Google's powerful Veo steps up its creativity in 3.1 version update for 'realism'

What you need to know

• Google announced an update to Veo, rolling out as Veo 3.1 for the Gemini app, Gemini API (developers), and more.
• Veo 3.1 boasts more creativity agency for users, providing richer sound, narrative control, and "enhanced realism" for textures.
• Veo 3.1 is also arriving in Flow, bringing its enhanced audio capabilities to existing features.

Whether you're a content creator or not, Google's powerful video generation model, Veo, is getting a major software update this week.

In a Keyword post, Google revealed what Veo's v3.1 update will entail for creatives, and heads up, it's all about giving you and your creativity more agency. The highlight of Veo 3.1 is the introduction of "richer audio, more narrative control, and enhanced realism." This final aspect, "enhanced realism," refers to Google's efforts to bring the textures you're describing to more vibrant life in the generated video.

Google teases that Veo 3.1 boasts "stronger prompt adherence," meaning it should take into account what the user is saying much more seriously. Additionally, Veo 3.1 has been upgraded with improved "audiovisual quality" when converting supplied images to a video.

There are three other major points Veo 3.1 touches on, but these concern its capabilities in Flow, as it brings audio to existing features, like "Ingredients in Video."

Google states users leaning on Veo 3.1's aid in Flow can craft their videos with reference images to control "characters, objects, and styles." Other features like "Frames to Video" for shot control and "Extend," which lets users lengthen their videos to a minute or more, also benefit from Veo 3.1's enhanced audio capabilities.

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Veo 3.1 - Designed to empower creatives - YouTube

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Outside of where Veo 3.1 will help Flow, Google states users will find new editing tools for their generated videos. Adding new elements with "Insert" lets users quickly let their imagination alter a scene, while Flow handles "complex details," like shadows.

Flow will also grab the ability to delete anything from a scene, something straight out of Magic Eraser's playbook.

While Flow is beginning to receive these updates today (Oct 15), Veo 3.1 is available in the Gemini APU for devs, Vertex AI (Enterprise customers), and the Gemini app.

We were introduced to Flow back in May, around the time of Google's I/O event. The company touted the new app as the perfect place for storytellers to take their ideas from their brains to the screen without spending movie-level money. Google tried to set Flow apart by fueling it with Veo 3 (also announced at I/O), Imagen 4, and Gemini.

Users already had quite a bit of control over their shots, seeing as you could alter the angle, get close-ups, and more, just by using your prompts.

Now, with what's been announced for Veo 3.1, users can take what Flow was proficient at and take it even further with enhanced audio. Veo 3.1's arrival in the Gemini app takes us back to a recent AI update from this summer, where users could lean on the software to turn photos into a quick clip. Veo 3 did all the heavy lifting for that in the Gemini, but with Veo 3.1 rolling out, perhaps there's even more we can soon do.