Bring Static Images to Life: Veo 3.1 Arrives in Google Vids

Google has significantly upgraded its AI-powered video creation app, Google Vids, by integrating its latest and most capable video generation model: Veo 3.1. As teased in the recent promotional clip, this update introduces an “ingredients-to-video” workflow, allowing users to transform static photos into high-definition, 8-second video clips with realistic motion and audio.

What is Veo 3.1?

Veo 3.1 is Google DeepMind’s state-of-the-art generative video model. Unlike previous iterations that relied solely on text prompts, Veo 3.1 excels at “Ingredients-to-Video,” a feature that uses reference images to guide the generation process. This ensures that specific subjects—whether it’s a company mascot, a product prototype, or a brand logo—remain consistent and recognizable when animated.

How “Ingredients-to-Video” Works

The new feature enables users to upload up to three reference images (the “ingredients”) and combine them with a text prompt to direct the action. The AI then hallucinates movement, lighting, and physics to create a cohesive scene.

The Workflow:

Open the Veo Panel: Inside Google Vids, access the “Generate video” or “Veo” sidebar.
Upload Images: Select up to three static images. For example, you could upload a photo of a coffee bag and a café setting.
Add a Prompt: Describe the desired action, such as “A cinematic pan of the coffee bag sitting on a sunlit table with steam rising.”
Generate: Veo 3.1 produces an 8-second clip that blends your images with the requested motion and even generates synchronized background audio (like café chatter or steam hissing).

Why This Matters for Business

This update addresses a major hurdle in corporate video creation: Asset Availability. Marketing teams often have high-quality still photos but lack video footage. With Veo 3.1, a single product shot can be turned into multiple video assets for social media, training decks, or internal updates without an expensive video shoot.

Availability

The Veo 3.1 update for Google Vids began rolling out to Rapid Release domains on November 12, 2025, and is scheduled for full release starting December 3, 2025. It is available to customers with Google Workspace Business, Enterprise, and Education editions, as well as Google AI Pro subscribers.