On this page
- Before you begin
- Creating videos
- Using templates
- Working with objects, tracks & the timeline
- Adding narration & audio clips
- Animating objects
- Collaborating, previewing & publishing
Before you begin
Learn what kind of videos you can make with Vids, and what you’ll need to create, edit, and view them.
| Feature | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Maximum video length | Up to 10 minutes |
| Video dimensions (aspect ratio) | 16:9, also known as widescreen or 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels high (landscape only) |
| Video resolution | Up to 1080p |
| File formats |
|
Here's what you'll need to start using Vids:
| An idea for a great video. | |
| Access to Vids through a Google Workspace account. For help, contact your administrator or learn more about Vids availability. | |
| A computer with a supported web browser. Vids creation and editing are not available on mobile devices at this time. | |
| To use generative AI features, your Google account language must be set to an English dialect. |
Gemini features in Vids include help me create, image generation, image background removal, voiceover generation, and the read-along teleprompter. When using these features, keep these guidelines in mind:
- Gemini feature suggestions don’t represent Google’s views, and should not be attributed to Google.
- Don’t rely on Gemini features as medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice.
- Gemini features may suggest inaccurate or inappropriate information. Your feedback makes Gemini more helpful and safe.
- Enterprise end users can submit feedback to Google Workspace regarding their experience using generative AI features. End users are informed before submitting the feedback that feedback data should not contain personal, sensitive, or confidential information and may be read by humans.
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Creating videos
There are several ways to start creating videos with Vids. Here’s how to choose the best approach for your project.
Use help me create. Describe the video you want to create. Gemini then drafts an outline for your video—including a script, scenes, and content—to get you started. If you have existing content in Google Docs or other Google files, you can use the @ symbol to select the file and have Gemini incorporate your content into the outline.
Note: If you simply want to turn a Slides presentation into a video, consider copying your slides into Vids instead.
Copy & paste content from Google Slides
You can copy slides and paste them into Vids. Each slide is added as a scene. Speaker notes are automatically added as the script for each scene.
- On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides.
- Copy the slides you want to use in your video.
- Open a video in Google Vids.
- Paste the slides into the timeline of the video.
Notes: Some things—such as themes, timings, animations, and videos—can’t be imported directly. You'll need to recreate them in Vids after you paste the slides into your video.
Learn more about using Slides with Vids
Copy & paste content from Google Docs or Sheets
You can copy content in a doc or sheet and paste it into Vids. When you paste content from a doc or sheet, it’s placed into the current scene in Vids. For docs or sheets with multiple pages or tabs, copy and paste each one separately.
- On your computer, open a file in Google Docs or Google Sheets.
- Copy the content you want to use in your video.
- Open a video in Google Vids.
- Paste the content into a scene.
Note: If you want Gemini to create an outline based on existing content, use Help me create instead.
- On your computer, open Google Vids.
- To close the Gemini window and go to the video timeline, click the X in the upper right.
- At the timeline, add and customize content as needed.
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Using templates
Vids has prebuilt templates that are specially designed for product demos, reports, events, celebrations, and more. Use these templates as starting points for your video. Or, create a Vids file that matches your brand, and share it with your team or organization as a template.
Note: Prebuilt templates use English text as placeholders, regardless of your Google account setting.
Choose a template and customize it
Start with a Vids template and customize it to use the colors and styles you prefer.
- On your computer, open Google Vids.
- In the Gemini window, click Templates.
- Select a template from the gallery.
- Choose whether to insert all scenes, or only the current scene.
- When your video is created, you can add and customize content as needed.
Create a template that matches your brand
You can turn a Vids file into a template, and share it with the video creators in your organization. This makes it easy to share common elements, such as opening or closing scenes. It also helps creators align their content with brand standards.
Create a template that matches your brand
- On your computer, open Google Vids.
- Open the video file you want to use as a template.
- Click File
Make a copy
- Rename the file to indicate that it’s a template. For example:
- Cymbal company video template
- Click Make a copy.
- In the upper right, click Share.
- Change the access type for all users to Viewer.
- Click Copy link, then click Share.
- Paste the link into your preferred communication channel, such as an email or a chat message.
- In the link, change
/editto/copy.
Make a copy When people open the link, they have the option of making a copy of the template, which they can then edit and use for their projects.
Working with objects, tracks & the timeline
Each object in your video—every text box, shape, image, and video clip—has its own object track. This track appears below the Vids timeline and determines the object’s timing: when, and how long, it appears in a scene.
Work with object tracks
Use object tracks to control object timing. Or, right-click object tracks to do things like replace placeholders and open side panels.
- On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
- To show object tracks, click Show timing
above the timeline.
- (Optional) To show tracks for the selected object only, next to Show timing
then click Show timing for selected.
- To shorten or lengthen the timing of objects:
- Point to the left or right edge of the object track.
- When the blue handle appears, click and drag the handle to adjust the duration.
- To change when an object appears in a scene, click and drag the object track left or right.
- Right-click the object track for more options:
- If the object is an image or a video clip, click Replace image or Replace video, then choose a replacement.
- Click Animation or Format options to open the side panel controls.
Rename object tracks
When you insert an object, its track gets a default name, such as “image” or “rectangle.” You can rename object tracks to make them easier to identify. This is helpful when you have multiple tracks or similar objects.
- On your computer, open Google Vids.
- Select an object.
- To show object tracks, click Show timing
- Right-click the object’s track
- Expand Alt Text.
- In Advanced options, enter a name for the object track.
Zoom the timeline for precision editing
By default, the timeline is set to Fit, so that you can view all the scenes in your video at once. If you're making precision edits, it’s helpful to zoom the timeline to get fine-grain control over scenes and objects.
- On your computer, open Google Vids.
- Locate the zoom control above the timeline on the right.
- Drag the slide control to change the zoom level.
- Make your edits. For example:
To split a scene:- Drag the playhead to the position where you want to split the scene.
- In the timeline, right-click the scene, then select Split scene at playhead.
- Select the scene you want to change.
- Point to the left or right edge of the scene.
- When the blue handle appears, click and drag the handle to adjust the duration.
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Adding narration & audio clips
You can add your own narration or voiceover, AI-generated narration, and background audio or sound effects to your video. Narration, and any audio track you record, snaps to the selected scene. If you move the scene to a different position on the timeline, the narration stays with the scene.
Add a script
If you want to add AI-generated narration, or use the read-along teleprompter when you record your own narration, you need to add a script. For AI-generated narration, scripts must be in English.
Note: You add the script for each scene separately, and the script for each scene can be up to 2,500 characters in length.
- On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
- Go to the scene where you want to add the script for your narration.
- In the side panel, click Scripts
.
- At the top of the side panel, enter the text you want to use for the script.
- If you want to use more than 2,500 characters for the script of a scene, split the scene to continue the script.
Add AI-generated narration
You generate and insert AI narration for each scene separately. AI-generated narration is available in English only.
Note: AI narrators sometimes struggle when pronouncing words that are spelled the same but sound different, such as read. If that happens, try using phonetic spellings, such as red when you want to use the past tense of to read.
- On the timeline, click the scene where you want to insert narration.
- In the side panel, click Scripts
- At the bottom of the Scripts side panel, click Generate the voiceover.
- In the voice selector, click Change the voice
then choose a voice.
- To preview the voice, click Play
.
- To add the narration to your video, click Insert into timeline.
- (Optional) If the narration is longer than the scene, extend the length of the scene to match.
Record your own narration
You can record your voice directly in Vids. If you want to use the read-along teleprompter, add a script before you start recording.
Note: You record narration for each scene separately.
- On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
- On the timeline, click the scene where you want to insert narration.
- In the side panel, click Scripts
- (Optional) If you want to use the read-along teleprompter, add the text of your script.
- At the bottom of the script side panel, click Record myself, then select recording options.
- Record your narration.
- After recording, click Preview
- (Optional) If the narration is longer than the scene, extend the length of the scene to match.
Add audio clips, background music, and sound effects
You can add:
- Your own sounds or music from Drive or from your computer
- Pre-recorded audio or voiceover clips
- Stock sounds or music from the Vids stock media library
- Other clips you record in Vids
- On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
- On the timeline, click the scene where you want to insert the audio.
- Add the audio file:
- To upload a file from your computer: In the menu, click Insert
- To add an audio file from Google Drive: In the side panel, click My media
.
- To add stock audio: In the side panel, click Stock media
.
- To upload a file from your computer: In the menu, click Insert
Lower the volume of background sound when other sounds are playing
Vids doesn’t yet support audio ducking—or the automatic lowering of background sound when narration or other sounds are playing. As a workaround you can lower the volume of the background music to 20%.
- On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
- Click the track whose volume you want to adjust, then click Sound
.
- In the Sound side panel, adjust the volume or use fade controls.
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Animating objects
You can animate objects as they enter and exit a scene. You can also use the photo effect animation to add motion to still images.
Animate objects as they enter & exit
To add visual interest or emphasis, you can animate objects. Objects without animation simply appear and disappear according to their timings.
- On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
- On the canvas, click an object, then click Animation
.
- In the Animation side panel, select an animation, such as Fade. A preview of the animation plays when you click it.
- To apply the same animation when the object enters and exits the scene, click Enter & Exit, then choose an animation.
- To choose different entry and exit animations, click Separate Exit and Enter animations at the bottom of the side panel, then choose animations using the tabs at the top:
- Enter—Apply the animation only when the object enters the scene.
- Exit—Apply the animation only when the object exits the scene.
- For some animations, you can also choose these options:
- Duration—How long it takes to complete the animation.
- Direction—The animation's path into or out of the scene.
Add photo effect motion
You can add a zoom or pan effect to give still images a sense of movement. Photo effect is for images only. It isn’t available for other objects, such as text, shapes, or video.
- On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
- On the canvas, click an object, then click Animation
- In the Animation side panel, select an effect, such as Zoom in. A preview of the animation plays when you click it.
- Choose animation options:
- Loop duration—How long it takes to reach the end of the animation. Photo effect animations always loop, or repeat, continuously when they reach the end.
- Reverse on loop—Whether the animation reverses direction when it reaches the end.
- Direction—The direction of travel (not available for all animations).
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Collaborating, previewing & publishing
With Vids, you and your team can collaborate on the same video project, just as you would a Google Docs or Slides file. You can also share Vids files as view only, and you can publish final versions as MP4 files.
Collaborate on videos
You can let up to 100 people view, edit, or comment on your video at the same time in Vids. To let more people view your video at the same time, download or export the video and share it instead.
Note: Your organization might limit how you can share files.
- On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
- In the upper right, click Share.
- Enter the email addresses of the people you want to share with.
- Assign roles to people:
- Viewer—People can play the video using standard video playback controls. They can’t view the timeline or editing controls, but they can make a copy of the video.
- Commenter—People can view the timeline, play the video, and add comments. They can’t make changes to the video.
- Editor—People can view the timeline, comment on the video, and make changes using all the Vids controls available to them. They can even copy or delete the video file.
- (Optional) To notify people by email, check the Notify people box, then add a message.
- Click Send or Share.
Preview & play your video in Vids
There are 2 ways to preview and play videos in the Vids app:
- Click Preview above the timeline—Watch the video with the Vids timeline and object controls available. Use Preview when you want to check or adjust timings, transitions, animations, and content as you play the video.
- Click Play at the top right of the Vids window—Watch the video using only standard video controls. The Vids timeline and object controls are not available in this mode. Use Play when you want to watch the video without the distraction of the timeline.
- On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
- Click Preview
- Click Play
Share a finished video
When you’re ready to share a finished video, you can export it to your Google Drive, or download it to your computer. You can also share it directly from Vids with the Viewer role. The sharing option you choose depends on what you want to do with the video.
| What you want to do with the video | Best way to share |
|---|---|
| Upload it to an online video sharing service or website | |
| Add it to a Google Slides presentation or a Google Sites website | |
| Give select people a link so they can watch it online | |
| Watch it offline on my computer | |
| Update it periodically, and make sure people have access to the latest version |
- On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
- Save the file:
- To save the file to your computer, click File
- To save the file to your Google Drive, click File
- To save the file to your computer, click File
- Upload the file to a video sharing app, or share the video from Drive.
More resources
For administrators
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