Google Launches Free Version of Browser-Based Video Editor Vids with AI Features

Tech giant launches consumer version of Vids while adding AI avatars and advanced features to paid tiers.

Google has made its browser-based video editor, Google Vids, available to consumers for the first time with a free version that offers basic editing capabilities. The announcement, made Wednesday, comes alongside significant updates to the platform's paid tiers, including new AI-powered features like avatars and image-to-video generation.

The free consumer version will have basic edit controls along with access to Google's template library, font collection, and stock media library, but it won't offer AI features at this time.

From Workspace-Only to Consumer Access

Google Vids originally launched as part of the Google Workspace productivity suite in 2024, exclusively serving business customers. The browser-based app was only available as a paid add-on until this week's expansion to free users.

The move represents Google's effort to compete in the increasingly crowded video editing market, challenging established players like Adobe Premiere and newer AI-powered competitors. By offering a free tier, Google aims to democratize video creation tools that were previously accessible only to paying enterprise customers.

AI Features Drive Premium Experience

While the free version focuses on basic editing functionality, Google is significantly enhancing its paid offerings with cutting-edge AI capabilities. The most notable addition is AI avatars, a feature that allows users to create videos without appearing on camera themselves.

Users can post a script, select an avatar from a range of voices and personas, and create a video, similar to offerings from companies like Synthesia and D-ID in the business video space. Google announced the AI avatars feature at Google I/O in May and released it in beta. Now, the feature is hitting general availability.

The platform has also integrated Google's Veo 3 image-to-video technology, enabling users to transform static images into eight-second video clips. Google launched the image-to-video generation capability for Veo 3 in July and is now adding that feature to Vids.

Smart Editing Features Address Common Pain Points

Another significant addition is automatic transcript trimming, designed to streamline the video editing process. The feature automatically detects filler words like 'um' or 'ah' and long pauses. You can click on these words or pauses to remove them, and the editor will adjust the video accordingly.

This functionality addresses a common challenge in video production, where removing filler words manually can be time-consuming and technically challenging for amateur editors.