How to Make Viral YouTube Shorts with Veo 3 Fast (2025 Guide)

TikTok revived short-form videos after the end of Vine, an American short-form video platform that got shut down in 2017. Now, short-form videos are one of the most popular types of content consumed worldwide through services like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Companies are trying to boost their user engagement and make their platforms more intuitive for the creators.

Text to YouTube Shorts powered by Veo 3

YouTube, being owned by Google, allows it to constantly experiment with new features, and now they are doing something big. YouTube has partnered with Google DeepMind to plug in a custom version of Google's latest video generator, Veo 3, directly into Shorts. Now, you can go from idea to prompt to clicks (with audio) in seconds, right from your smartphone.

This new addition of Veo 3 directly into YouTube Shorts makes the "first draft" so quick and fun that you actually publish more often. According to YouTube, Veo 3 Fast outputs at 480p, works inside Shorts, and is free to start for millions of creators as it rolls out. This is a practical choice as it comes with lower latency, and mobile-native access matters more in the Shorts feed than pixel peeping.

YouTube says Veo 3 Fast is launching first in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with more regions on the way.

How to get started (today)

Update your YouTube app and open the Shorts camera. Tap Create, then hit the sparkle icon to open the latest gen-AI tools and write a specific prompt ("golden-hour timelapse of city traffic, chill lo-fi beat). Publish if you like what you see.

If you don't see Veo 3 Fast yet (like us), you're likely outside the initial rollout markets; YouTube says more regions are coming.

But YouTube's AI ambitions don't stop there. The company is also previewing a handful of AI-assisted tricks that should feel familiar to anyone who's watched a dance trend or a VFX remix and thought, "I wish I could do that." The platform is giving creators even more control over their content.

The top 3 new YouTube Shorts AI features rolling out in the coming months:

• Add Motion: The add motion feature allows you to bring your still photos to life by applying motion from another video. You can turn a static image of a friend doing a popular dance or a pet performing a wild sports move. This technology works by capturing and transferring movement from one subject to another, opening up a world of creative possibilities.

• Stylize Your Video: With a single tap, you can now transform the entire look and feel of your videos. Apply artistic styles like pop art or origami to your footage, giving it a unique and eye-catching aesthetic without the need for complex editing software.
• Add Objects: This feature lets you add characters, props, or effects to your videos with a simple text description. Want to add a rubber ducky to your morning coffee or a giant octopus to a video of a harbor? Now you can, with just a few words.

YouTube is also experimenting with other AI-powered tools to simplify the creative process.

1. "Edit with AI" will help creators by transforming raw footage into a compelling first draft, complete with music, transitions, and even a voiceover.
2. Another exciting addition is the "Speech to Song" remixing tool, which uses Google DeepMind's Lyria 2 model to turn dialogue from videos into catchy soundtracks.

To ensure transparency, YouTube has confirmed that all AI-generated content will be identified with SynthID watermarks and content labels.

In Conclusion:

By putting Veo 3 Fast inside Shorts, YouTube isn't just adding another AI effect; it's making idea-to-output native to the platform. The trade-off (480p) is a feature, not a flaw, for creators who value speed and iteration in a format where freshness wins over overproduction. Add forthcoming tools like motion transfer, stylization, and object insertion, plus clear AI disclosures, and YouTube Shorts starts looking less like a feed and more like an invent-as-you-scroll studio.