Use Google Vids with a screen reader

Introduction

Google Vids is an AI-powered video-creation app. You can create custom videos in Google Vids without special software or video editing skills. Your videos can run up to 10 minutes.

This article is divided into sections with headings. To jump to a specific section of the article, use the links below:

Before you start

Make sure you’re familiar with the steps and techniques in Use Google editors with a screen reader.

Explore the Vids interface

To explore a video in Vids, use your screen reader web page navigation to find the:

  • Banner landmark or region with:
    • Title
    • Toolbars
  • Toolbar with:
    • Show or hide timing button
    • Preview button
    • Timeline zoom controls
  • Navigation landmark or region with:
    • Graphics for every scene element
    • Graphics for audio elements
  • New scene button
  • Graphics for the current scene canvas
  • Insertion toolbar

Navigate the main content

To navigate Vids as a web app, turn off virtual cursor or browse mode in your screen reader.

Basic navigation

For basic navigation, use the tab and arrow keys. The menu navigation of Vids is the same as other Google Workspace editors. For additional Vids navigation:

On Windows or ChromeOS:

  • Go to Canvas: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + c
  • Go to Timeline: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + t
  • Go to Playhead: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + p
  • Go to audio track: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + x

On MacOS:

  • Go to Canvas: Press Command + Option + Shift + c
  • Go to Timeline: Press Command + Option + Shift + t
  • Go to Playhead: Press Command + Option + Shift + p
  • Go to audio track: Press Command + Option + Shift + x

Advanced navigation

To improve your efficiency, use additional keyboard shortcuts.

Show a full list of keyboard shortcuts

  • On Windows or ChromeOS:
    1. Press Ctrl + Slash.
    2. Optional: Enter a search term.
  • On MacOS:
    1. Press Command + Slash.
    2. Optional: Enter a search term.

To navigate the keyboard shortcuts dialog or optional search results with a screen reader:

  1. To use Google Vids as a web page, turn on Virtual cursor or Browse mode.
  2. To navigate the labeled tables, use your screen reader’s table-reading commands.
  3. To navigate the labeled tables, use your screen reader’s table-reading commands.
  4. When finished, turn off Virtual cursor or Browse mode.
  5. To dismiss the dialog, press Escape.

After the tables, you can find a “View all in help center” link. This opens a new browser tab that directs to Keyboard shortcuts for Google Vids.

Open & navigate videos

Open Vids

To open Google Vids, choose any of these options:

  • In the browser tab, enter vids.google.com.
    • The keyboard focus is on a list of recent videos.
  • In the browser tab, enter vids.new.
    • The keyboard focus is on the “Getting started” dialog.
  • When you open or re-open a video, the keyboard focus is on the beginning of the timeline.

Navigate a Vid shared with you

  • Play the video:
    • On Windows: Press Ctrl + F5
    • On ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + Enter
    • On MacOS: Press Command + Enter
  • Go to timeline at current scene:
    • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + t or press Command + Option + Shift + t on MacOS:
      • To move and read the first or last scene, press Home or end.
      • To move to and read the next or previous scene, press the left or right arrow.
        • For example: “Scene 2 of 19, duration 10 seconds 881 milliseconds Alt text description: Technology Network Data Connection Network Marketing and Cyber Security, high-speed connection data analysis. Technology data binary code network conveying connectivity background concept. (Provided by Getty Images) Find: A digital representation of the Earth as a network of glowing points, symbolizing global information flow Organizing the world's information Has speaker notes 8 objects on the page 1 audio clip starts in the scene (Since its inception, - Narrator (Default)) Selected”
      • In Hide timing:
        • To move to audio track timing for the first scene, press the Down arrow.
        • To move to other scene tracks, press the Right or Left arrow.
        • To move vertically to the current scene, press the Up arrow.

          Tip: The Up and Down arrow aren’t symmetrical.

      • In Show timing, the Down arrow navigates to scene object timings and doesn’t navigate to audio track.
  • Go to canvas for the current scene:
    • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + c or press Command + Option + Shift + c on MacOS:
      • Tab to each canvas element
      • Shift + F10 for element actions
      • PgUp or PgDn to navigate next or previous canvas
  • Search the menus:
    • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Alt + slash
    • On MacOS: Press Option + slash

Create videos

Create a new video

To make a new version of an existing video, you can copy and edit a video that’s already created in Vids. You can also create a new video.

Create a draft video

In Google Vids, use Storyboard to create a first draft video from prompts you write with Gemini.

For each video, you can add up to 50 video objects and 50 audio objects. Limits are subject to change. Learn about Google Vids storage, object & version history limits.

Note: This feature is only available on new, unedited, and unnamed Vids files.

  1. On your computer, open Google Vids.
    • It opens the “Getting Started” dialog.
  1. Optional: To choose an orientation, tab to the “Landscape,” “Portrait,” or “Square” buttons.
  2. In the “Getting started” dialog, tab to Blank Vid and press Enter.
  3. Open the File menu, then select Storyboard
  4. In the focused entry field, describe the video you want to create. Include information such as the audience, purpose, and tone of the video.
  5. Optional:
    • To navigate to the “Insertable prompt examples” list, press Shift + Tab.
    • To get the description, use the Right Arrow key.
    • To choose an example, press Enter.
      • Or, to get more examples, you can press Tab to reach the “Shuffle” button.
    • To add related files:
      • Type @ followed by a file name.
        • Or, you can select a file from the drop-down menu. You can add Google Workspace files such as Docs, Sheets, or Slides directly from Google Drive.
  6. When you’re satisfied with your description, tab to the Next button and press Enter.
  7. Review and edit the proposed outline, tab to the Next button and press Enter.
  8. Select a design and tab to the Create the draft video button and press Enter.

Storyboard will generate:

  • A suggested outline, with suggested scenes populated with generated text.
  • Media such as images, videos, and music from stock and/or files included in the prompt.
  • A script.
  • A voiceover.

To help organize where to add your own video recordings, video placeholders are also suggested in relevant scenes.

Learn how to plan your video with AI in Google Vids.

Edit or customize your AI-generated video

After you create your video, you can review or edit the generated scripts of voiceovers and customize media placeholders. You can also adjust the size of your video.

Check or edit generated scripts or voiceovers

  • To open the AI voiceover panel to review or edit the generated scripts, open the Insert menu, then select Generate a voiceover.
  • To edit the script and voiceover that Storyboard generates for every scene, you must replace each audio object.
  • To add your own audio to specific scenes:
    1. Delete the voiceover audio track for the scene you want to change.
    2. Add a new voiceover manually or with AI. When you generate a voiceover, it uses the content of the Voiceover side panel. Learn how to create voiceovers with AI in Google Vids.

Change video size in Google Vids

To adjust the size of your video:

  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
  2. Open the File menu, then select Video size.
  3. From the dropdown menu, select your preferred video size:
    • Widescreen (16:9)
    • Vertical (9:16)
    • Square (1:1)
  4. Select the Apply or Cancel button.

Tip: Choose your desired theme size before you start since component elements aren't resized to fit when the video is resized.

Create a new video with a template

A template is a pre-built set of scenes with media and transitions. Use a template to outline your video, then customize it as needed.

  1. On your computer, open Google Vids.
  2. Select Start a new video.
  3. Open the Insert menu, then select Templates.
  4. To narrow your search, tab to categories:
    • All: Do not narrow the search.
    • Function: Business and Education categories.
    • Design style: Professional, Playful, etc.
    • Color: The predominant color.
    • Industry: Retail, Software, etc.
  5. Tab to a template in the template gallery and then arrow through the choices.
  6. To preview, press Enter.
  7. Arrow through the scenes.
    • To insert the focused scene, press Enter.
    • To add all scenes from the template to your video, tab to the Insert all scenes button.
    • To return to the template gallery, tab to the Back button and press Enter.

Create voiceovers

Important: Most AI features in Vids are only available in English at this time, such as “Storyboard,” read-along teleprompter, and AI voiceover. Learn about availability of Gemini features in Google Vids.

Record your voiceover

  1. On your computer, open Google Vids.
  2. Select a video.
  3. Move focus to the Timeline:
    • On Windows or Chrome OS: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + t
    • On MacOS: Press Command + Option + Shift + t
  4. To select the scene in the timeline, press the Right arrow.
  5. Move focus to the Canvas:
    • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + c
    • On MacOS: Press Command + Option + Shift + c
  6. To open the “Record” sidebar, open the Insert menu then Audio recording.
    • Or, you can search for Audio recording:
      • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Alt + slash, type Audio recording then, press Enter
      • On MacOS: Press Option + slash, type Audio recording then, press Enter
  7. Optional: You can enter the script for your scene:
    1. Tab to the Edit script button and activate it to move focus to the edit field.
    2. Enter the desired content.
    3. To return focus to the “Edit script” button, press Escape.
  8. Tab to and activate the “Start recording” button.
  9. Activate again to pause and resume.

Generate an AI Voiceover

Important:

  • Generated voiceovers are based on AI models. Options for newly generated voiceovers and voices may change as models are updated.
  • Voiceovers that are already generated for existing videos won’t change.

You can generate an AI voiceover for one scene at a time, or for all scenes at once.

  1. On your computer, open Google Vids.
  2. Select a video.
    • Or, you can choose Start a new video.
  3. Open the Insert menu, then Generate a voiceover.
  4. In the AI voiceover panel, select the Current scene tab.
  5. Tab to the “Edit script” button and press Enter.
  6. In the multi-line text field, write or edit your script. Once done, press Escape.
  7. Tab to and activate the Generate the voiceover button.
  8. Under “Voiceover,” select a voice for your voiceover:
    • Narrator
    • Educator
    • Teacher
    • Persuader
    • Explainer
    • Coach
    • Motivator
  9. Tab to and activate the Insert voiceover button.
  10. Optional: You can edit your voiceover from the new track.
    1. Select the scene that has the voiceover to edit.
    2. Open the Insert menu.
    3. Select Generate a voiceover.
    4. Tab to the Edit script button and press Enter.
    5. In the multi-line text field, enter your new script. Once done, press Escape.
    6. Tab to and activate the Update voiceover button. Then, select the Replace button.

Tips:

  • You can only generate a voiceover in English. The voiceover supports plain text only, without any emojis or symbols.
  • The scripts you use to generate a voiceover can’t exceed 2,500 characters.

Add images, GIFs, or videos from Drive or Photos

You can upload and insert your own image or video clip into a video from:

  • Google Drive
  • Google Photos
  • The web
  • A file on your computer

You can also use stock images or videos to create your Vid. Learn how to generate an image with Gemini in Google Vids (Workspace Experiments).

Use the Upload side panel to add images, GIFs, or videos from Drive or Photos.

Important:

  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
  2. In the timeline, select the scene where you want to upload an image, GIF, or video.
  3. Open the Insert menu, then Drive & Photos.
  4. In the “Drive & Photos” side panel, press the Right arrow to choose one of these tabs.
    • Google Drive: Use a file saved to your Google Drive.
    • Google Photos: Use an image from your Google Photos library.
  5. Tab to search to narrow the choices.
  6. Tab again to to the toolbar to choose options to:
    • Narrow the location.
    • Select a specific media type.
  7. Tab again to the horizontal list of files.
  8. Press Enter on a file to add it to the scene and return focus to the canvas.

Tip: Before you add files to your Vid, make sure the files you want to add are available to the same account.

Upload images, GIFs, or videos from your desktop or the web

  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
  2. Move focus to the Timeline:
    • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + t
    • On MacOS: Press Command + Option + Shift + t
  3. In the timeline, select the scene where you want to upload an image, GIF, or video.
  4. Move focus to Canvas:
    • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + c
    • On MacOS: Press Command + Option + Shift + c
  5. Open the Insert menu, then Upload.
    • Or, you can search for Upload:
      • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Alt + slash to search for “Upload” and press Enter
      • On MacOS: Press Option + slash to search for “Upload” and press Enter
  6. From your computer, select the file.

Tips:

  • You can use copy or paste from the web or your computer.
  • It may take a moment for your image to open.

Edit videos

Copy a video

To build a new or updated version, you can copy an existing video in Google Vids.

  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
  2. Open the File menu, then Make a copy.
  3. Optional: You can copy the full video or just the currently selected scenes.

Add caption tracks to a video

Important: Learn about availability of Gemini features in Google Vids.

To display the video narration in real time at the bottom of the screen, add a caption track to your video.

Add autogenerated captions

To add the autogenerated caption track, turn on captions during playback. Google Vids automatically creates captions for all inserted media with English speech.

  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
  2. Open the View menu.
  3. Select Closed captions, then Autogenerated.

    Tip: The autogenerated captions play once you start playback in editor mode.

  4. Optional: To show the autogenerated captions while playback in full screen playback mode, press the c keyboard shortcut.

Review & edit autogenerated captions

  1. To review and make edits to the autogenerated captions, open the Tools menu, then Closed captions.
  2. To review the caption track by timestamp:
    1. In the “Closed captions” side panel, tab to the “Caption track options” menu button, then press the Spacebar.
    2. Select View.
  3. To make edits to the autogenerated track:
    1. Select Duplicate.
    2. Tab to the “Caption track options” menu button after the duplicated caption track.
    3. Select Edit.

Manually add captions to a video

Important: Captions only show up as an option at the time of playback if they’re turned on. Learn how to play videos with captions.

  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
  2. Open the Tools menu, then Closed captions.
  3. In the “Closed captions” side panel, tab to and activate the Add new caption track button.
  4. In the “New captions track” sidebar, tab to and activate either the Upload file or Type manually button.
  5. Select the language of the caption in the drop-down list.
  6. Optional: You can add a track title.
    • If you upload multiple files of the same language, a track title makes it easier to find your caption file.
  7. Tab to and activate the Add cue button. Then, add details:
    • Enter the start and end times.
    • Enter the “Cue text” in the following edit field.
    • Optional: To add another track after the first, press Shift + Tab to navigate to the “Add cue below” button. The start time automatically matches the end time of the previous track. To add more tracks, repeat the steps.
  8. Tab to and activate the Create new track button.
    • Or, you can tab to the Cancel button.

Play a video with captions

To watch your video, you can play it in editor mode or full-screen playback mode with captions. When you turn captions on during playback, the captions appear at the bottom of the video.

  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
    1. To turn on closed captions before you play the video, open the View menu, then Closed captions.
    2. If needed, select the caption track to use.
  2. To play the video in full screen from the beginning:
    • On Windows: Press Ctrl + F5
    • On Chrome OS: Press Ctrl + Search + 5
    • On MacOS: Press Command + Shift + Enter
  3. To play the video in Editor mode:
    • To move the focus to the timeline, press the key combination for your operating system:
      • On Windows and Chrome OS: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + t
      • On MacOS: Press Command + Option + Shift + t
    • To play or pause from the current scene, press the Spacebar.
    • To stop, press Escape.
  4. To turn closed captions on or off in full screen playback mode, press the c keyboard shortcut.

Tips:

  • Once you upload the captions, you can store and edit them.
  • Captions are specific to browser sessions. If you turn on captions in your playback session, it won’t turn on captions when you share the video.

Add narration, music & multimedia

Record narration & video clips

To record an audio narration, a full video, your computer screen, or your surroundings, use the Vids recording studio.

Important:

  • To use a teleprompter in the Vids recording studio, add a script before opening the studio. Learn how to create voiceovers with AI in Google Vids.
  • Vids generative AI features, such as "Storyboard" and read along teleprompter, are only available in English at this time.
  • You can add up to 50 audio objects per video. Limits are subject to change.
  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
  2. To move focus to the timeline:
    • On Windows and Chrome OS: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + t
    • On MacOS: Press Command + Option + Shift + t
  3. To move focus to the scene that needs a recording, press the Right or Left arrow.
  4. To move focus to the canvas:
    • On Windows and Chrome OS: Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + c
    • On MacOS: Press Command + Option + Shift + c
  5. Open the Insert menu.
  6. Select Video recording.
    • Or, you can search for Video recording:
      • On Windows and Chrome OS: Press Alt + slash and press Enter
      • On MacOS: Press Option + slash and press Enter
  7. In the “Recording studio” dialog, tab to the “Camera” tab, then press the Right arrow to the following options and press Enter:
    • Camera: To capture video and audio from your computer’s camera and microphone.
    • Camera and screen: To capture video and audio from your computer’s camera and microphone and your computer screen.
    • Screen: To record your screen with system audio.
    • Audio: To capture audio only from your computer’s microphone.
  8. Optional: If you use your camera, you can customize your backgrounds, filters, or appearance style.
    • Tab to the Apply visual effects button.
    • To add a visual effect, select Backgrounds, Filters, or Appearance.
  9. To start or pause recording:
    • On Windows and Chrome OS: Press Ctrl + Enter
    • On MacOS: Press Command + Enter
  10. To watch or listen to your recording, tab to and activate the “Preview” button.
    • To add your recording to a video, tab to and activate the “Insert” button.

To filter sound from your mic that isn’t speech:

  1. Tab to and activate the “More options” menu button, then select Settings.
  2. Turn on Noise cancellation.

Add music & sound effects

To add your own audio files like sound effects, music, and other audio tracks to your video, upload them from your computer or Google Drive. You can extend audio tracks across multiple scenes, and you can play multiple tracks simultaneously like voiceovers with background music.

You can add up to 25 audio tracks per video.

  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
  2. To move focus to the Playhead, press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + P (Command + Option + Shift + p on Mac).
  3. To move the playhead to the place where you want to add the audio clip, press the Right or Left arrow.
  4. To add a file:
    1. Open the Insert menu, then Drive & Photos.
    2. In the sidebar, select Media type, then Audio.
  5. Select the file you want to add. A track for the audio clip is inserted at the playhead location. Customize timings, transitions & audio.

Learn how to add audio to a video in Google Vids.

Insert generated images

You can add images generated by Gemini to your videos.

  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
  2. To generate an image, open the Insert menu, then Generate an image.
  3. In the side panel, press Shift + Tab until you get to “Describe your idea…”
  4. Enter a prompt. For example:
    • A Hawaiian beach at sunset with palm trees in the distance.
    • A plate of freshly baked blueberry muffins on a wooden table by a large window.
    • A futuristic city at night with skyscrapers and flying cars, HD details, and shadows.
  5. Optional: To specify the kind of image you want, such as a photo or drawing, tab to Add a style.
  6. Optional: To choose an option, tab to Aspect ratio then, select:
    • Square
    • Wide
    • Tall
  7. To generate suggested images, activate the Create button.
  8. Tab to the image and press Enter, then tab to the Insert button or press Escape to cancel.

Learn how to generate & edit images with Gemini in Google Slides & Vids.

Insert stock images & clips

You can add stock video, images, music, sound effects, stickers, and GIFs to your videos.

  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
  2. Open the Insert menu, then Stock & Web.
  3. Tab to Search all stock.
  4. Enter a description of what you’re looking for.
  5. Optional: To choose a specific media type, tab to the Media type dropdown, then press Shift + Tab to enter a search term.
  6. If needed, tab to the horizontal list of matching elements, press the Right arrow to each option, and press Enter on your selection to insert.

    Tip: Stock videos, images, music, sound effects, stickers, and GIFs are inserted at the beginning of the scene. Audio clips are inserted at the location of the playhead. The play or pause points when playing in the editor.

Learn how to add stock media & web images in Google Slides & Vids.

Add text

You can add text, like stylized text blocks, to your videos. You can also add lines, shapes, and other objects.

  1. On your computer, open a video in Google Vids.
  2. Move focus to the canvas of the scene where you want to add text or an object.
  3. Open the Insert menu, then Text.
  4. In the side panel, tab to a category or one of the samples and press Enter.
  5. Edit the text and press Escape. Enter adds a new line.
  6. Optional: While focus is still on the added text, use the cursor keys to move the text from the center of the Canvas.

Share videos

Share & collaborate with Vids

You can share your videos and select whether collaborators can view, edit, or comment on them.

You can choose to share videos created in Vids as:

  • Google Vids files
  • MP4s in Google Drive
  • MP4s downloaded to your device

To collaborate with others on your video, share as a Google Vids file. Then, choose an access level:

  • Commenters: Users can add comments to the video but can’t make changes.
  • Editors: Users can add comments and make changes to the video.

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