How to Use Google Flow (Step-by-Step Tutorial) transcript

Today, I’ll show you how to use Google Flow step by step. Google Flow is Google's AI filmmaking tool that helps you go from a simple idea to a finished video. We'll brainstorm a concept, generate a storyboard, create cinematic video clips, build consistent characters, edit our project, and even transform existing videos with AI. By the end of this video, you'll know how to create your own AI videos from start to finish.

I'm Kevin, and let's dive in. First, head to flow.google. You'll find a link right here at the bottom of the screen. You'll need to sign in with your Google account. When the site loads, you'll land on the Google Flow homepage. Here, you'll see your recent projects, featured examples from Google, and right here, a button to start creating something new. To create our first AI video project, click New Project. This drops us on the main editing workspace.

Along the left-hand side, you'll find your media, characters, scenes, and AI tools. In the middle is your canvas, and on the right-hand side is the AI assistant that helps you create and edit your videos. Now, right here at the bottom, we have a prompt box, and it's asking me what I'd like to create. Now, of course, this wouldn't be a Kevin Stratvert tutorial without cookies, so let's try making a short commercial for the Kevin Cookie Company.

Here, I'll type in my prompt, and then let's send that. Notice that Google Flow doesn't immediately generate a video. Instead, it asks a few follow-up questions to better understand what we're trying to create. So right here, what's the overall vibe? Well, I want it to be cozy and warm. Here, it asks about the hero feature. Well, obviously, it's our chocolate chip cookies. And for the visual style, I like photo-realistic and maybe cinematic.

So, right down below, I'll type in my response, and let's send that. Based on all of the direction that we provided, Google Flow has now created a detailed storyboard for this commercial. Let's scroll up to the top and have a look. Now, right here, it calls out the characters for the commercial. We have Silas, a master baker in his late 50s, and Maya, an eight-year-old girl with a bright, curious expression. I love it.

Right over here, we have the location. We're in a kitchen, and then we also have the front counter of the store. That's great. Here, we call out props, the wardrobe, the set, and then this is really neat. It breaks down the commercial to the individual frames. So, for each frame, we get the context, the action that occurs, we also get the camera angles. Here, we have the lighting, and then we also include the dialogue.

Again, we do this for every single frame in this commercial. We have six frames total that make up the commercial. Now, I really like that Flow encourages you to think through the story before generating any video. If you'd like to make any changes to this, right down below, simply describe it in the prompt box. You're only editing text at this stage, and it won't consume any credits. Video generation is what uses credits.

So, it's worth taking a few extra moments to refine your storyboard before moving on. Now, I think everything here looks good, so let's move on to generating a visual storyboard. Right over here, I'll click on send. There we have the visual storyboard. This gives us a quick preview of how each scene will fit together before we generate the final videos. Overall, I think this looks great, but I did notice one small issue.

Here in frame number six, I'd like to include the text Kevin Cookie Company on the box. So here, I'll click on the storyboard and we can give feedback right down below. I'll type this in and then let's send that. Beautiful. Look at that. I love the text on the box. Now, the nice thing is that we're catching this now. We could refine the storyboard before spending time generating the final video clips. Let's now go back to the main view.

I think this storyboard looks great, and I'm ready to start generating the final video clips. So right down below, let's type in, let's start generating individual video clips for each frame, and then I'll send that. Since generating AI videos consumes credits, Flow asks me to confirm before it begins. In this case, it's going to generate all six different scenes and that'll cost me 90 credits. I'm good with that, so over here, I'll click on approve.

A few minutes later, Google Flow has generated all six frames from our storyboard. Now, one thing I really like is how consistent everything looks. The bakery, the lighting, the overall visual style all carry through from one scene over to the next. Now, it really feels like these clips belong in the same commercial rather than six completely separate videos. Oh, and look at that shot. That practically sells itself. Now, if I were a better businessperson, I would probably have an order link at the bottom of this YouTube video.

Now, I can click into any clip and there we could hear the sound. And if you'd like to make any changes or refinements, right here at the bottom, you have the prompt box where you could type in the changes. Google Flow has generated all of our clips, but they're all just individual shots. The next step is to combine them all into one scene so we could review the commercial from beginning to end. In the top left-hand corner, let's now go back and over on the left-hand side navigation, let's click into scenes and here on the canvas, let's right-click and here we see the option for a new scene.

Let's click on that. Now, at the bottom of the screen, let's click on the plus icon to start adding some clips to this timeline. Here I can see all the different AI generated clips that we've created so far. Now, right here, I’ll select this as the opening shot. Now, over on the right-hand side, I can preview the clip and down below, I could also trim the clip so that way I only bring in this portion. Now, I think this looks good.

So down below, let's add this to the scene. Let's add a few more clips to start building out this commercial. I'll click on the plus icon. Let's add another clip and this time let's go with him stirring the cookies and let's add that to the scene. And let's add one more clip. I'll click on the plus icon, add a clip and this time let's go with the cookies moving into the oven. Over here, I'll add this to the scene. Now, we have a basic video editor with a timeline.

Over here, I can rearrange the clips. I'll press on this one and I can drag that to the end. Now, I could also trim the clips to improve the pacing. Over here, I could cut the beginning and here I'll cut off some of the end. One feature I really like is the prompt box at the bottom of the window. Now, over here, I could select any clip on my timeline and down below, I could describe the changes that I'd like to make to that clip and then Google Flow will go through and update just that individual clip.

Once you're happy with the final result, in the top right-hand corner, you can click on the download icon and that'll export the finished scene with all of your different clips. If you'd rather do the final editing and software like, let's say, DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro or maybe another editor, in the top left-hand corner, let's click on this back icon. On the left-hand side, navigation, let's click into all media and here we see all the different video clips that we've generated.

Now, you could hover over any one of your clips and here you'll see this overlay in the top right. I could click on the three dots and here we have the option to download just this one individual clip. One of the biggest challenges with AI-generated video is keeping the characters consistent from one scene to the next. Google Flow makes this a lot easier with its built-in character tools. Let's have a look. Over on the left-hand side, let's click on characters.

From here, you can create a new character simply by describing them with a prompt. Down below, you can also upload a reference image or one of my favorites, if I click on this plus icon, you have the option to turn yourself into an avatar. That one is really cool, and I definitely recommend trying it out. So, let's try creating a character for the bakery owner. Right down below in the prompt box, I'll type in my description of Silas.

Then, over here, let's generate. And there we can see what Silas looks like. I like it. It looks good. If I want to make additional changes, down below, I have the prompt field and here I could type in any edits that I'd like to make. In the top left-hand corner, I can now give this character a name. I'll call him Silas. Down below, I can also select a voice for Silas. Let's go with this one right here and I'll add that to the character.

Now, I think this looks pretty good. So, in the top right-hand corner, let's now click on done. Let's see it in action now. Down below, let's go to the prompt field and let's type in the @ symbol. This lets me reference one of the characters that we've created. Over on the left-hand side, I see characters and there's Silas. Now, as a quick note, if you'd like to use your avatar, you can click on that and here you'll see your avatar.

Now, let's go back to characters. I'll select Silas and that's now inserted a reference to Silas in the prompt field and now I could type in the rest of my prompt. So, Silas eats a chocolate chip cookie at a busy train station. Then, over here, let's send that. And right here, let's approve it. Let's look at how it turned out. Right over here again, we have the photo of Silas and right next to that, we have the video that it generated using Silas and at first glance, it looks really good.

Let's play it. That looks like the same character. That's really good and that'll make it a lot easier to build longer videos where you need the same character to appear throughout. Before we wrap up, let me show you one more feature that I think is really impressive. In addition to generating videos from scratch, Google Flow can also transform existing videos. Here, I'll upload a video of myself walking in my backyard.

Here, I'll click on I agree. Now, right above, you can see a video of me walking. Now, I'll click into it and down at the bottom, I can now describe edits that I would like AI to make to my video. So, right over here, let's transform this scene into a snowy winter day and then run that. And right up on top, we can see how that turned out. And that's how to use Google Flow. Let me know down below in the comments if you have any questions or if there's another AI tool you'd like me to cover.

Thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next video.