Google Photos upgrades image-to-video feature with Veo 3

Google Photos is rolling out a major update to its image-to-video feature with the integration of Veo 3, Google’s latest video-generation model. Available in the app’s new Create hub, the tool allows users in the U.S. to transform still images into short video clips. The company says Veo 3 delivers higher-quality results compared to the previous version, further enhancing how people bring their photos to life. Google introduced Veo 3 in May at its I/O developer conference and later expanded it to the Gemini app in July for AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers. Those plans allowed users to generate three videos per day, each with visible and invisible watermarks marking them as AI-created. Now, by embedding the model into Google Photos, Google is making its advanced AI more widely accessible to everyday consumers. The platform already had a “Photo to video” tool powered by Veo 2, which let users create six-second clips with either subtle movements or surprise animations triggered by an “I’m feeling lucky” option. Veo 3 maintains the free tier with a limited number of generations, while paid AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers will gain expanded access. However, videos generated with Veo 3 will be slightly shorter, at four seconds, and will not include audio. Google envisions the upgrade as a way for users to animate old pictures or craft dynamic memories they can easily share. The feature fits into Google Photos’ broader creative push, centered in the new Create hub, where users can access a range of AI-driven tools. Alongside Veo 3, these include options to remix images into different styles, design collages, compile montages from galleries, make 3D cinematic photos, and turn pictures into GIFs.With Google Photos boasting more than 1.5 billion monthly active users as of May 2025, the addition of Veo 3 underscores Google’s strategy of weaving cutting-edge AI technology into consumer products that already have a massive reach. This move positions Google Photos not just as a storage service but as a creative playground powered by AI.