Gemini Omni Flash API

Gemini Omni Flash Skill

This skill uses the Gemini Omni Flash model (gemini-omni-flash-preview) to perform text to video generation, image to video generation and video editing.

[!WARNING] Important Regional Restrictions: Uploading videos to use for video edits is NOT available in the EEA, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and some US states. If a video-to-video edit completes quickly with empty outputs (total_output_tokens: 0 or no video content), it is likely due to this restriction.

Core capabilities

1. Video editing and refinement: Editing existing videos (maximum duration 10 seconds), applying stylistic changes, or performing inpainting/outpainting.
2. Text to video: Generating videos from a text prompt.
3. First-frame to video: Generating videos from a single input image.
4. Image-referenced generation: Using style, character, or object references from images to guide video generation.

Workflow

1. Analyze request: Determine the target task (e.g., first-frame-to-video, reference-guided editing) and identify any input media assets.

2. Run SDK scripts:

   • Directly run the appropriate utility (scripts/video/generate_video.py or scripts/upload_file.py).
   • Configure settings like --aspect-ratio (e.g. 16:9, 9:16) and --duration (any integer between 3 and 10 seconds, e.g. 3, 5, 10).

3. Retrieve and process output: Outputs are saved to the local filesystem (e.g. media/). Report back the completed media path to the user.

Reference Documentation

• Interactions API: All operations and state management for the Gemini Omni Flash model (gemini-omni-flash-preview) are handled via the Interactions API.
• Files API: Input media files (such as reference images and videos) must be uploaded via the Files API first before being referenced in generations. The uploaded file URI and MIME type are then included in the interactions.create input parts array.
• Interactions API Skill Reference: Platform-wide guidelines, current model specifications, and SDK usage rules for the Interactions API.

Dependencies and Prerequisites

• Python SDK (google-genai): Requires google-genai >= 2.10.0 (Python) to support the new interactions client attribute. Install or upgrade using:

  pip install -U google-genai
  

• Python Runtime: Requires Python >= 3.10 (for compatibility with modern google-genai SDK types and methods).
• ffmpeg & ffprobe: prep_video.py, inspect_video.py, and generate_video.py (when stripping audio via --strip-audio) require ffmpeg and ffprobe binaries installed and available in your system PATH.

Available scripts

Use the following Python scripts to upload media with the Files API, prepare input videos with ffmpeg, and generate video outputs using the Interactions API.

1. upload_file.py: Uploads local media (images and videos) to the Files API and polls until ACTIVE. If uploading a video larger than 25MB, it prints an informative warning/tip highlighting that Gemini Omni Flash is optimized for editing 10s videos at 720p/24fps, and recommends pre-processing with prep_video.py first to speed up the upload.

   ./scripts/upload_file.py path/to/image.png
   

2. generate_video.py: Performs end-to-end video generation and downloads the output video. It detects and uploads local media references (images or videos) before calling the Interactions API. Large video assets (>25MB) will trigger informative pre-processing recommendations without blocking the upload.

   • Text to video:

     ./scripts/video/generate_video.py "A close-up of a cat drinking tea" --output media/cat_tea.mp4
     

   • Image to video (first frame and reference):

     ./scripts/video/generate_video.py "The waves crash against the shore." --image reference.png --output media/waves.mp4
     

   • Video interpolation:

     Provide exactly two images as keyframes to generate a transition video between them:

     ./scripts/video/generate_video.py "A smooth timelapse from sunrise to sunset" --image start.png --image end.png --output media/interpolation.mp4
     

   • Video editing (keep original audio):

     ./scripts/video/generate_video.py "Transform the style to Japanese anime" --video input.mp4 --output media/anime_style.mp4
     

   • Video editing (regenerate all audio from scratch):

     ./scripts/video/generate_video.py "Transform the style to Japanese anime" --video input.mp4 --strip-audio --output media/anime_style_new_audio.mp4
     

   • Turn-by-turn video editing (edit previous interaction):

     Edit a prior video generation without re-uploading assets by passing the interaction ID:

     ./scripts/video/generate_video.py "Change the setting to a snowy winter wonderland." --previous-interaction-id "abc123xyz..." --output media/winter_wonderland.mp4
     

   • Parallel batch execution (prompts file): Run multiple prompts from a line-by-line text file concurrently:

     ./scripts/video/generate_video.py --prompts-file prompts.txt --concurrency 3
     

   • Parallel batch execution (JSON config): Execute fully configured, distinct generation and editing jobs in parallel:

     ./scripts/video/generate_video.py --batch jobs.json --concurrency 3
     

     Example jobs.json:

     [
       {
         "prompt": "Transform the style to Japanese anime.",
         "video": "input.mp4",
         "output": "media/anime_style.mp4",
         "strip_audio": false,
         "aspect_ratio": "16:9"
       },
       {
         "prompt": "A smooth timelapse from sunrise to sunset.",
         "image": ["start.png", "end.png"],
         "output": "media/interpolation.mp4"
       }
     ]
     

3. inspect_video.py: Inspects a local video file (using ffprobe) to check its duration, resolution, frame rate (FPS), audio stream presence, and format details.

   ./scripts/video/inspect_video.py media/output.mp4
   

   • To get a pre-parsed, structured JSON summary:

     ./scripts/video/inspect_video.py media/output.mp4 --json
     

   • To get the complete, unmodified ffprobe raw JSON dump:

     ./scripts/video/inspect_video.py media/output.mp4 --raw
     

4. prep_video.py: Normalizes, trims, and formats any video file to fit standard Gemini Omni Flash generation and editing limits. It handles timecode-based trimming, optional frame rate conversion, and proportional scaling of large videos (max 1280x720 for landscape, 720x1280 for portrait) to optimize upload times without stretching. If the video is longer than 10 seconds and the script is run interactively (in a TTY), it prompts the user to select the first 10s, last 10s, or enter a custom timecode (defaulting to the first 10s).

   • Trim first 10s (default):

    ./scripts/video/prep_video.py path/to/source.mp4
   

   or explicitly specify the start and duration:

   ./scripts/video/prep_video.py path/to/source.mp4 --start 0 --duration 10
   

   • Trim last 10s (automatically calculates starting point based on source length):

     ./scripts/video/prep_video.py path/to/source.mp4 --start last
     

   • Trim 10s starting at specific timecode (MM:SS or HH:MM:SS):

     ./scripts/video/prep_video.py path/to/source.mp4 --start 00:03 --output media/custom.mp4
     

   • Custom frame rate and resolution:

     ./scripts/video/prep_video.py path/to/source.mp4 --fps 30 --resolution 1920x1080
     

   • Strip audio for audio regeneration:

     ./scripts/video/prep_video.py path/to/source.mp4 --strip-audio --output media/video_with_no_audio.mp4
     

Using tags in prompts to set image roles

You can use tags in your prompt to make it clear whether each uploaded media is an initial frame or a reference.

1. Simple tags (recommended)

For simple cases where image roles are clear from the prompt, you can bind images to roles directly:

• <FIRST_FRAME>: Use the image as the starting frame of the video, for example: <FIRST_FRAME> a woman is walking
• <IMAGE_REF_N>: Use the image as a reference, for example: in the style of <IMAGE_REF_0> a woman <IMAGE_REF_1> is walking (combines style reference from the first image and subject reference from the second image). Image references start from 0.

An example with 6 reference images:

[0-3s] A studio fashion sequence. Starting with woman <IMAGE_REF_0>, she is holding <IMAGE_REF_1>
[3-6s] Then we see the man <IMAGE_REF_2> holding <IMAGE_REF_3>
[6-10s] And finally another woman <IMAGE_REF_4> who is holding <IMAGE_REF_5> while walking.

2. Explicitly declare sources and references

For more complex cases with multiple images and multiple roles, you can use explicit prefix tags paired with natural language instruction suffixes.

• Declaring sources and reference images:

  • [# Sources <FIRST_FRAME>@Image1] will use the first image as the starting frame.
  • [# References <IMAGE_REF_0>@Image1] will use the first image as a reference.
  • [# References <IMAGE_REF_1>@Image2] will use the second image as a reference.
  • [# References <IMAGE_REF_0>@Image1 <IMAGE_REF_1>@Image2] will use both images as references.
  • [# Sources <FIRST_FRAME>@Image1] [# References <IMAGE_REF_0>@Image2] will use the first image as the starting frame and the second image as a reference.

• Guiding instructions: Add guiding instructions at the end of your prompt:

  • For starting frame: "Use the given image as the starting frame."
  • For reference images: "Use the given image(s) as references for video generation. The images should not be used as literal initial frames."

• Example Expanded Prompt:

  [# Sources <FIRST_FRAME>@Image1] [# References <IMAGE_REF_0>@Image2] a woman <IMAGE_REF_0> is walking. Use Image1 as the starting frame. Use Image2 as a reference for the video generation.
  

Audio handling in video editing

When editing a source video that contains audio, you must choose between keeping the original audio or regenerating all audio from scratch.

• Keep original audio: By default, Gemini Omni Flash preserves the existing audio layer (though it may modify or adapt it slightly during generation). Use this when the original background music, dialogue, or sound effects are desired.

• Regenerate all audio from scratch: If you want Gemini Omni Flash to re-create a brand-new audio layer tailored to the new visual style or prompt, you must upload the video with its audio stream stripped out. If any audio stream is present, Gemini Omni Flash will attempt to preserve/modify it instead of starting from scratch.

  • Use --strip-audio (or -a) when pre-processing with scripts/video/prep_video.py or executing scripts/video/generate_video.py.
  • This forces Gemini Omni Flash to perform full audio generation.

Prompting Gemini Omni Flash

Single scene

By default Gemini Omni Flash will try to create a video with a few different shots. It'll attempt to craft an interesting narrative based on the prompt.

If you need the output video to contain a single scene, you must prompt for that:

• In a single unbroken scene
• In a single continuous shot
• No scene cuts

For example:

Continuous, unbroken handheld shot of a fluffy tabby cat sitting on a sunny windowsill, looking out into a leafy garden. The cat's tail twitches slowly, and its ears rotate slightly toward ambient noises. Sunbeams illuminate dust motes in the air. Sound design: Gentle breeze, distant bird chirps, quiet mechanical purring. No dialogue.

Removing unwanted elements

If generations contain things you don't want, you can include simple negatives to avoid them:

• No dialogue
• No embellishments
• No extra sound effects

Prompts for editing

Simple prompts work best for editing. Overly descriptive prompts can lead to unintended changes.

For example:

• Make this video anime
• Make the phone invisible
• Put a fashionable hat on this person
• Change the lighting to be more dramatic
• Change the text on the sign to say "Gemini Omni Flash"
• Add a cat that jumps onto his lap, he begins to pet it

When editing a specific aspect of the video, it can help to include: "Keep everything else the same".

Prompting the audio

By default the model will try to generate an appropriate audio track for a video. This might not always be what you want. You can use your prompt to describe the type of audio you want. This is especially important if you want music in your video:

• Include calm background music
• The video has a high energy techno beat
• The audio is a low tinny radio broadcast in the background, playing a song
• Audio design: [a description of the audio you want]

When things should happen

You can prompt for things to happen at specific times in the video, there is no precise syntax needed and you can use natural language. This is especially useful in creating your own scene cuts, rhythm or rapid fire sequences.

Simple examples:

• after 3 seconds, a woman enters the scene
• at 5s the chorus starts in the background audio
• every 2s cut to a new frame
• in a rapid fire sequence, every half a second (12 frames at 24fps) change the scene to a new location

You can also use a timecode syntax:

[0-3s] A person is walking
[3-6s] They stop and turn around
[6-10s] They start running

Meta prompting

Rather than specifying everything directly in a prompt, you can ask the model to pay attention to certain things. You can give Gemini Omni Flash these sorts of prompts verbatim:

• Consider micro-detail, expression and timing to create a very rich, detailed but entirely natural scene.
• Be extremely detailed in your descriptions of characters and environments. Apply costume design principles to characters. Be very specific about the people, items and objects in the scene.
• Include plenty of appropriate detail in the background elements to make the scene feel realistic and natural.
• Make a rapid fire video that shows a different rare [thing] every 1s, upbeat music, include text to label the thing.

Text in videos works really well

Unlike previous video models, text in Gemini Omni Flash videos works really well. You can include decent amounts of text in your video and it will be rendered in a way that is correct and readable. If there will be naturally occurring text in your video, even in background elements, it can help to define what it should say.

For example:

• One word on the screen at a time: "did, you, know, that, Omni, can, do, awesome, text?" Each word appears for 1s with a different animated style. No dialogue.
• There is a street sign that says: "This is an AI generation by Omni", there is a storefront that says: "All you need AI", there's a car with the number plate: "OMN111"