Create an Explainer Video

Produce your first AI-powered explainer video in just a few steps. This walkthrough uses the same /content/Create endpoint as podcasts, but switches the payload to outputType: "video" so the service renders motion visuals instead of audio-only narration. Video requests support three formats: explainer, short, and cinematic.

Step 1: Create Content Request

Send a POST request to /content/Create with your preferred resources, set outputType to video, and optionally choose a format:

curl -X POST "https://api.autocontentapi.com/content/Create" \
  -H "accept: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "resources": [
      {
        "type": "website",
        "content": "https://example.com/article-about-ai"
      },
      {
        "type": "youtube", 
        "content": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
      }
    ],
    "outputType": "video",
    "format": "explainer",
    "text": "Create an engaging explainer about current AI developments"
  }'

Example Response

{
  "request_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "status": 0
}

Important: Save the request_id — you'll use it to poll status and download the final video.

Choose a format

Explainer video requests use format to control the output. If you still send the generic duration parameter, it is ignored:

Format

Best for

Credits

explainer

Balanced default for most product, education, and marketing videos

short

Tighter, punchier recaps and shorter social-friendly explainers

cinematic

Premium, more polished storytelling treatment

100

If you omit format, the API defaults to explainer. Use style separately when you want to change the visual aesthetic.

The old brief video format name has been replaced by short. Send "format": "short" for a tighter video; unsupported format names are rejected.

The prices in the table are base prices when voice1 and voice2 are omitted. Supplying either voice field adds 200 credits once per video request, including when the ID is a global voice returned by /content/GetVoices rather than a voice cloned by your account.

Set the narration language

Use the exact, case-sensitive value from the supported languages list, for example "language": "Deutsch". The language field controls the requested script and narration language. A voice1 or voice2 ID only selects the sound of the speaker; it does not translate the source or generated script.

For a provider-selected narration voice at the base format price, set language and omit both voice fields.

Optional: Guide titles, descriptions, and visuals

Use these fields to steer how the service names and presents the video:

Field

What it does

title

Sets an explicit video title. When present, this overrides the auto-generated title.

titlePrompt

Guides the model when auto-generating the title (e.g., ask for concise, listicle-style, or SEO-friendly phrasing).

descriptionPrompt

Steers the generated video description (tone, call-to-action, hashtags, etc.).

thumbnailImagePrompt

Directs the generated thumbnail artwork.

introImagePrompt

Directs the opening frame artwork.

Add any combination of these to the POST body:

curl -X POST "https://api.autocontentapi.com/content/Create" \
  -H "accept: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "resources": [
      {
        "type": "youtube",
        "content": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
      }
    ],
    "outputType": "video",
    "format": "short",
    "text": "Summarize this tutorial into a concise explainer for enterprise buyers",
    "title": "Modern Identity Security in 90 Seconds",
    "titlePrompt": "Keep it punchy and benefits-forward",
    "descriptionPrompt": "Include a one-sentence CTA to download the whitepaper",
    "thumbnailImagePrompt": "Flat illustration of a secure cloud, teal and navy palette, minimal text",
    "introImagePrompt": "Logo lockup on gradient with subtle motion trails"
  }'

Optional: Choose explicit narration voices

Pass numeric voice IDs when you want to control the speakers. Get them from /content/GetVoices or the Voices catalog. voice2 is optional, but if you include it, you must also include voice1.

Any supplied voice ID activates explicit revoicing and adds 200 credits once to the video request. This applies equally to global catalogue voices and voices cloned by your account; the surcharge is not per voice. Keep language in the request because selecting a voice does not select or translate the narration language.

curl -X POST "https://api.autocontentapi.com/content/Create" \
  -H "accept: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "outputType": "video",
    "format": "short",
    "language": "English",
    "topic": "How passwordless authentication reduces help desk tickets",
    "voice1": 13,
    "voice2": 45,
    "text": "Use a conversational two-host narration and keep the video under two minutes."
  }'

Optional: Apply your brand via `projects`

If you have a saved project with brand assets, include the projects array (pass one or more IDs) to place your logo on the generated video and thumbnail:

curl -X POST "https://api.autocontentapi.com/content/Create" \
  -H "accept: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "outputType": "video",
    "format": "cinematic",
    "projects": ["YOUR_PROJECT_ID"],
    "topic": "Product launch overview with two customer wins",
    "text": "Create a polished launch explainer with a strong closing CTA."
  }'

See the brand logo recipe for more variations. Need a project first? Follow Create a Project (Brand Assets) to save a logo via imageUrl or imageData.

Step 2: Poll for Status

Use the request_id to check the processing status by calling /content/Status/{id}:

curl -X GET "https://api.autocontentapi.com/content/Status/550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000" \
  -H "accept: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"

While Processing

{
  "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "status": 5,
  "updated_on": "2024-01-15T10:32:00Z",
  "error_code": 0,
  "requested_on": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}

Status Codes:

0 = Pending (queued for processing)
5 = Processing (generation in progress)
100 = Completed (video ready!)

Step 3: Get Your Video

When status reaches 100, the payload includes a link to your generated video:

Titles or prompts you set in Step 1 flow into video_title, and image prompts steer image_url/thumbnail assets returned here.

{
  "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "video_title": "AI Developments Discussion",
  "status": 100,
  "video_url": "https://storage.autocontentapi.com/video/550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000.mp4",
  "image_url": "https://storage.autocontentapi.com/thumbnails/550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000.jpg",
  "response_text": "Full narration that describes the generated visuals...",
  "requested_on": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "updated_on": "2024-01-15T10:35:00Z",
  "request_type_id": 1,
  "error_code": 0,
  "error_on": null,
  "citations": [],
  "file_size": 51234567,
  "video_duration": 456,
  "share_url": "https://autocontentapi.com/share/video/550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000/20240115"
}

🎉 Success! Your explainer video is ready at the video_url, and you can grab the thumbnail from image_url.

List generated explainer videos

Use /video/GetExplainerVideos to list videos created through /content/Create with outputType: "video":

curl -X GET "https://api.autocontentapi.com/video/GetExplainerVideos" \
  -H "accept: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"

This list is for explainer-video requests. Avatar video shorts created through /video/CreateShorts, /video/CreateShortsFromContent, /video/CreateShortsFromScript, or /video/CreateShortsFromDeepResearch are listed with /video/GetShorts.

Resource Types

You can mix and match resource types just like you would for a podcast:

Type

Description

Example

website

Any web page URL

"https://techcrunch.com/article"

youtube

YouTube video URL

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

text

Direct text content

"Your custom instructions or content"

pdf

PDF document URL

"https://example.com/document.pdf"

Need a specific payload? Check the new Explainer Video Scenario Examples for copy-paste curl requests covering languages, formats, styles, and every supported resource type.

Tips for Better Results

Mix resource types – Combine websites, videos, and text for richer storytelling.
Provide clear instructions – Use the text field to direct the pacing, tone, or call-to-action.
Surface thumbnails – Store the image_url for embedding preview artwork alongside the finished video.
Check status regularly – Processing typically takes 2-5 minutes for most requests; cinematic can take longer.
Save the request_id – You'll need it to retrieve your video and any associated transcript.

Error Handling

If something goes wrong, the status response will include error details:

{
  "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "status": 0,
  "error_code": 400,
  "error_message": "Invalid resource URL provided",
  "error_on": "2024-01-15T10:31:00Z",
  "requested_on": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}

What's Next?

🎨 Pick reusable formats and styles in Explainer Video Scenario Examples
🧪 Explore language-specific snippets in the video code samples
🎙️ Add branded voices with Clone a Voice
📝 Need captions? Run the final audio track through Transcribe Audio
🔮 Check out Advanced Integrations for automation ideas
❓ Have questions? Visit our FAQ

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Last updated 17 days ago