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Google Veo Gets Portrait Mode & 4K Upscaling

AI Google Veo Video Generation Vertical Video Gemini Upscaling
January 13, 2026
Viqus Verdict Logo Viqus Verdict Logo 8
Refined Realism
Media Hype 6/10
Real Impact 8/10

Article Summary

Google is bolstering its Veo AI video generation capabilities with a major update focused on enhanced control and output quality. The new ‘Ingredients to Video’ tool now specifically supports portrait image inputs, allowing users to generate vertical videos that align more closely with their source images – a key improvement for platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Furthermore, Veo 3.1 introduces 4K resolution upscaling, boosting the output from its previous 1080p limit. This upgrade expands the tool’s flexibility, enabling users to generate richer, more expressive videos with better consistency across scenes. The tool’s core functionality remains the same – generating clips based on up to three reference images, incorporating subjects, backgrounds, and textures – but the new features provide significantly greater creative control and output quality. Google is rolling out these improvements to the Gemini app and integrating them into YouTube Shorts and the YouTube Create app.

Key Points

  • Veo 3.1 now supports portrait image inputs for vertical video generation.
  • The tool offers 4K resolution upscaling, improving video quality.
  • Users can now reuse objects, backgrounds, and textures across scenes for enhanced consistency.

Why It Matters

This update is crucial for creative professionals and content creators who rely on AI-generated video. The improved portrait mode support directly addresses a key limitation of previous Veo iterations, opening up new possibilities for video content creation on popular short-form video platforms. The 4K upscaling, while not native, represents a substantial improvement in visual quality. This news matters because it demonstrates Google’s ongoing investment in improving the utility and versatility of its AI video tools, positioning Veo as a more powerful and competitive option in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-generated media.

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