Google Veo 3: What It Is, What It Can Do, and How to Use It for Video Generation

Key takeaways

Google Veo is a video-generation AI model that you can use to generate high-quality, mobile-ready videos.

• Google Veo 3.1, the latest model as of April 2026, is available to the public.

• Google Veo 3.1 provides users with expanded creative controls, increased realism, advanced audio options, and the ability to upload multiple reference images.

• You can ensure your videos closely align with your vision by following prompting tips such as using descriptive, clear language and incorporating audio prompts and video-specific terminology.

Learn about Google Veo, the latest model and its features, and prompting tips to help you get the most from this video-generation AI model. To deepen your understanding of the relationship between creative work and AI and to explore the fundamental connection between AI and human creative expression, consider enrolling in the AI for Creative Work Specialization. In as little as four weeks, you can learn skills to evaluate and employ AI tools successfully and sustainably in areas such as art history and creative design.

What is Google Veo?

Google Veo is Google DeepMind’s video-generation AI model, which you can use to generate prompt-based or reference-based videos using text, images, or videos you provide. You can use Veo to create videos for anything from turning a special moment into a personalized video to quickly visualizing an idea, designing a mobile-ready social media video, or creating a funny meme to share with friends.

Since announcing Veo in May 2024, Google has released several increasingly advanced models of its video generation platform, including Veo 2, Veo 3, and the latest model, Veo 3.1, available in both Veo 3.1 Fast and Veo 3.1 Generate [1, 2]. Whether you are a creator looking for a new way to create YouTube Shorts, a tech junkie wanting to experiment with video generation for fun, or a professional developer looking to optimize your workflow, Google Veo likely has an option to meet your needs.

Is Google Veo available to the public?

Yes, Google Veo is available to the public through Gemini. Google’s AI Pro and AI Plus plans provide limited access to Veo 3.1 Fast. To experience Veo 3.1 with the highest level of access, you will need a Google AI Ultra subscription [3].

What’s new in Google Veo 3?

Google Veo 3.1, the latest version of the video generation AI, is mobile-optimized and offers new features, including vertical video integration, higher resolution, and the option to upload multiple reference images, allowing you to create more expressive and realistic videos directly from your phone. Explore the unique capabilities available with Google Veo 3.1.

• Multiple reference images: Upload up to three reference images, videos, or other files, including people, characters, or products, that can help ensure your content aligns with the story you want to tell and fits your desired style.

• Advanced audio options: Add richer, more synchronous sound effects, ambient noise, and dialogue.

• Increased realism: Create more lifelike videos by leveraging improvements in lighting, shadowing, and physics.

• Scene extension: Add on to your first clip, extending it into a longer video while maintaining your visual and audio style.

• First and last frame: Specify the first and last frames of your video, maintaining control over shot composition and ensuring your scene begins and ends exactly as you want.

• Aspect ratio control: Choose between landscape (16: 9) and portrait (9: 16) videos, which allows you to generate vertically to produce mobile-ready, high-quality, full-screen videos optimized for social media.

• Expanded creative controls: Control and expand framing and movement, using outpainting, camera controls, and motion controls. Add or remove objects while Veo makes adjustments to maintain your video’s integrity.

These new features give you even greater control, consistency, and creativity when generating your videos than was possible with the already advanced features of Veo 3.

What are the differences between Veo 3.1 vs. Veo 3 vs. Veo 2?

When Google introduced Veo in May 2024, the model was described as providing an “unprecedented level of creative control” and having an “advanced understanding of natural language and visual semantics” [4]. Since that time, Google DeepMind has released various models in its video generation family, with each iteration improving on its predecessor. Consider the following comparison of three recent Google Veo models.

As you compare the versions, keep in mind the following notes regarding this quickly evolving technology:

• Features can vary depending on the model version and the path you use to access the model. For example, if you are a developer accessing Veo 2 via Vertex AI, you may find that reference images are supported. However, this is not the case for a casual user accessing this model via the Gemini app, for instance.

• Details about features such as resolution and video length are often interdependent and can vary.

• As of April 2026, Veo 2 and Veo 3 are both considered “stable,” meaning they aren’t likely to change, whereas Veo 3.1 and Veo 3.1 Fast are newer, are likely to change, and may have more restrictions than stable models [5].

How to use the Veo 3 video generator

After you’ve subscribed to either Google AI Pro, Plus, or Ultra, you can access Google Veo via Gemini. Log in to your Gemini account, and follow these steps to create your video:

1. Select Tools in the chat window to produce the dropdown menu.

2. Select Create video from the dropdown menu.

3. Choose a template from the provided templates, or, to create a video from scratch, begin prompting Veo in the chat window.

4. Select + to add up to three reference images, videos, and other file types.

5. Submit using the arrow at the bottom right of the chat window.

Once Veo responds with your video, you can adjust your prompting to receive a revised version of your original video, or you can extend the video you created. Once your video is just right, you can download it to use however you wish. Keep in mind, though, that as of March 2026, Pro and Plus subscribers can generate only up to three videos per day, so you’ll want to think through your prompts carefully.

Prompting tips for Veo 3 results

To get the best results from Veo, ensure your prompts are descriptive and clear. Develop your core idea, and refine it by adding descriptors (think adjectives and adverbs). Finally, include audio prompts and video-specific terminology for camera positioning, lens effects, film style, and more. Including the following elements in your Veo prompts can help the AI produce more distinct results that better align with your needs.

• Subject: Identify the specific objects, people, animals, or scenery you want in your video.

• Action: Describe what your subject is doing.

• Style: Experiment with creative directions, specifying animation or film style (e.g., science fiction, romance, or cartoon).

• Dialogue: Include quotes as you would when writing.

• Sound effects: Use plenty of adjectives and adverbs to describe desired sounds.

• Ambient noise: Elaborate on the soundscape of your setting.

• Focus and lens effects: Achieve visual effects by using terms such as shallow focus, macro lens, or wide-angle lens.

• Camera positioning and motion: Communicate power dynamics and varying perspectives by using terms such as aerial view, worm's eye, or eye-level.

• Ambiance: Specify color and lighting for your scene using descriptors such as blue tones, night, or warm tones.

• Composition: Evoke emotion by prompting for framing such as wide shot, close-up, or single-shot.

How much does Google Veo cost?

When accessed via Gemini through Google AI, both the Google AI Plus and Google AI Pro subscription options offer limited access to Veo 3.1 at monthly rates of $7.99 and $19.99, respectively, whereas Google AI Ultra offers much higher limits for this feature at a monthly rate of $249.99 [3]. Gemini also offers a free one-year student subscription to Google AI Pro if you meet the eligibility requirements and can provide the required documentation [6].

Getting started with AI video generation

In addition to enrolling in a program that provides you with the opportunity to build skills in multimedia storytelling (including video generation), such as the Adobe Content Creator: Launching Your Creative Career Professional Certificate, you can take steps to improve your AI-driven video creation abilities. If you’re ready to quickly create cost-effective, engaging videos using AI, consider the following tips:

• Tools: Select the AI video creation tool that best suits your needs. In addition to Google Veo, you can find various AI video generators, each offering unique features and capabilities.

• Prompt: Hone your prompting skills to create videos that align with your vision. Provide detailed guidelines for the most specific results.

• Input: Familiarize yourself with whichever tool you choose to ensure you understand where and how it accepts prompts and whether you can upload files to aid the AI in generating your video. Have a clear vision of your core idea before you start prompting.

• Tailor: Leverage the customization tools available to you, adjusting options such as audio, visual style, and resolution to your preference.

• Perfect: Review your content, ensuring it’s accurate and visually consistent with clear audio.

Read more: 8 Video Editing Jobs and How to Get One

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