language prompts. This innovative feature allows users to instruct avatars to perform actions within a scene, such as interacting with various props or products. Additionally, the latest version supports Veo 3.1, which enables the creation of eight-second video clips directly within the editing tool. To further engage users, Google is providing ten free generations each month for all users, while those with Google AI Ultra and Workspace AI Ultra accounts can generate up to 1,000 Veo videos monthly. Another significant addition is the option to export completed videos straight to YouTube, streamlining the process by eliminating the need for downloading and re-uploading. By default, all exported videos remain private, allowing creators to review their work before making it public. Moreover, the introduction of a new Chrome extension for screen recording enhances the Vids suite, enabling users to capture audio and video from their screens seamlessly. Google has been consistently improving Vids since its initial launch in 2024, aiming to meet the needs of enterprise content creators. Last year, AI avatars were introduced, and earlier this year, the company expanded its offerings with 2D and 3D cartoon-style avatars and additional voice-over language support, including French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese. As Vids continues to evolve, it faces competition from various players in the market, including Synthesia, HeyGen, D-ID, and Lemon Slice. With these new features, Google is positioning Vids as a formidable tool for video content creation.