Google Brings New Video AI Features to Google Photos and YouTube Shorts

Google today announced that it is bringing new AI video editing tools to both Google Photos and YouTube Shorts.

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Google ‌Photos‌ is gaining a photo-to-video feature that's powered by Veo 2. The photo app will be able to generate short videos from the photos that are saved in the Google ‌Photos‌ gallery, adding subtle animations, facial expressions, and more.

Google ‌Photos‌ users can select a picture from their photo gallery and choose the "Subtle movements" or "I'm feeling lucky" options to bring images to life with movement. The feature is rolling out today in the Google ‌Photos‌ apps for iOS and Android.

In the next few weeks, Google ‌Photos‌ will get a "Remix" feature that will allow users to change the style of a photo using AI. Available options will include anime, comic, sketch, and 3D animation. The Photo to video and Remix tools can both be found in the new Create tab in Google ‌Photos‌, and all AI-generated content will be watermarked with a SynthID digital watermark.

As for YouTube Shorts, Google is allowing creators to use the Photo to video feature to turn pictures from the camera roll into videos that work on the Shorts platform. As with the option in Google ‌Photos‌, Photo to video can add movement to landscape photos, animate everyday images, and add life to group photos.

Creators are also able to use new effects that can transform doodles into images and turn selfies into unique videos.

Photo to video for YouTube Shorts is rolling out today and over the next week, and it's a free feature that will be available in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The new effects are rolling out in the coming weeks and can be found by tapping the Effects icon in the Shorts camera.

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Top Rated Comments

F23 Avatar
7 months ago
Free Unlimited Google Photos for 10 years was the easiest way to collect all that juicy training data
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bobbyjack Avatar
7 months ago
I watched a video where a man showed his grandmother a video of her husband, deceased 20 years, created from a photo. Obviously, she ended up sobbing. It didn't strike me as heartwarming....
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cameltahoe Avatar
7 months ago

Some of these AI videos bring life to people that aren't with us anymore and it's incredibly emotional and amazing!
That's what your brain is supposed to do. Remember people who aren't with you anymore. It's incredibly emotional and amazing!

It also doesn't need a massive GPU and fake fictional motion. It's all there...in your memories for free.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mansplains Avatar
7 months ago

I watched a video where a man showed his grandmother a video of her husband, deceased 20 years, created from a photo. Obviously, she ended up sobbing. It didn't strike me as heartwarming....
Reminiscent of mediums who speak with demons disguised as the dead (or fake the entire thing with cold reading) for “closure”… AI is taking their jobs too!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
7 months ago
Do they have no moral compass? I don’t think they care at this point. A certain Jurassic Park quote comes to mind…
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
7 months ago
Oh good, more AI slathered all over. Just what I wanted.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)