Google Rolls Out Veo 3’s ‘Ingredients to Video’ Tool Inside Gemini App

Google has begun rolling out a new upgrade to its Gemini app, introducing Veo 3’s Ingredients to Video feature to a wider group of users. The tool, which first appeared on Google’s Flow platform, allows people to guide AI-generated video creation by uploading reference photos, offering more precise control over characters, environments, and visual style.

The feature is now available to subscribers of Google AI Plus, Google AI Pro, and Google AI Ultra, but remains unavailable in the free version of Gemini.

A New Level of Control for AI Video Creation

Ingredients to Video was introduced on 15 October alongside the Veo 3.1 model. Unlike traditional prompt-based video generation, the tool allows users to upload a set of reference images that help shape the final clip. These can include photos taken by users as well as AI-generated images created through Google’s Imagen model.

By providing visual references, creators can maintain character consistency across multiple scenes, replicate specific lighting conditions, or explore artistic directions without relying heavily on detailed text prompts. Google says the approach is designed to make video generation more intuitive and reduce the need for complex written instructions.

The feature aims to streamline the creative process by helping people "build" their vision visually rather than descriptively—a method Google believes will appeal to both beginners and experienced creators.

Updates to Model Transparency in the Gemini App

Alongside the new feature, Google has also updated the Gemini interface to make it clearer which video-generation model is being used during creation. A new label now appears in the Gemini Tools menu, displaying “Veo 3.1” whenever the system is powering the output.

Google says this change is intended to increase transparency and help users track the capabilities of the specific model generating their videos. With multiple tools and model versions in its ecosystem, the company has faced growing demand for clearer information about which technologies are in use at any given time.

The update also suggests that Google intends to position Gemini and Veo as more unified components of its AI ecosystem—something the company has been gradually emphasising across recent product launches.

Competing With Rivals but Maintaining Tighter Guardrails

Despite the added functionality, Veo 3.1 remains more restricted than some of its competitors. Tools such as OpenAI’s Sora offer greater flexibility in the types of videos they will produce, while Google continues to apply stricter limitations on certain content categories.

Google maintains that these guardrails are intentional, describing Ingredients to Video as a tool designed to generate fast, safe and reliable short-form clips, even if this means refusing some user requests.

Industry analysts say the company’s approach reflects its broader strategy of prioritising safety and compliance as it expands into more advanced generative-video models. However, some creators argue that the stricter boundaries place Google at a disadvantage compared with more permissive platforms, particularly among users seeking cinematic or highly imaginative outputs.

Nonetheless, the ability to guide Veo 3.1 with reference photos represents a notable improvement in usability. Early users say the feature reduces the guesswork commonly associated with prompt-only video creation and helps achieve more predictable results.

Rollout Begins Today With Wider Access Next Week

According to Google, the expanded Ingredients to Video functionality begins rolling out today and will reach all eligible paid subscribers next week. The company has not given a timeline for when—if ever—the tool might reach free users of the Gemini app.

For now, the upgrade remains exclusive to Google’s tiered AI subscription service, which the company has been steadily expanding throughout the year as it seeks to establish a stronger foothold in consumer-facing generative-AI tools.

With Veo 3.1, model-transparency improvements and reference-guided video creation now arriving in the Gemini app, Google continues to push forward in a rapidly evolving AI-video market—one where competition is intensifying and user expectations are rising faster than ever.