What new AI video features did Google Vids add?

Google adds directing, avatar customization, and Veo support to Vids

Google has pushed a substantial AI video upgrade to Vids, expanding the product from basic editing toward more “creative control” over generated and modified footage. The update includes the ability to direct and customize avatars via text prompts, meaning users can specify how on-screen characters should look or behave without manually editing every frame.

The rollout also adds Veo 3.1 support, integrating Google’s video generation models into the Vids editing workflow. In practice, that positions Vids as both a creator tool (for producing video) and an editor (for shaping output), rather than a standalone generation interface.

Why it matters is that this kind of feature typically reduces the barrier between “prompting a model” and “finishing a video for real use.” If prompt-based avatar direction is reliable, it can speed up production for marketing teams, independent creators, and studios experimenting with digital doubles or stylized characters.

The same theme shows up across the AI-video race: OpenAI’s video plans have faced pullbacks, while Google continues to broaden distribution through consumer-style product packaging. For Vids specifically, the focus is on making generation and editing converge inside a single interface.

Key capabilities highlighted in the provided story include:

• Text-prompt-based control of avatars within video
• Customization options tied to those prompts
• Compatibility with Veo 3.1 for video generation support

It’s a sign that video generation is moving from novelty toward tooling that supports iterative production workflows—where creators can refine outputs repeatedly instead of restarting from scratch each time.