Google Vids now lets you turn your own photos into custom AI avatars

I have spent a good part of the last few months keeping a close eye on Google Vids as it matures from a clever Gemini experiment into an everyday tool. When Google first rolled out AI avatars, having generic virtual presenters narrate slide decks and internal walk-throughs was neat, but it always felt a little sterile.

That changes this week. Google announced via a Workspace Updates blog post that you can now upload your own images to create custom avatars directly inside Google Vids. Instead of relying purely on stock templates or text prompts to imagine a presenter, you can pull in an actual headshot or branded character to anchor your video.

Making avatar generation actually feel personal

The mechanic here is pretty straightforward, which is what I like about it. You can pull an image straight from your local device storage, Google Drive, or Google Photos. Once it is imported into Vids, you are not stuck with an unpolished cut-and-paste job either.

Google built in tools right inside the Vids editor to clean up backgrounds, tweak lighting, or even add thematic accents. The avatar then stays saved directly to your Vids project, meaning you can maintain visual consistency across different scenes, pitch reels, or training modules without rebuilding it every single time.

It is a subtle shift, but an important one for anyone producing quick explainer videos or internal team updates. Putting a familiar face or consistent, branded avatar into an any video makes the whole thing feel far less robotic and much more engaging.

Who gets it and when to look for it

There are no admin toggles or complicated workspace settings to worry about here; the capability lands right inside the end-user editor.

Google started rolling this out to Rapid Release domains on October 30, 2026, with a gradual 15-day visibility window. Scheduled Release domains will follow with a rapid 1-to-3-day rollout starting November 20, 2026.

And availability is refreshingly wide. It covers nearly the entire spectrum of Google Workspace tiers from Business Starter, Standard, and Plus to Enterprise, Education Plus, Nonprofits, and Workspace Individual. Even better, personal Google accounts with Google AI Pro and Ultra subscriptions get access, as do those on the AI Expanded Access and Google AI Pro for Education add-ons. If you spend time putting together decks or video walk-throughs in Workspace, keep an eye out for the upload button on your avatar shelf over the coming days.