Google has introduced a new set of features to its video creation app, Vids, giving users greater control over the look and feel of their content. The update aims to make video production easier, faster, and more creative, especially for those without editing experience.

At the heart of the update is a new way to manage digital avatars using simple text prompts. Instead of manually animating characters, users can now type instructions and watch the avatars respond.

With this update, users can direct avatars to “act” in a scene using natural language. Creators can describe what they want, such as an avatar demonstrating a product or interacting with objects, and the app will generate the scene accordingly.

Google states that although the output can vary depending on the prompt, the avatars remain visually consistent throughout the video. This helps keep a professional look, especially for business or branded content.

Users can also customise their characters further.

By using prompts, they can change the character’s appearance, alter their clothes, and even add a completely new background that fits the video’s theme. The aim is to give creators greater flexibility without adding complexity.

Alongside the avatar control, Google is integrating its Veo 3.1 video-generation model into Vids. This feature allows users to create short, eight-second clips directly within the editor. Casual users can generate up to 10 videos per month for free.

However, for premium plans such as Google AI Ultra and Workspace AI Ultra, this figure rises considerably to 1,000 videos. This change follows previous additions to this platform.

Just last month, Google launched its Lyria 3 and Lyria 3 Pro music models for Vids. This allows users to incorporate background music and sound effects and produce complete videos without resorting to additional software.

Google has made it easier for users to share their videos. They can do this by exporting videos from Google to YouTube without first downloading them. By default, exported videos are private. This allows users to review them.

Additionally, Google has developed a Chrome extension that enables users to record their screens. This facility enables users to record video or audio, making it much easier to create video or audio tutorials/demonstrations.

Google’s Vids platform was introduced in 2024, and since then, it has been growing to offer creators more. Initially intended only for enterprises, it has been opening up to other users over time. Last year, for example, the platform introduced AI avatars and new options for 2D/3D cartoon-style avatars.

The platform has also expanded its voice-over options to include French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese.