New YouTube update turns photos and sketches into Shorts with AI

Latest YouTube update is bringing an exciting wave of generative AI tools to Shorts, offering creators more ways to animate, enhance, and transform their content.

With this latest YouTube update, users can now convert static images into moving visuals, experiment with animated sketches, and access a dedicated AI space to test new features.

As part of the YouTube update, a new image-to-video animation feature allows users to bring photos from their camera roll to life.

By selecting an image and choosing a creative effect, users can easily turn still shots into animated clips, an approach that has become popular across several AI platforms.

Another addition in the YouTube update enables the animation of simple drawings or sketches.

Although not as widely adopted yet, this tool provides a fresh way to utilise AI within the Shorts editing experience, especially for users who enjoy illustrating or doodling.

A key part of the YouTube update is the introduction of “AI Playground,” a hub for creators to explore YouTube’s latest AI models and features.

It includes ready-made prompts, sample content, and tools for generating music, videos, and images.

This AI space is currently available to users in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

All new generative AI tools within the YouTube update are powered by Google’s Veo 2 engine, with plans to upgrade to Veo 3 in the near future.

The YouTube update also confirms the use of SynthID watermarks and clear labelling to identify AI-generated content, maintaining transparency while promoting innovation.

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As these tools begin rolling out this week in select regions, more global users will gain access later in the year. The features will appear under the “Effects” section in the Shorts camera, making them easy to find and use.

With this latest update, creators have more power than ever to express themselves, transforming simple photos and sketches into engaging, animated videos using cutting-edge AI.