Google Photos Video Remix: relight and swap backgrounds via Sume

Google Photos Video Remix, powered by Gemini Omni, applies cinematic relighting, background swaps and painted looks to a clip, but it is limited to Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra subscribers in selected countries. To run the same kind of edit from code, send the clip to Sume's Omni edit mode with a short instruction.

What Remix does

Google's post says Video Remix turns ordinary videos into polished clips: relight a dark clip, swap a plain background, or add artistic treatments such as watercolor, raw sketchbook and oil painting. It rolled out from July 8, 2026 in the Create tab of Google Photos. The post does not state input length limits, output length limits or a watermark detail.

The edit request

Edit mode is a Video Router feature: send video_url, a prompt and a resolution. The source clip sets the output length, so do not send aspect_ratio (that is a 400). Google's API guide advises keeping edit instructions simple and adding "Keep everything else the same".

import os, requests

body = {
    "model": "gemini-omni-flash-1.1",
    "prompt": "Relight the scene with warm cinematic key light. "
              "Keep everything else the same.",
    "video_url": os.environ["SOURCE_CLIP_URL"],
    "resolution": "720p",
}
r = requests.post(
    "https://api.sume.com/v1/video-router/generate",
    json=body,
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SUME_API_KEY']}",
             "Idempotency-Key": "photos-remix-relight-001"},
    timeout=60,
)
print(r.status_code, r.text[:400])

What it costs and where it differs

An edit is billed like any Omni job: list $0.10 per second at 720p times 1.25. Because Sume does not probe the output length, the reserve uses a hint that defaults to 8 seconds, so an 8-second edit is reserved at $1.00 and billed on completion. Poll with GET /v1/jobs/{id}/status, as for other jobs.

Prompt habits for edits

If an edit goes wrong, the original clip is untouched and you can run a new job with a clearer instruction. Each retry with a changed prompt is a new job and a new charge, so test on a short clip first.

• Name one change per job, then chain jobs for more.
• End with "Keep everything else the same", as Google's guide suggests.
• Do not send aspect_ratio on an edit; the source clip sets the output.
• Check the first second and the last second, since edits can drift at the edges.

Where Photos wins

Remix is a few taps on a phone and, per Google, takes seconds. An API gives you repeatable prompts, one Idempotency-Key per run, and a job record per clip, but you must host the source clip at a public URL and handle the polling. Pick the tool that matches the volume. A cheap rule: under ten clips a month, use the app. See the Video Router docs for the edit contract.