---
title: 'New Generative Effects, Speech-to-Song & More — Shorts Roundup'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=3j9qgrzk5g8'
video_id: '3j9qgrzk5g8'
date: 2026-08-01
duration_sec: 118
---

# New Generative Effects, Speech-to-Song & More — Shorts Roundup

> Source: [New Generative Effects, Speech-to-Song & More — Shorts Roundup](https://youtube.com/watch?v=3j9qgrzk5g8)

## Summary

YouTube has expanded its generative AI toolkit for Shorts, bringing features like AI editing, photo-to-video generation, and music tools to more creators worldwide. This roundup covers the key updates, including new markets, usage steps, and regional availability, along with practical instructions for each feature.

### Key Points

- **Generative AI tools expand to new markets** [00:00] — Standalone clips, green screen backgrounds, AI Playground, and Photo-to-Video are now available in more regions for creators whose YouTube language is set to English. Prompts can only be generated in English.
- **'Edit with AI' turns camera roll into drafts** [00:15] — Short creators can tap Add, select clips, and use Edit with AI to generate a first draft. Users can personalize with edit options, preview, or move to the main editor.
- **Photo-to-Video now adds sound and speech** [00:45] — Photos can be transformed into 8-second videos with sound, speech, and custom prompts. Choose a photo and use a suggested prompt or write your own.
- **New generative effects launch globally** [01:00] — Effects can animate selfies and turn sketches into videos. Access them via the Effects icon when creating a Short.
- **Speech to Song and Dream Track lyrics arrive in the US** [01:15] — Speech to Song converts dialogue into music via Remix. Dream Track lets creators add lyrics and vocals through Add Sound > Create music. Both require English-language Shorts without copyright claims and opted into audio remixing.
- **Wrap-up and full roundup** [01:46] — The video closes by pointing to a longer roundup linked in the Short for more details.

### Conclusion

YouTube is rapidly integrating generative AI into Shorts, but availability and language constraints still apply. Creators should explore the new tools now, keeping in mind that prompts and music features are currently limited to English.

## Transcript

Here's this month's YouTube Shorts RoundUp! We're&nbsp; happy to share that we're expanding YouTube's&nbsp;&nbsp; generative AI tools to new markets around the&nbsp; world. Generative standalone clips, green screen&nbsp;&nbsp; backgrounds, AI Playground, and Photo-to-Video are&nbsp; now available in more regions for creators with&nbsp;&nbsp;
their YouTube language settings set to English.&nbsp; Note that for now, prompts can only be generated&nbsp;&nbsp; in English. Try them out next time you create a&nbsp; short. "Edit with AI" is now available via Shorts&nbsp;&nbsp; creation tools. This tool enables you to turn your&nbsp; raw camera roll footage into a compelling first&nbsp;&nbsp;
draft. In the YouTube app, when creating a Short,&nbsp; tap "Add" in the bottom left corner. Choose which&nbsp;&nbsp; clips from your camera roll you want to use in&nbsp; your short. Then tap "Edit with AI." From there,&nbsp;&nbsp; you can personalize your video with a variety of&nbsp; edit options. Once you're ready, you can preview&nbsp;&nbsp;
your video or go to the main editor to make&nbsp; final touches and bring your vision to life.&nbsp;&nbsp; Try it out. Photo-to-video just got a powerful&nbsp; upgrade. Now, you can transform your photos into&nbsp;&nbsp; 8-second videos complete with sound, speech, and&nbsp; custom prompts. Just choose a photo and pick a&nbsp;&nbsp;
suggested prompt or write your own to generate a&nbsp; unique personal short in seconds. New generative&nbsp;&nbsp; Effects are now available globally, including&nbsp; effects that can bring your selfies to life in&nbsp;&nbsp; fun and creative ways and drawing effects that&nbsp; can transform your sketches into captivating and&nbsp;&nbsp;
fun videos. Tap the Effects icon when creating a&nbsp; short to try them out. Our Speech to Song feature&nbsp;&nbsp; and the ability to add lyrics and vocals in&nbsp; Dream Track are now available to creators in&nbsp;&nbsp; the US. Speech to Song takes the dialogue from&nbsp; one video and transforms it into a catchy tune&nbsp;&nbsp;
for your next short. To try it out, tap Remix,&nbsp; then Speech to Song. Note that this is only&nbsp;&nbsp; available for English language Shorts that are&nbsp; opted in for audio Remixing and do not contain&nbsp;&nbsp; other music or have media copyright claims. To&nbsp; try out adding lyrics and vocals in Dream Track,&nbsp;&nbsp;
when creating your next Short, tap Add Sound,&nbsp; then Create music, and tap to turn on lyrics.&nbsp;&nbsp; Thanks for watching and don't forget to check&nbsp; out our longer roundup linked in this Short!