Google introduced its new video editor, Vids, for the Google Workspace productivity suite last year. This week, the company announced several new features, including AI avatars, automatic transcript trimming, and image-to-video tools. It is also releasing a free version of the editor for consumers, though this version will have limited features.
The free consumer version of Google Vids will include basic editing controls along with access to Google’s template library, font collection, and stock media library. However, it will not include any AI features at this time.
In the corporate sector, startups like Synthesia and D-ID already offer companies access to AI avatars and related tools for creating training and educational videos. Google is now launching a similar feature for its Workspace customers through Vids. The core value proposition remains the same: if you lack the budget for professional video production, you can use these AI tools to create one instead.
Users can post a script, choose an avatar from a range of voices and personas, and generate a video. Google first announced the AI avatars feature at its I/O conference in May and released it in beta. The tool is now generally available.
Google is also adding a new video editing feature that automatically detects filler words such as “um” or “ah” as well as long pauses. Users can click on these words or pauses to remove them, and the editor will adjust the video seamlessly.
Additionally, the company is bringing an image-to-video generation capability to Vids. This feature, which was first launched for Veo 3 in July, allows users to create eight-second video clips from still images.
Google has also revealed it is working on several other enhancements for Vids, including noise cancellation, Google Meet-like backgrounds and effects, and support for new sizing formats like portrait, landscape, and square. The company did not specify a release date for these upcoming features.
The new AI-powered capabilities will be available to Google Workplace Business or Enterprise Starter users, Google AI Pro or Ultra subscribers, and Workspace for Education customers.