YouTube is testing AI feature that lets you generate background images in Shorts
YouTube is testing a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature for its minute-long vertical video format Shorts. Called Dream Screen, the feature will add a custom, AI-generated green screen image to videos, likely aimed at users who prefer to use creative backgrounds to stand out in their videos or to match the theme of the video’s content. This is an experimental feature from the video streaming giant and is currently only available to a select group of Shorts creators.
YouTube Shorts Gets an AI Background Feature
The Google-owned video sharing platform Posted about the feature on its support page on Monday. The company said, “We’re experimenting with a new feature called Dream Screen that uses AI to generate green screen backgrounds for Shorts.” YouTube did not specify which AI model was used for this feature.
Once users have access to Dream Screen, they can write a text prompt describing what they want in the background. An example highlighted in the post: users can request a “luxury hotel pool on a tropical island” and the AI will generate it on the fly. Once it’s generated, it can be added to the background of the video.
The short post described the feature, but did not explain several aspects of it. For example, it did not mention whether the background has to be added during the recording phase or if it can also be added to a pre-recorded video. It is also unknown whether users will need an actual green screen to demonstrate the effect, or if it can be added digitally, similar to Google Meet. Notably, the company also did not specify any limitations on generating AI images. It is possible that these instructions will be displayed on the Dream Screen feature page.
As an experimental feature (features that Google is currently testing or in beta), Dream Screen is only available to a select group of Shorts creators. However, the company has stressed that more creators will get the tool later in 2023. Additionally, the video streaming platform has opened up its Playables feature to all users, offering access to over 75 different free-to-play games that were previously only available to YouTube Premium subscribers.
