Google Photos will soon let you turn photos into videos using Veo 3 AI

Google is continuing its campaign to inject generative AI into every application possible, and Google Photos happens to be next on the list. The company has started integrating Veo 3, its high-end video generation model, directly into the app.

Google's latest generative video model integration comes to Photos

The primary function of this update is to give users the power to animate their static pictures, turning them into short video clips.

The user interaction remains simple. You select a photo from your gallery and choose between a couple of prompts, including “subtle movements” or an “I’m feeling lucky” option for a surprise animation. There are however some notable caveats. The new Veo 3 implementation generates clips that are only four seconds long and currently do not support audio generation.

It’s worth mentioning that Google Photos did already possess a “Photo to video” feature powered by the previous Veo 2 model. But this update completely replaces the underlying engine with Veo 3, promising higher-quality results.

Alongside animating photos, users can access “Remix” which completely changes a photo’s style into aesthetics like anime, comic book illustrations, or 3D renders. The platform also bundles other AI-driven features here, including “Cinematic Photos” for creating 3D motion effects and a tool for generating montages from search prompts, complete with music.

Access to these generative tools follows Google’s now-standard freemium model. All Google Photos users receive a limited number of free generations daily. To unlock more capacity, you must subscribe to either the Google AI Pro or AI Ultra plans.

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Currently, the new capability is rolling out immediately for users in the United States. A rollout timeline for India isn’t available at the moment. But when it does, you’ll find it housed within the new “Create tab.”