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. This feature is probably intended for users who prefer to use creative backgrounds to stand out in videos or to match the theme of the video 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 AI background feature
The Google-owned video sharing platform announced the feature on its support page on Monday. The company said: “We are experimenting with a new feature, Dream Screen, which uses AI to generate pictorial green screen backgrounds for Shorts.” YouTube did not specify which AI model was used for this feature.
Users, after gaining access to Dream Screen, can write a text query describing what they want in the background. Highlighting one example, the post noted that users can request a “fancy hotel pool on a tropical island” and the AI will instantly generate it. Once generated, it can be added to the video background.
The brief announcement described the feature but did not explain several aspects of it. For example, it is not mentioned if the background should be added at the recording stage or if it can be added to a pre-recorded video as well. Furthermore, it is not known if users will need a real green screen to display the effect or if it can be added digitally similar to Google Meet. Namely, the company also did not specify any limitations in the generation of AI images. These instructions may appear on the Dream Screen features page.
Because it’s 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 noted that more creators will get the tool later in 2023. Separately, the video streaming platform has made its Playables feature available to all users. It offers access to more than 75 different free games that were previously only available to YouTube Premium subscribers.
