Best practices for Google Vids

On this page

• Creating videos
• Using templates
• Working with objects, tracks & the timeline
• Adding narration & audio clips
• Animating objects
• Collaborating, previewing & publishing

Creating videos

Use help me create. Describe the video you want to create. Gemini then drafts an outline for your video—including a script, scenes, and content—to get you started. If you have existing content in Google Docs or other Google files, you can use the @ symbol to select the file and have Gemini incorporate your content into the outline. 

Use Vids recording studio. You can record yourself, your surroundings, or your computer screen using the Vids recording studio. 

Copy & paste content from Google Slides

1. On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides.
2. Copy the slides you want to use in your video.
3. Open a video in Google Vids. 
4. Paste the slides into the timeline of the video.

Copy & paste content from Google Docs or Sheets

1. On your computer, open a file in Google Docs or Google Sheets.
2. Copy the content you want to use in your video.
3. Open a video in Google Vids. 
4. Paste the content into a scene.

1.  On your computer, open Google Vids.
2. To close the Gemini window and go to the video timeline, click the X in the upper right.
3. At the timeline, add and customize content as needed. 

Using templates

Choose a template and customize it

Start with a Vids template and customize it to use the colors and styles you prefer. 

1. On your computer, open Google Vids.
2. In the Gemini window, click Templates.
3. Select a template from the gallery.
4. Choose whether to insert all scenes, or only the current scene.
5. When your video is created, you can add and customize content as needed. 

Create a template that matches your brand

1. On your computer, open Google Vids.
2. Open the video file you want to use as a template.
3. Click File Make a copy  Entire video.
4. Rename the file to indicate that it’s a template. For example:
   • Cymbal company video template
5. Click Make a copy.
6. In the upper right, click Share.
7. Change the access type for all users to Viewer.
8. Click Copy link, then click Share.
9. Paste the link into your preferred communication channel, such as an email or a chat message. 
10. In the link, change /edit to /copy.

Working with objects, tracks & the timeline

Work with object tracks

Use object tracks to control object timing. Or, right-click object tracks to do things like replace placeholders and open side panels.

1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
2. To show object tracks, click Show timing  above the timeline.
3. (Optional) To show tracks for the selected object only, next to Show timing , click Timing menu then click Show timing for selected.
4. To shorten or lengthen the timing of objects:
   1. Point to the left or right edge of the object track.
   2. When the blue handle appears, click and drag the handle to adjust the duration.
5. To change when an object appears in a scene, click and drag the object track left or right.
6. Right-click the object track for more options:
   • If the object is an image or a video clip, click Replace image or Replace video, then choose a replacement.
   • Click Animation or Format options to open the side panel controls.

Rename object tracks

When you insert an object, its track gets a default name, such as “image” or “rectangle.” You can rename object tracks to make them easier to identify. This is helpful when you have multiple tracks or similar objects.

1. On your computer, open Google Vids.
2. Select an object. 
3. To show object tracks, click Show timing  above the timeline.
4. Right-click the object’s track Format options.
5. Expand Alt Text.
6. In Advanced options, enter a name for the object track.

Zoom the timeline for precision editing

By default, the timeline is set to Fit, so that you can view all the scenes in your video at once. If you're making precision edits, it’s helpful to zoom the timeline to get fine-grain control over scenes and objects. 

1. On your computer, open Google Vids.
2. Locate the zoom control above the timeline on the right.
3. Drag the slide control to change the zoom level.
4. Make your edits. For example:
   
   To split a scene:
   1. Drag the playhead to the position where you want to split the scene.
   2. In the timeline, right-click the scene, then select Split scene at playhead.
5. To change the length of a scene:
   1. Select the scene you want to change.
   2. Point to the left or right edge of the scene.
   3. When the blue handle appears, click and drag the handle to adjust the duration.

Adding narration & audio clips

Add a script

If you want to add AI-generated narration, or use the read-along teleprompter when you record your own narration, you need to add a script. For AI-generated narration, scripts must be in English.

1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
2. Go to the scene where you want to add the script for your narration.
3. In the side panel, click Scripts .
4. At the top of the side panel, enter the text you want to use for the script.
5. If you want to use more than 2,500 characters for the script of a scene, split the scene to continue the script.

Add AI-generated narration

1.  On the timeline, click the scene where you want to insert narration.
2. In the side panel, click Scripts , and add the text of your script.
3. At the bottom of the Scripts side panel, click Generate the voiceover.
4. In the voice selector, click Change the voice  then choose a voice.
5. To preview the voice, click Play .
6. To add the narration to your video, click Insert into timeline.
7. (Optional) If the narration is longer than the scene, extend the length of the scene to match.

Record your own narration

1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
2. On the timeline, click the scene where you want to insert narration.
3. In the side panel, click Scripts .
4. (Optional) If you want to use the read-along teleprompter, add the text of your script.
5. At the bottom of the script side panel, click Record myself, then select recording options.
6. Record your narration.
7. After recording, click Preview   Insert to add the narration to the scene.
8. (Optional) If the narration is longer than the scene, extend the length of the scene to match.

Add audio clips, background music, and sound effects

You can add:

• Your own sounds or music from Drive or from your computer.
• Pre-recorded audio or voiceover clips.
• Stock sounds or music from the Vids stock media library.
• Other clips you record in Vids.

1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
2. On the timeline, click the scene where you want to insert the audio.
3. Add the audio file:
   1. To upload a file from your computer: In the menu, click Insert  Upload.
   2. To add an audio file from Google Drive: In the side panel, click My media .
   3. To add stock audio: In the side panel, click Stock media .

Lower the volume of background sound when other sounds are playing

1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
2. Click the track whose volume you want to adjust, then click Sound .
3. In the Sound side panel, adjust the volume or use fade controls.

Animating objects

Animate objects as they enter & exit

To add visual interest or emphasis, you can animate objects. Objects without animation simply appear and disappear according to their timings.

1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
2. On the canvas, click an object, then click Animation .
3. In the Animation side panel, select an animation, such as Fade. A preview of the animation plays when you click it.
4. To apply the same animation when the object enters and exits the scene, click Enter & Exit, then choose an animation.
5. To choose different entry and exit animations, click Separate Exit and Enter animationsat the bottom of the side panel, then choose animations using the tabs at the top:
   • Enter—Apply the animation only when the object enters the scene. 
   • Exit—Apply the animation only when the object exits the scene.
6. For some animations, you can also choose these options:
   • Duration—How long it takes to complete the animation.
   • Direction—The animation's path into or out of the scene. 

Add photo effect motion

You can add a zoom or pan effect to give still images a sense of movement. Photo effect is for images only. It isn’t available for other objects, such as text, shapes, or video. 

1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
2. On the canvas, click an object, then click Animation .
3. In the Animation side panel, select an effect, such as Zoom in. A preview of the animation plays when you click it.
4. Choose animation options: 
   • Loop duration—How long it takes to reach the end of the animation. Photo effect animations always loop, or repeat, continuously when they reach the end.
   • Reverse on loop—Whether the animation reverses direction when it reaches the end.
   • Direction—The direction of travel (not available for all animations). 

Collaborating, previewing & publishing

Collaborate on videos

1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
2. In the upper right, click Share.
3. Enter the email addresses of the people you want to share with.
4. Assign roles to people:
   • Viewer—People can play the video using standard video playback controls. They can’t view the timeline or editing controls, but they can make a copy of the video. 
   • Commenter—People can view the timeline, play the video, and add comments. They can’t make changes to the video.
   • Editor—People can view the timeline, comment on the video, and make changes using all the Vids controls available to them. They can even copy or delete the video file.
5. (Optional) To notify people by email, check the Notify people box, then add a message.
6. Click Send or Share.

Preview & play your video in Vids

There are 2 ways to preview and play videos in the Vids app: 

• Click Preview above the timeline—Watch the video with the Vids timeline and object controls available. Use Preview when you want to check or adjust timings, transitions, animations, and content as you play the video.
• Click Play at the top right of the Vids window—Watch the video using only standard video controls. The Vids timeline and object controls are not available in this mode. Use Play when you want to watch the video without the distraction of the timeline. 

1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
2. Click Preview  above the timeline.
3. Click Play  at the top of the Vids window.

Share a finished video 

Sharing options

1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
2. Save the file:
   • To save the file to your computer, click File Download as MP4.
   • To save the file to your Google Drive, click File Export to Drive.
3. Upload the file to a video sharing app, or share the video from Drive.