Summary

  • Google Vids now enables free 1080p AI video generation and upscaling for all users with a Google or Workspace account at vids.new.
  • The feature utilizes Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash, offering controls for scene length, precise clip duration, and HD output, with each video marked by an invisible SynthID watermark.
  • This announcement coincides with the discontinuation of OpenAI's Sora API, following Google’s recent reduction of its Veo 3.1 Lite API pricing to $0.05 per second.

Google has removed the cost barrier for one of its highly sought-after AI tools, allowing any Google account holder to create full HD videos for free through Google Vids, the company revealed on September 23.

This new tool operates on Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash, an AI model that can transform text prompts, images, audio, or existing video clips into fresh video content. Previously, access to such features was mainly restricted to paying subscribers.

Now, users can simply visit vids.new, log in with a Google account, and start generating 1080p videos, which is the same high-definition quality utilized by most streaming services, all at no cost.

In our testing, the video creation process was straightforward, although we could only produce videos in 720p resolution in both horizontal and vertical formats.

Google has also introduced several editing features that were previously part of paid tools. The scene extension feature allows users to elongate a clip while maintaining consistent lighting, characters, and settings, preventing abrupt changes during playback.

Moreover, users can specify exact scene durations to ensure clips align with scripts or voiceovers, and they can upscale older, lower-resolution AI-generated clips to 1080p rather than starting over.

Every video created with this tool is embedded with SynthID, a watermark developed by Google DeepMind that remains invisible to the naked eye but can be detected by machines. Users can verify if a video was AI-generated using Google's SynthID Detector, designed to identify AI-generated content that may be misrepresented as authentic.

The generation process is quite rapid, with short videos being created in under 30 seconds, slightly faster than the typical speeds associated with Google Flow.

Creating a decent HD video traditionally required expensive software, hiring an editor, or purchasing stock footage subscriptions, but now it can be done through a free web application, potentially changing the landscape of video content production.

Not all users will have the same free generation limits. Standard Google accounts receive a basic allowance, while those with paid AI plans have access to more features, and Workspace Business and Enterprise subscribers enjoy larger generation allowances along with administrative controls for team management.

Gemini Omni was initially introduced in May 2026 as a paid feature for Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers, with free access previously available only for YouTube Shorts and YouTube Create. The integration of a free tier into Vids represents the widest release of this technology to date.

Interestingly, this launch comes on the same day that OpenAI has ceased operations of its consumer Sora 2 app and website, as well as its developer API, marking a significant shift in the AI video generation landscape.

In addition, Google has recently lowered the API pricing for its Veo 3.1 Lite model to $0.05 per second, positioning itself competitively against developer-focused rivals while also facing pressure from Chinese competitors such as Kling and Hunyuan Video.

Google plans to introduce a related feature, Gemini 3.8 Flash-Lite, which will convert written scripts into voiceover narration in over 100 languages.