How to try Google's Veo 2 AI video generator - and what you can do with it

Google's Imagen 3 has been making waves as a top-notch AI text-to-image generator, snagging ZDNET's title for the best in its class, even outshining giants like Midjourney and OpenAI. So, you can imagine the buzz around the launch of its Veo 2 text-to-video generator. Well, the wait is over, and Veo 2 has arrived with a twist that's got everyone talking.

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How to Try Veo 2 in Gemini

Google dropped the news on Tuesday through a blog post: Veo 2, their cutting-edge video generator, is now live in Gemini. This means you can whip up eight-second video clips in 720p resolution, all in a 16:9 landscape format, just by typing in a text prompt. It's pretty cool, right?

Google says Veo 2 is crafted to churn out high-quality videos that get the nuances of real-world physics and human motion, resulting in clips that feel "lifelike" with "fluid character movement." You can go as detailed as you want with your prompts, giving you the reins to create exactly what you envision.

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There's a catch, though. You'll need to be a Gemini Advanced user to play with Veo 2, and that's part of the Google One AI Premium plan, which will set you back $20 a month. Even with the subscription, there's a cap on how many videos you can make each month. Google hasn't spilled the beans on the exact limit, but they'll give you a heads-up when you're nearing it. If $20 sounds steep, remember it's the same price as getting access to OpenAI's Sora through ChatGPT Plus.

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The Google One AI Premium plan isn't just about Veo 2, though. You also get 2TB of storage, NotebookLM Plus with five times the usage limits and premium features, Gemini integration in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and more, plus a fresh feature called Whisk Animate, which was unveiled today.

Whisk Animate

Whisk Animate is Google's latest generative AI experiment, powered by Veo 2. It takes Whisk's previous ability to create images from text and image prompts and kicks it up a notch by letting you animate those images into eight-second videos. Just like Veo 2, this feature is exclusive to Gemini Advanced users and can be accessed through Google Labs.

How Does Veo 2 Compare to Sora?

Veo 2 and Sora from OpenAI are pretty neck and neck when it comes to what they can do. With ChatGPT Plus, Sora can create videos up to 720p resolution and 10 seconds long, while Veo 2, with Gemini Advanced, sticks to eight-second clips at 720p.

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The real test will be the quality of the videos they produce. I'm eager to get my hands on both and give you a detailed comparison. Until then, choosing between them might boil down to which AI chatbot you use more. If you're all in on ChatGPT, the Plus plan offers perks like unlimited access to GPT-4o image generation, making it a solid choice.

But if you're deep into Google's productivity suite like Gmail, Slides, Meet, or Sheets, the integration of Gemini into these apps could make the Google One AI Premium plan more appealing.

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