Yes—Performance Max can source ad images from your landing pages, and Google is changing the default for new campaigns from 4 December 2026. PMax image extraction is worth a settings check now. This matters if your site has both your own photos and supplier images.

For small firms in Johor Bahru, the rest of Malaysia, and Singapore, the key issue is control. Which images can Google use? Who checked the rights to use them in ads? Does the saved campaign match that choice?

This is not a call to stop using automation. First, keep the image change apart from the sourced-video rollout. Then check each control before you launch.

What changes for PMax image extraction on 4 December?

From 4 December 2026, new Performance Max campaigns will have image extraction on by default. Existing campaigns will keep their current settings. Google shared the change on 21 October in its developer notice on landing-page image extraction.

Which ways of creating campaigns does this affect?

The change covers the Google Ads interface, Google Ads API, and Google Ads Editor. It is not just for people who set up ads in a browser. An agency template or a tool that builds campaigns needs the same check as a campaign built by hand.

Google says image extraction scans the landing pages you provide for high-resolution images. It can use these to add to your ad assets across the places where Performance Max runs. This does not mean each image on your site will become an ad. Nor does it mean an image taken from a page will bring better results.

Do you need to rebuild existing campaigns?

No. Google says existing Performance Max campaigns keep their current settings. Review them, but do not rebuild them just because of this date.

Our earlier Performance Max overview explains how it runs across channels. Its old “set and forget” view is not a sound rule for these controls. Someone still needs to own the checks on settings, assets, and rights.

A JB shop that plans a new campaign after the change should add image rights to its launch checks. For an existing campaign, check the settings. Do not assume December will reset them.

Why is an account-level opt-out insufficient?

Turning off Dynamic Image Extensions at account level will not stop the new default. New Performance Max campaigns can still have image extraction on. This is the main warning in Google’s notice.

“Crucially, this new campaign-level default applies even if Dynamic Image Extensions are disabled at the account level”

This is an exact excerpt, not the full source sentence. It leaves out the technical identifier at the end. Source: Google Ads Developer Blog, 21 October 2026.

What should the campaign owner record?

Record a clear choice for each campaign. Do not rely on the account switch. Before this change, campaigns with no set choice took their status from that account-level control. The new default for campaign creation changes that link.

So “we turned dynamic images off last year” is not proof that a new launch has them off. Ask the person who builds it to show the saved image setting. Keep that record with the launch approval so a colleague can check it later.

Give PMax image extraction its own place on the checklist. A broad request to turn off AI is not clear enough.

Does Search AI Max use the same control?

No. AI Max for Search and Performance Max are different products. Their settings are not the same. Our Malaysian guide to Search AI Max covers that separate Search topic.

For this change, follow the Performance Max image steps. A Search campaign check does not tell you if a new Performance Max campaign can take images from your pages. The image switch also does not settle all your other asset automation choices.

How do you turn off landing-page images?

Uncheck “Landing page images” in the campaign’s Images settings. Save, then check the result. Google’s landing-page images help page gives separate steps for existing campaigns and new campaign setup.

Where is the control in an existing campaign?

Open the campaign’s Settings, then Asset optimization, then Images. Follow these steps:

1. Go to Campaigns in the Campaigns menu.
2. Select the gear icon beside the Performance Max campaign.
3. On Settings, open Asset optimization.
4. Open Images and uncheck Landing page images.
5. Save your changes, then reopen the setting to confirm it.

For a new campaign, open Images in the Campaign settings step. Uncheck the same Landing page images box. Google’s steps place that tile under text customization. Check the campaign you plan to launch, not just a screen grab of a template.

This controls PMax image extraction. It does not turn off video sourcing or all other image automation. Check those controls on their own. One box does not cover them all.

Make the handover clear, even in a small team. Note the campaign name, who checked it, the saved choice, and the date. If an agency builds your campaigns, ask if it uses the UI, Editor, or an API tool. Ask how it checks that your choice stays in place through that process. A written rule only helps if the live campaign follows it.

What should an API tool change?

When creating a campaign that must not take landing-page images, set GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION to OPTED_OUT in its asset_automation_settings. For existing campaigns, Google’s notice describes an update through a CampaignOperation.

Take care: this is a repeated array. An update replaces the whole array; it does not merge entries. Get the existing settings first. Keep all other entries you still want, then send the full array you intend to use. If you skip this step, an image-only change could clear other automation settings by mistake.

The December notice covers Editor but gives no Editor click path. Do not guess one. Check which control your installed version has, then check the saved campaign settings.

Are sourced videos part of the same December change?

No. Sourced videos have a separate rollout. The image notice does not give them a 4 December start date. Google’s sourced-videos documentation says the feature is rolling out in stages. Some advertisers may not have it yet.

Which videos can Google use, and from where?

Google can find relevant videos from sources you approve. These include social platforms, your campaign’s landing page, and your linked YouTube channel. This is not consent to use any video from anywhere on the web.

The help page says sourced videos are on by default for new campaigns. It also says a platform update may have turned them on for some existing campaigns. Check both old and new campaigns for this separate feature.

Google says up to 10 crawled videos can be added to each asset group automatically. That is a product limit. It is not a claim of better results or a target for how many videos to make.

Search Engine Roundtable’s 23 October report backs up the toggle and help-page wording. It does not prove that all accounts share one start date.

Which video controls should you check?

Check the separate Sourced videos box. Use Manage sources to approve the exact URLs Google may crawl. Google’s steps put these controls in Asset optimization, in the Asset group section, when you create or edit a campaign. Apply your source choices and save.

The UI and API docs do not agree on the default. The API asset-automation reference lists AUTOMATED_VIDEO_CRAWL, available from v25, as off by default. The UI help says it is on by default for new campaigns. Do not assume the same default applies in both. Check the real setting, how the campaign was made, and its approved sources.

What should your media-rights and brand checklist cover?

Before you let landing-page media become ad assets, check the rights to use them in ads. Check that they suit your brand and that someone owns the approvals. The right to put an image on a website does not always include the right to use it in paid ads.

Are supplier images always a copyright problem?

No. The licence or consent sets out the uses allowed. A supplier may grant broad ad rights, website-only rights, or terms you need to ask about. Read those terms. Do not assume either that all use is allowed or that the use breaks the rules.

Google’s landing-page images help says opting in confirms you have the rights and consent needed for ads or other commercial use. If the terms are unclear, get written answers before you turn extraction on. For high-value or disputed material, seek suitable legal advice.

Using existing photos is also not the same as making new art. Our discussion of AI-generated art ownership looks at the wider rights issue. It does not replace a check of your supplier’s licence.

What should a small firm check first?

Check the actual landing pages. Record which media are cleared for use and which need to be replaced. Start here:

• Note each image’s owner, licence, allowed channels, and any time or territory limits.
• Check rights for supplier photos, customer portraits, staff images, and third-party logos.
• Remove expired offers and outdated products from pages you plan to advertise.
• Check crops, prices shown in images, currencies, language, and a consistent brand for Malaysian and Singapore audiences.
• Name a person to approve assets and recheck settings after campaign creation.

PMax image extraction is easier to manage when your site’s images are current and cleared for use. A clean site does not remove the need to check campaign settings.

A shop selling in both JB and Singapore should check that a sale banner shows the right currency and market. A service firm should check that old project photos still fit its current offer. These are brand checks, not claims that Google will pick those exact images.

You could ask for a small settings-and-media audit before your next launch. IGNITE’s Google and Meta ads management is a place to discuss campaign oversight. For help keeping landing pages up to date, explore ATELIER’s website management services. Start with controls and rights, not a promise of better results.

Frequently asked questions

These five answers keep the image deadline, campaign controls, and video rollout apart.

Will Google change all my existing Performance Max campaigns on 4 December 2026?

No. Google’s image-extraction notice says existing Performance Max campaigns keep their current settings. The new default is for new campaigns. Sourced videos have a separate rollout that may have turned the video setting on in some existing campaigns. Check that on its own.

Does turning off account-level Dynamic Image Extensions stop the new default?

No. From 4 December 2026, the new campaign-level image-extraction default applies even with Dynamic Image Extensions off at account level. To stop use of landing-page images, opt out in each new campaign or its API creation settings.

Does turning off landing-page images also turn off sourced videos?

No. They have separate controls. Check Sourced videos and Manage sources on their own. Confirm which social, landing-page, or YouTube URLs you approved. Do not assume the image opt-out also covers video sourcing.

Can Google use my supplier’s product photos in ads?

Only if the rights and consent cover that ad use. A website-use licence does not always cover paid ads. Supplier photos are not banned by default either. Check the terms, ask the supplier about limits, and keep proof of consent.

Should a Malaysian or Singapore SMB opt out right away?

Opt out if you cannot yet confirm image rights or that the images suit your brand. If both are clear, make a deliberate choice for each campaign and watch the assets. Make an informed choice. Automation is not always safe or always harmful.