About generated images in Google Ads

Creating a large variety of high-quality image assets can be challenging, so Google Ads offers generative AI tools to help you create new image assets in seconds.

You can partner with Google AI to bring your visual creative vision to life by entering your own prompts to create new image assets tailored to your business and brand. Google may also suggest generated images for you to review.

This animation shows how Google Ads Performance Max can create image assets based on your prompts.

How to use generative image tools in Google Ads

You can find generative AI image tools in Google Ads:

When setting up a campaign
When editing an ad or asset group
In recommendations, such as an image asset or ad strength recommendation

Note: Generative image tools are available for a variety of campaign types, including Search, Performance Max, Demand Gen, App, and display campaigns. You’ll have the option to generate image assets when you create a campaign or update an existing campaign. Depending on the campaign type, you’ll be able to enter a prompt to generate your images.

Example prompts:

Elegant dogs on a colour backdrop
A wedding ring with holiday themes in the background
Vegetables spread across a wooden table with a white tablecloth

Images that are automatically generated will be based on either the text assets in your campaign or your landing page.

You’re in control. When you generate images or when Google automatically suggests generated images, you can decide which ones you want to add to your campaigns.

Images you create will automatically remain in your account for 14 days. To keep an image longer, you can use it in a campaign or hover over the image, select the 3-dot icon and select 'Save to asset library'.

Note: If you don’t notice the option to generate images, check whether you should be eligible.

Content restrictions

Generative AI tools in Google Ads are designed to automatically limit the creation of certain content. This includes:

Faces, children or specific individuals
Branded items and logos
Responses to matters of opinion or advice
Images that may violate Ads policy or our Generative AI use policy

If no images were created for a prompt you specified, try rewording it in a way that clearly avoids the content Google Ads isn’t designed to create. Prompts can be specified in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese or Spanish.

Assets created by generative AI aren't guaranteed to be approved by Ads Policy. For example, sometimes assets are disapproved in combination with other assets or in line with local regulation.

Advertisers should review any generated or suggested assets to ensure that they’re accurate, not misleading and not in violation of any Google advertising policies or applicable laws before publishing them.

Eligibility

Google restricts which advertisers have access to manually-prompted image generation for compatible campaign types. If you don’t have the options to create generated images in Google Ads using your own prompts, check that your account:

Is using the Google Ads interface in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish
Is active and been running ads for at least 30 days
Has a history of policy compliance
Has not completed election advertising verification
Is not advertising in a sensitive vertical (for example, sexual and political)

If your account is newer, you may still notice automatically suggested generated images to review when creating certain campaigns even if you can't use your own prompts.

Image generation capabilities are rolling out gradually to eligible advertisers, so that these features may not be available to you yet, even if you’re otherwise eligible.

You can enter prompts in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish.

Use of generated images created in Google Ads

Google is investing in an open web ecosystem with helpful, free of cost technologies such as generative AI. Subject to our policies and terms, Google will not limit the use of the content generated using Google's AI tools outside of our ecosystem.

It’s important to bear in mind that all the generative AI tools in Google Ads help leverage your own ideas, content and assets to multiply your own marketing and creativity.

We design and employ multiple technical measures to ensure that generative image tools in Google Ads generate novel and unique content. In addition, we use high-quality, diverse datasets in a responsible way to help our models understand the world, and you can find the details outlined here.

Generated image safety in Google Ads

We’re committed to upholding our principles for developing generative AI technology responsibly and at the highest standards for fairness, privacy and security. We’re taking multiple steps to be both bold and responsible with helpful generative AI tools in Google Ads.

For example, Google AI is designed to not automatically suggest generated images for sensitive verticals, such as political or pharmaceutical ads. Note that in addition to limiting the use of Google's AI for political campaigns, Google Ads policy requires disclosure of manipulated media uploaded from any third-party tools for certain political ads.

All advertising content is subject to Ads policy, regardless of how it’s created, and generative AI content is held to the same set of content standards, reviews and enforcement for any policy violations, including inappropriate content and misrepresentation.

All images generated by Google Ads include mechanisms that allow them to be identified as generated, such as an open-standard markup that will surface on tools like Google Image Search, as well as a SynthID, which is an imperceptible, digital watermark that's resistant to manipulations of the image, such as screenshots, filters and compression.

We take privacy and security seriously, and any information you provide to Google to create ads, including generative AI, is treated in line with our Google Ads Terms and Conditions and Privacy policy.

Note that generative AI is experimental technology, and may display inaccurate or offensive content that doesn’t represent Google’s views. Don’t rely on generative AI features in Google Ads for medical, legal, financial or other professional advice. As this technology evolves, we’re continuously evaluating and improving our approach to safety.

Transfer image style to generated images

You can transfer image style to generated images by using reference images to guide Google’s AI image generation tool. This is a valuable option for advertisers who've got a specific look and feel they want to maintain across their creative assets.

Reference images help Google's AI image generation tool with a visual example of the style that you want to achieve.

Tips to use reference images

Use a reference image with the brand's look, style and mood.
Use a high-quality image that’s well-lit, and well-composed.
Use multiple reference images to further refine the style of your generated images.
Use clear and concise prompts.

Note: Reference images and image outputs shouldn’t contain logos, watermarks or product images.

Upload a reference image

Generated (Beta): You can select different reference images and write prompts.

Within the Media Picker, click the Generated (Beta) tab.
Enter your prompt in the 'Describe the kind of image you want' field.
Under 'More options' dropdown, click Add images.
You can select up to five reference images per generation.
After selecting your reference images, enter your prompt.
Click Generate to view up to 12 generated images.

Styling using reference images and prompts provides more control over the style of the generated images. You can use it to make ads that fit your brand better.

Providing feedback

In order to effectively manage your campaign assets, you can provide feedback on images generated for Performance Max, Demand Gen, App and display campaigns.

Providing feedback on generated images helps improve Google AI. To provide feedback on an image, hover over the image, click the magnifying glass and select 'Provide feedback' in the right panel.

You can also choose to hide generated images. To hide a generated image, hover over the image, click the 3-dot icon and select 'Hide'. Note that after you use an image in a campaign, you won’t be able to hide it or provide feedback.

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