What is Veo? Native audiovisual generation and retiring preview versions
Veo is Google DeepMind’s video generation family. Learn how text and reference visuals guide clips with audio, what to check in the result and which Veo 3.1 Gemini API previews are retiring.
Meet this model
Veo is Google DeepMind’s model family for generating video from descriptions or image references. Veo 3.1 includes native audio, generating sound alongside the visuals. Veo names the model; Flow and Gemini are product interfaces whose versions and features must be checked separately.
Describe what changes over time within the shot
For a rainy street scene, specify when a person enters and where the camera moves. Veo can also receive a sound description, such as rain on the eaves. A stylistic word like cinematic does little to establish how actions unfold over time.
Native audio can include ambience or dialogue, but speech may still be incoherent. Listen to important lines individually and compare mouth movement with speaking time. Audio generation does not imply exact pauses or correct pronunciation of every proper name.
References and endpoint frames supply different constraints
Public Veo materials describe image references, extension and first/last-frame controls. References guide appearance; endpoint frames constrain the beginning and end. Supplying one image does not establish all intermediate actions or the ending pose.
For a continuous ad, establish each shot’s ending action before choosing extension or regeneration. Compare hands and product labels across adjacent shots to find changes missed by inspecting the first frame alone. Availability still depends on the product and model.
A retiring preview does not mean the whole family disappears
As checked on October 21, 2026, the current Gemini API video guide lists the three Veo 3.1 preview IDs below for shutdown on October 22, 2026. The notice applies to those Gemini API previews, not to every Veo product interface.
New integrations should not copy those retiring preview IDs. The guide points to Gemini Omni Flash or general-availability enterprise models. Check input formats and feature support when migrating. This article did not call the services or verify any account’s migration eligibility.
veo-3.1-generate-preview
veo-3.1-fast-generate-preview
veo-3.1-lite-generate-previewCheck both the soundtrack and the delivered file
Veo videos carry SynthID. Play the entire file to check that required actions are present and the sound does not cut off. Verify factual claims separately: generated visual detail is not evidence that a real event occurred.
Web playback also depends on codec and container support; a successful download does not establish browser compatibility. Inspect the actual file dimensions and test the target player when specifications matter. This article makes no promise of generation time, success rate or publication without review.
Checked sources
These sources support the concepts and methods described here. Examples and test scope are labeled separately; check the version of the tools you use.