Create Engaging Short Videos Automatically: A Complete Guide

Want to make captivating short videos without spending hours editing? This guide introduces an open-source short video maker that automates the entire video creation process. Discover how to quickly turn text into visually appealing videos with captions, background clips, and music.

What is Short Video Maker?

Short Video Maker is a free tool designed to generate short-form video content. It combines:

• Text-to-speech conversion
• Automated caption generation
• Background video integration
• Music addition

The tool uses text inputs to produce engaging short videos automatically.

Key Benefits of Using a Short Video Maker

• Save Time: Automate video creation and focus on content.
• Reduce Costs: No need for expensive video editing software or skills.
• Increase Engagement: Create shareable videos tailored for platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
• Easy to Use: Simple text inputs are all you need to get started.

Getting Started with the Open Source Video Creator

The tool can be set up with minimal effort, here are a few ways to launch it:

Quick Setup Guide

• Npx (Recommended):

   LOG_LEVEL=debug PEXELS_API_KEY= npx short-video-maker 

• Docker - CPU Image:

   docker run -it --rm --name short-video-maker -p 3123:3123 \
   -e PEXELS_API_KEY= \
   gyoridavid/short-video-maker:latest

• Docker - NVIDIA GPUs:

   docker run -it --rm --name shorts-video-maker -p 3123:3123 \
   -e PEXELS_API_KEY= --gpus=all \
   gyoridavid/short-video-maker:latest-cuda

Note: To ensure a seamless setup, it is recommended to get a Pexels API key.

Hardware Recommendations

• CPU: At least 2 cores
• GPU: (Optional) Speeds up caption generation and video rendering

Features of the Automated Video Generator

Core Functionality

• Text-to-Speech (TTS): Converts script into natural-sounding voiceovers.
• Automatic Captions: Generates and styles captions, improving accessibility.
• Background Videos: Searches and selects relevant videos from Pexels.
• Background Music: Adds music based on selected genre or mood for enhanced feel.
• Support for RestAPI and Model Context Protocol (MCP): Integration flexibility with a wide array of systems.

How the Video Creation Process Works

1. The code uses Kokoro TTS to convert your script to audio.
2. Whisper AI handles generating captions.
3. The code finds matching background videos from Pexels.
4. Remotion then puts it all together, syncing captions.

API Usage: Control Video Generation Programmatically

The tool offers both a REST API and Model Context Protocol (MCP) for controlling video creation.

REST API Endpoints

• GET /api/short-video/:id: Retrieve a video by ID.
• POST /api/short-video: Create a new video with parameters for text, search terms, and settings (padding, music, etc.).
• DELETE /api/short-video/:id: Delete a video.
• GET /api/music-tags: Get available music tags.

Example: Creating a Video Via POST Request

{
 "scenes": [
 {
 "text": " This is the text to be spoken in the video ",
 "searchTerms": [ " nature sunset "]
 }
 ],
 "config": {
 "paddingBack": 3000,
 "music": " chill " 
 }
}

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

• GET /mcp/sse: Server-sent events for MCP.
• POST /mcp/messages: Send messages to the MCP server.

Available MCP Tools

• create-short-video: Build a video from a list of scenes.
• get-video-status: Check the status of video creation.

Contribute to the Project

Join the open-source community and help improve the project. The project is licensed under the MIT License, and contributions are welcome. Check the CONTRIBUTING.md file for instructions on setting up a local development environment and submitting pull requests.