About generated images in Google Ads

Creating a large variety of high-quality image assets can be challenging, so Google Ads offers generative AI tools to help you create new image assets in seconds.

You can partner with Google AI to bring your visual creative vision to life by entering your own prompts to create new image assets tailored to your business and brand. Google may also suggest generated images for you to review.

How to use generative image tools in Google Ads

You can find generative AI image tools in Google Ads:

When setting up a campaign
When editing an ad or asset group
In Asset Library
In certain recommendations, such as an image asset or Ad Strength recommendation

Example prompts:

Elegant dogs on a color backdrop
A wedding ring with holiday themes in the background
Vegetables spread across a wooden table with a white tablecloth

Images that are automatically generated will be based on either the text assets in your campaign or your landing page.

You’re in control. When you generate images or when Google automatically suggests generated images, you can decide which ones you want to add to your campaigns.

Images you create will automatically remain in your account for 14 days. To keep an image longer, you can use it in a campaign or hover over the image, select the 3-dot icon , and select “Save to Asset library”.

Note: If you don’t notice the option to generate images, check whether you should be eligible.

Feature your own products in generative imagery

Provide one or more images of your product to use Google AI to create compelling lifestyle imagery that is more faithful to your specific product. The product images you provide don’t need to be perfect – Google AI can still help you craft stunning imagery.

Benefits

When you provide Google AI with images of your tangible product, the outputs:

Are more likely to be faithful to the product images you provide
Can include depictions of people interacting with or wearing your products
Can show your product in different orientations

Note: Only use the “Feature a product” input if you’re selling a tangible product (such as apparel, physical tools, furniture, and more). This input is optional and you can still generate images without featuring a specific product.

How to generate product-based images

While creating or editing an ad or asset group, scroll down to the “Images” section
In the “Images” section, select +Images or Edit Images, depending on which button you see
Select the Generated tab at the top of the image picker
In the left column, select +Product
Pick 1-3 images of the specific product you want to feature and click Select to confirm
- You can feature a product with a single reference image, but if you provide multiple angles, the quality may improve.
- You can select product imagery from Asset Library, upload new images, or select products from a linked Merchant Center account
- For best results, avoid selecting images that feature more than one product
In the textbox below the product selection, consider adding a “prompt” – a description of the type of image you want to see
- Specifying a prompt is optional, but recommended if you have a specific vision in mind or your product is unclear from the input image
- For example, if you sell headphones, you might write “A person wearing these headphones dancing in a kitchen”
Select Generate
After reviewing the generated images, you can
- Add the images to an ad or asset group
- Adjust the prompt to generate a new set of images
- Use the image editor in Google Ads to refine a specific image

If you are creating a new Performance Max campaign with a linked Merchant Center feed, you may also see automatically suggested imagery featuring products from your feed.

You’re in control and can choose which images you want to add to your campaigns. Ensure generated images are accurate before adding them to a campaign.

This additional capability is rolling out now to advertisers who meet eligibility requirements below, starting with those using the Google Ads interface in English. You may not see the option to feature your products yet.

Eligibility

Google restricts which advertisers have access to manually prompted image generation. If you don’t have the options to create generated images in Google Ads using your own prompts, check that your account:

Is using the Google Ads interface in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish
Is active and been running ads for at least 30 days
Has a history of policy compliance
Has not completed Election Advertising Verification
Is not advertising in a sensitive vertical (for example, sexual and political)

If your account is newer, you may still notice automatically suggested, generated images to review when creating certain campaigns even if you can't use your own prompts.

Image generation capabilities are rolling out gradually to eligible advertisers, so these features may not be available to you yet, even if you’re otherwise eligible.

You can enter prompts in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish.

Use of generated images created in Google Ads

Google is investing in an open web ecosystem with helpful, free technologies such as generative AI. Subject to our policies and terms, Google will not limit the use of the content generated using Google's AI tools outside of our ecosystem.

It’s important to keep in mind that all the generative AI tools in Google Ads help leverage your own ideas, content, and assets to multiply your own marketing and creativity.

We design and employ multiple technical measures to ensure generative image tools in Google Ads generate novel and unique content. In addition, we use high-quality, diverse datasets in a responsible way to help our models understand the world, and you can find the details outlined here.

Generated image safety in Google Ads

We’re committed to upholding our principles for developing generative AI technology responsibly and at the highest standards for fairness, privacy, and security. We’re taking multiple steps to be both bold and responsible with helpful generative AI tools in Google Ads.

For example, Google AI is designed to not automatically suggest generated images for sensitive verticals, such as political or pharmaceutical ads. Note that in addition to limiting the use of Google's AI for political campaigns, Google Ads Policy requires disclosure of manipulated media uploaded from any third-party tools for certain political ads.

Images that include features of adult people and faces offer a wider variety of lifestyle images for your product or service. By generating specific affinities, you’re more likely to appeal to a diverse set of audiences. People and face generation is currently limited to adults. Generation of images within sensitive categories, such as prominent likeness and minors or children isn’t allowed. Advertisers always have control over the output by using prompts to guide the AI.

All advertising content is subject to Ads Policy, regardless of how it’s created, and generative AI content is held to the same set of content standards, reviews, and enforcement for any policy violations, including inappropriate content and misrepresentation.

All images generated by Google Ads include mechanisms that allow them to be identified as generated, such as an open-standard markup that will surface on tools like Google Image Search, as well as a SynthID, which is an imperceptible, digital watermark that's resistant to manipulations of the image, such as screenshots, filters, and compression. You can check if an image has a SynthID watermark at labs.google/synthid.

We take privacy and security seriously, and any information you provide to Google to create ads, including generative AI, is treated in line with our Google Ads Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Note that generative AI is experimental technology, and may display inaccurate or offensive content that doesn’t represent Google’s views. Don’t rely on generative AI features in Google Ads for medical, legal, financial or other professional advice. As this technology evolves, we’re continuously evaluating and improving our approach to safety.

Content restrictions

Generative AI tools in Google Ads are designed to automatically limit the creation of certain content. This includes:

Children and prominent likeness
Branded items and logos not provided as input
Images that may violate Ads Policy or our Generative AI use policy

If no images were created for a prompt you specified, try rewording it in a way that clearly avoids the content Google Ads isn’t designed to create. Prompts can be specified in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, or Spanish.

Assets created by generative AI aren't guaranteed to be approved by Ads Policy. For example, sometimes assets are disapproved in combination with other assets, or in line with local regulation.

Advertisers should review any generated or suggested assets to ensure that they’re accurate, not misleading, and not in violation of any Google advertising policies or applicable laws before publishing them.

Transfer image style to generated images

Style reference images help guide Google AI with a visual example of the style you want to achieve. This is a valuable option for advertisers who've got a specific look and feel they want to maintain across their creative assets.

Tips to use style reference images

Use a reference image with the brand's look, style, and mood.
Use a high-quality image that’s well-lit, and well-composed.
Use clear prompts.

Note: Style reference images and image outputs shouldn’t contain logos, watermarks, or product images.

Upload a style reference image

Within the Media Picker, click the Generated tab.
Enter your prompt in the “Describe the kind of image you want” field.
Under “More options” dropdown, click Add images under Style reference images.
You can select up to 5 reference images per generation.
Click Generate to view the generated images.

Styling using reference images and prompts provides more control over the style of the generated images. You can use it to make ads that fit your brand better.

Providing feedback

Providing feedback on generated images helps improve Google AI. To provide feedback on an image, hover over the image, click the magnifying glass, and select “Provide feedback” in the right panel.

You can also choose to hide generated images. To hide a generated image, hover over the image, click the 3-dot icon , and select “Hide”. Note that after you use an image in a campaign, you won’t be able to hide it or provide feedback.

Was this helpful?

How can we improve it?