What you need to know
- YouTube is testing out a feature that allows users to have AI-generated green screen images/videos as background on Shorts.
- This feature is currently being tested on a small group of creators to let them "bring their imagination to life."
- While it remains unclear whether or not Dream Screen is here to stay for good, the company said it will keep other creators posted on its plans to roll out the feature "later this year."
We know how Google is trying to integrate Gemini into all its apps; the newest addition is to YouTube Shorts.
According to a recent blog post, YouTube is testing a new feature called the "Dream Screen." This feature uses text-based prompts to generate AI images/videos that can be used as green screen backgrounds for Shorts. It is currently being tested only on a small group of people to let them "bring their imagination to life."
If you're the "chosen one" for this experiment, you can access this feature by opening the YouTube app > Create > From the right menu, tap Green screen > From the bottom, select Create an Image or Video.
After that, users can describe the content they'd like to use and tap on "Create Preview." For instance, if you'd want the Shorts' background to be an "enchanted rainbow flower forest or a fancy hotel pool on a tropical island," you can simply type in the prompt in the space provided.
YouTube will then create the AI-generated background with the user's prompts— showing multiple options. Users can then pick the option that closely matches their prompt, use the image/video as a green screen to record themselves and tap on Upload Short to publish.
While all this may sound pretty magical, Google is cautioning users about sharing confidential or personal information that users wouldn't want Google’s products, services, and technologies to utilize in the future.
However, the bigger issue is that there isn't any confirmation of whether YouTube Shorts will indicate when a video uses Dream Screen's AI-generated backgrounds. This means that there's no way to differentiate between an AI-generated background and a real location that was filmed by a creator.
While it remains unclear whether or not Dream Screen is here to stay for good, the company said it will keep other creators posted on its plans to roll out the feature "later this year."
In May, YouTube also experimented with instrumental-only soundtracks in Shorts with its Dream Track tool introduced in November 2023. This AI tool whips up original tunes mimicking the style of your favorite singers a suite of experimental tools designed to help creators make fun, unique music for their Shorts.
