I just tried the new Photo to Video feature in Google Photos, and I’m blown away

When Google announced a suite of new creative tools for Google Photos a few weeks back, the new Photo to Video feature was easily the most intriguing to me. The promise of turning your static photos into short, dynamic video clips sounded cool, but I reserved my judgment. We’ve all seen silly photo animation effects before.

Well, the new feature just landed in my Google Photos app, and after spending some time with it, I can confidently say this is something special. I’m genuinely astounded by how quick, effective, and shockingly realistic the results are.

Bringing photos to life

The new feature will soon be housed in the new “Create tab” in the Photos app (once it arrives for your account). The process is incredibly simple. Hit the Create button (or the + button up top for now), select the Photo to Video option, and choose the image to animate. You are then presented with two simple prompts: “Subtle movements” or “I’m feeling lucky.”

You pick one, and in under a minute, Google Photos (powered by the Veo 2 model for now) analyzes your image and generates a dynamic, six-second video clip. The speed and simplicity are impressive, but it’s the quality of the output that is truly mind-blowing.

Shockingly realistic movements

I was expecting a simple parallax effect or some generic, wobbly motion. That is not what this is. The AI seems to have a genuine understanding of the content of the photo, creating subtle, cinematic movements that are often tough to distinguish from an actual video clip.

It adds a slow, steady camera pan to landscape shots, makes the leaves on trees gently rustle in a non-existent breeze, and can even add a subtle, lifelike shift to a person’s expression. It’s not just an effect; it’s a re-creation. It takes a static moment and breathes life into it in a way that feels authentic and surprisingly emotional, especially with older photos.

In a specific example, it took a cross-shaped piece of jewelry and animated it far beyond a few small shifts. The photo came to life, showing all sides of the cross and clearly generated a 3-dimensional object for the video. Whoa!

This isn’t just a fun gimmick; it’s an incredibly powerful and effective tool for bringing your memories to life in a whole new way. It’s one of those AI features you really have to see to believe. If you see this feature in your Google Photos app, I highly recommend you give it a try. I think you’ll be just as astounded as I am.