VIO 3.1 auto-crops uploaded reference images to 9:16 without warning, even when the original image is square

Hi NijatSafar,

Thanks for taking the time to outline this.

What you’re seeing isn’t actually a bug, the current Veo 3.1 model only supports two aspect ratios for video generation: 9:16 and 16:9. Because of that, any reference image with a different shape (like a square image) will be automatically cropped to fit those formats, which can result in parts of the image being cut off.
 

That said, your point makes complete sense. Having the option to preserve the original aspect ratio or manually adjust the crop would give much more control over the final result. I’ll pass this along as a feature request for the team to consider.
 

In the meantime, a quick workaround that might help your workflow is to use Generative Fill > Expand to extend your reference image to a 9:16 or 16:9 canvas before uploading it. This keeps all the important elements visible while making the image compatible with the aspect ratios the model supports.

Hope this helps.

Hajar