Short-form video formats, also known as vertical videos, are the latest trend. All social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc. are gaining huge viewership from such content. Google is well aware of this, and in its latest update to its AI video generation tool Veo 3.1, the company is rolling out the ability to turn vertical images into vertical AI videos. It looks like this feature will allow creators to push more AI-generated videos without having to crop them to fit reels, shorts, etc.
Google’s updated Veo 3.1 now lets you generate vertical videos using portrait images by default
among them keyword In a blog post, Google today announced that Veo 3.1’s “Ingredients to Video” feature now supports native 9:16 aspect ratio. Simply put, you just feed a few images into Veo and it produces vibrant, expressive vertical videos without sacrificing composition or detail.
That’s not all. For the first time, the Elements to Video feature can now generate full-screen vertical videos by default. This eliminates the hassle of cropping and resizing AI videos to fit social media platform portrait canvases. Google also says the update ensures more natural movement, richer storytelling, and better scene flow, even when prompts are short.
In addition to the changes mentioned above, identity consistency is at the core of this update. Google says the generated characters will be recognizable in any scene, even if the location changes. More importantly, videos generated using Veo 3.1’s Elements to Video feature preserve the background, objects, and textures of the entire clip without compromising the visual narrative.
Video upscaling and AI content transparency
Apart from video format changes, Veo 3.1 also introduces upscaling up to 1080p and 4K. This is a big plus considering the improved 1080p output is dedicated to editing workflows. 4K upscaling meets the needs of professionals who prioritize texture and clarity.
Google is rolling out these upgrades across its ecosystem. Consumers can access Veo 3.1 through the Gemini app, YouTube Shorts, and YouTube Create. For professional and enterprise users, support within Flow, Google Vids, Gemini API, and Vertex AI is ending.
In addition to Veo 3.1’s vertical video generation capabilities and improved upscaling, Google is also taking transparency more seriously. From now on, all AI-generated videos created using Veo will have a SynthID watermark. With Gemini, you can now see if a video uses Google’s AI tools.
