Google and YouTube will let you use AI to turn images into videos and more — here's what we know
Specifically, Google says its Photos app is gaining new tools that can breathe new life into your photos. Those features include adding a photo-to-video feature powered by Veo 2 as well a new Remix capability that converts existing photos into animations, sketchs, comics and other styles.
Meanwhile, YouTube Shorts will also pick up the photo-to-video feature, and it's introducing new generative video effects, too.
The photos-to-video feature lets users transform their images into 6-second video clips in just a few steps. All this is powered by Google's Veo 2 AI video generator when you select a picture from your gallery and pick from one of two prompts — 'Subtle movements' or 'I'm feeling lucky.'
On top of that, Google Photos will now allow you to 'remix' your images, allowing you to change the style of your images with ease. For instance, you could turn your most recent selfie into an anime, comic or even a 3D animation. All you have to do is select an image in your gallery and then choose your preferred style.
Not only can you animate your images, but Google is also introducing a new Create tab in Google Photos that makes it even easier to find the tools that you need. Basically, it's a tab to find each feature, such as photo-to-video and remix, in one place.
With the push for more AI-backed features, Google is also working to improve transparency regarding what is, and isn't generated through AI. For instance, all videos and photos generated with the above methods will include an invisible SynthID watermark, while Videos generated in Photos will also have a visual watermark, similar to what you'd see in Gemini.
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On top of that, both Photo to video and Remix will be supported by Google's Red Team, a group of ethical hackers, who will aim to find and address any potential issues, while also conducting evaluations to prevent any of these features from being misused.
You can try out the Photo to Video feature today (July 23), while the Remix feature will be arriving in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the Create tab is expected for release in August.
It isn't just Google that is making use of AI for new features, as YouTube has announced new features based around combining the creation tools with YouTube Shorts. Like Google, YouTube is also introducing the ability to turn your photos into video, allowing you to easily breathe new life into your pictures. This feature is set for release next week, free of charge, in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with more regions coming later this year.
On top of that, YouTube is also adding new generative effects to YouTube, including the ability to turn your doodles into lifelike images. You'll also be able to turn your images into more unique videos, for instance, adding in water or twinning with a lookalike sibling.
To access these effects, find the sparkle icon in the shorts camera and then tap on 'AI' to start browsing. YouTube isn't only releasing features either, as the company has announced that while the features will initially run on Veo 2, the company will soon be rolling out the newer Veo 3 to YouTube later this summer.
YouTube is also introducing AI Playground, where you can easily find the latest gen AI tools, as well as a gallery of examples and pre-filled prompts to help you get started generating music, videos and more. AI Playground is available now for everyone in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. All you need to do is tap the create button, and then the sparkle icon in the top right corner.
Like Google, all of these tools will make use of Synth ID watermarks, as we all as clear labels, to help prove that they were made with AI.
Overall, it's an exciting time for AI fans looking to add something a little bit different to their images and YouTube shorts. It's also good to see that both Google and YouTube are working to implement more transparency on what is AI and what isn't. As such, now is the time to grab one of the best camera phones and see what you can create.
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