Veo

Google's video generator, currently on version 3.1. Its party trick is sound. Where most video tools hand you a silent clip to add music to later, Veo can make the audio at the same time as the picture, so footsteps land with the feet and voices come out of the right mouths.

There are two ways in. Flow is Google's filmmaking studio built around Veo, and it gives non-subscribers a small number of free credits each day. The Gemini app also carries Veo on the paid Google AI Pro plan. Either way you are spending credits rather than minutes, and the better the quality you ask for, the faster they go.

The catch. There is no genuinely free route to the newest version, and the cost climbs quickly at high quality. Rough out your idea at the cheapest setting first, then spend the credits once you know the shot actually works.