Google’s Browser Video Editor Is Now Available for Free
Google Vids is the company’s web-based video editor, and now you can use it for free . Until now, Vids was only available to paid Google Workspace subscribers, but now it’s available to everyone. The premise is pretty simple: Vids is a simple video editing tool that integrates well with Google Drive . You can use basic editing tools and templates for free, and paid Google subscribers can also use its AI features.
Before you get too excited about Google Vids, you should know that it’s not a replacement for professional editing software. Rather, it’s intended as a good starting point, something like Windows Movie Maker was 15 years ago. There’s a lot you can do with Google Vids, but if you’re a professional, you’ll quickly reach the limits of what the app can do. The good news is that there are alternatives, like DaVinci Resolve, for those who want professional editing software and don’t need to edit videos in the browser. But if that’s a bit much, Google Vids is still worth considering, especially with its new free plan.
Google Vids Now Offers Generous Free Plan
Over the years, I’ve learned to lower my expectations of web-based video editing tools, but Google Vids is pretty good. I like that if you have no idea how to present a video, it has a few built-in templates to help you get started. For example, there’s a template that lets you create a “year in review” style video. Each template lets you insert pre-made scenes along with your own footage. For example, the sourdough starter template I found had pre-made scenes of an ingredient list (with text that you can replace with your own recipe), making the dough, making the dough, and so on.
You can also import a presentation from Google Slides and turn it into a video. This is a great way to take advantage of the app’s integration with Google Drive, and even better, you can easily import images from your Google Photos account if you need still footage. There’s even a handy search feature for stock photo and video sites to find additional footage.
The basic editing tools are also pretty intuitive. Even as a beginner, I had no trouble adding simple animations for text or transition effects, as well as changing on-screen elements like the background. Google Vids also makes it easy to search for royalty-free music to add to your videos, which is a nice touch. The best part is that Google Vids can be used in any browser, not just Chrome.
You can pay for AI integration
If you have a paid subscription to Google Workspace , you can also use the AI features in Google Vids . The basic editing tools remain the same, and all the AI work essentially revolves around text prompts to generate ideas or videos. For example, you can use text prompts to create a rough storyboard, or just ask Gemini to look at a Google Docs file to create one without prompts. Vids also allows you to add a script and generate AI voiceovers for your videos, with several voice types to choose from.
With Veo 3, you can also create eight-second video clips from text prompts, or convert photos into video using AI. If that’s not enough, you can also enter all the text, and Vids will generate an AI avatar that will read it out loud, with no time limit, over your other footage. I imagine Google has gone to great lengths not to base these avatars on real people (you can see a few options above), but that still means that some of the talking heads you see online will look nothing like the person filming the video. Be careful what you accept as reality.