Google launches Veo 3.1 Lite, its AI video model
Google launches Veo 3.1 Lite, a video generation model designed for applications that need to create large volumes of content. It costs less than half as much as Veo 3.1 Fast, maintains its speed and supports video generation from text or images in several resolutions and formats.
Google has launched Veo 3.1 Lite, an artificial intelligence model for generating videos at scale for less than half the cost of Veo 3.1 Fast and at the same speed. The company is targeting developers who need to produce large volumes of video within their applications.
The difference matters because AI video generation can become expensive when an application creates hundreds or thousands of clips. With this version, for example, an education platform could produce short videos for its lessons, or an online store could generate product demonstrations without paying the full price of the Fast model.
What Veo 3.1 Lite can do
The model supports two creation methods:
- Text to video: describe a scene and the AI generates the clip.
- Image to video: start with an image and turn it into an animated sequence.
You can also choose between horizontal format, with a 16:9 aspect ratio, and vertical format, with a 9:16 aspect ratio. This makes it easier to adapt content to a computer screen, mobile device or short-form video platform.
The resolution can be 720p or 1080p, and the duration can be set to 4, 6 or 8-second clips. The price changes depending on the selected duration, giving developers more control over how much they spend on each generation.
Veo 3.1 Lite balances practical utility with professional capabilities.
Where it can be used
The model is already available to developers through the paid tier of the Gemini API and Google AI Studio. That means it is not being presented as a standalone tool for manually creating videos, but as technology that other companies can integrate into their own products.
Google's main focus is volume. A less expensive generator makes it possible to create more versions of an ad, adapt videos to different formats or automate personalized content without costs rising as quickly.
Veo 3.1 Fast is also getting cheaper
Google has also announced a price reduction for Veo 3.1 Fast starting April 7. The company has not said how much it will cost after the adjustment, but the move expands the options for those who need to generate video quickly and want a model other than Lite.
The Veo 3.1 family is therefore split according to different needs: Lite for generating large volumes at a lower cost, and Fast for those who prioritize that model within their applications. The key question will be how much the price actually drops and whether developers find a sufficient difference in quality to justify using a more expensive version.