Streamline Collaboration in Google Vids with Video Placeholders

Google Vids is enhancing how teams collaborate on video projects with a simple yet essential feature: Video Placeholders. As explained by Laura Mae Martin, Google’s productivity advisor, in a new tutorial, this tool allows creators to structure their video narrative before the actual footage is ready, making it easier to assign tasks and format scenes in advance.

What are Video Placeholders?

A video placeholder is a pre-formatted shape that you insert into a scene in your Google Vids timeline. It acts as a container for future content. Instead of waiting for a colleague to record their update or for a clip to be finalized, you can design the slide layout, set the size and shape of the video slot, and leave it ready for fulfillment [00:02].

How to Use Them

Adding a placeholder is a straightforward process [00:24]:

Select the Scene: In the timeline editor, click on the specific scene where you want the video to appear.
Insert: Click the Insert menu and select Video placeholder.
Customize: Choose your desired shape (e.g., circle, rectangle) and adjust the size to fit your design.
Record or Upload: When you or a collaborator is ready to add the actual content, simply click the Record button directly inside the shape to launch the recording studio.

Why It’s Useful

This feature is particularly valuable for asynchronous collaboration. For example, a project lead can build a storyboard for a company update, inserting placeholders with instructions like “Marketing Lead Update” or “Q3 Financials.” The respective team members can then jump into the document and record their specific segments directly into the pre-assigned slots, ensuring the final video maintains a consistent look and feel.