Create a Video Short

Learn how to generate AI-powered video shorts with talking avatars from text content, perfect for social media and educational content.

Step 1: Get Available Avatars

First, see what avatars are available for your video by calling /video/GetAvatars:

curl -X GET "https://api.autocontentapi.com/video/GetAvatars" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"

Example Response

[
  {
    "id": "1",
    "name": "Professional Woman",
    "gender": "F"
  },
  {
    "id": "2", 
    "name": "Business Man",
    "gender": "M"
  },
  {
    "id": "3",
    "name": "Casual Speaker",
    "gender": "F"
  }
]

Important: Choose avatar IDs for your video - you'll need at least one!

To change an avatar's narration voice, pass a numeric voiceId from /content/GetVoices:

curl -X POST "https://api.autocontentapi.com/video/UpdateAvatarVoice" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "avatarId": 1,
    "voiceId": 13
  }'

Step 2: Create Video Short from Text

Use /video/CreateShortsFromContent to generate a video short from text content:

curl -X POST "https://api.autocontentapi.com/video/CreateShortsFromContent" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "text": "Welcome to our AI tutorial series! Today we will explore the fascinating world of machine learning and how it is transforming businesses across every industry. From predictive analytics to natural language processing, AI is creating unprecedented opportunities for innovation.",
    "avatar1": "1",
    "avatar2": "2", 
    "subtitles": true,
    "prompt": "Create an engaging educational video about AI and machine learning for business professionals"
  }'

Request Parameters

Parameter	Description	Required	Options
text	Content for the video	Yes	Any text content
avatar1	Primary avatar ID	Yes	Avatar ID from /video/GetAvatars
avatar2	Secondary avatar ID	No	Avatar ID for dialogue format
subtitles	Include subtitles	No	true/false (default: true)
prompt	Instructions for video creation	No	Any guidance text
callbackData	Optional callback data	No	Any string
scheduledOn	Schedule for later	No	ISO datetime

Use Track Requests & Status Codes for the shared polling flow, request ID patterns, and callbackData guidance.

Example Response

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

Step 3: Poll Video Status

Check the video generation progress using /content/Status/{id}:

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

While Processing

{
  "id": "video-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 (video generation in progress)

• 100 = Completed (video ready!)

Step 4: Get Your Video Short

When status reaches 100, your video is ready:

{
  "id": "video-550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "audio_title": "AI Tutorial: Machine Learning for Business",
  "status": 100,
  "audio_url": "https://storage.autocontentapi.com/audio/video-550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000.mp3",
  "video_url": "https://storage.autocontentapi.com/video/video-550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000.mp4",
  "response_text": "Welcome to our AI tutorial series! Today we will explore...",
  "requested_on": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "updated_on": "2024-01-15T10:35:00Z",
  "request_type_id": 4,
  "error_code": 0,
  "file_size": 45234567,
  "share_url": "https://autocontentapi.com/share/video-550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000"
}

🎉 Success! Your video short is ready at the video_url!

Alternative Methods

Method 2: Create from Audio Content

If you already have audio content, use /video/CreateShorts:

curl -X POST "https://api.autocontentapi.com/video/CreateShorts" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "audioUrl": "https://storage.autocontentapi.com/audio/existing-podcast.mp3",
    "avatar1": "1",
    "avatar2": "2",
    "subtitles": true,
    "prompt": "Create a professional business presentation style video"
  }'

Method 3: Create from Custom Script

For precise control, use /video/CreateShortsFromScript with dialogue format:

curl -X POST "https://api.autocontentapi.com/video/CreateShortsFromScript" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "script": [
      {
        "avatarId": 1,
        "text": "Hello everyone, welcome to our AI series!"
      },
      {
        "avatarId": 2, 
        "text": "Today we will explore machine learning fundamentals."
      },
      {
        "avatarId": 1,
        "text": "Let us start with the basics of neural networks."
      }
    ],
    "subtitles": true
  }'

Each script line is assigned to the avatarId on that line. If an avatar has lip sync disabled, the renderer still keeps speaker-specific avatar segments and subtitles aligned to the script instead of collapsing the dialogue into a single avatar track.

Method 4: Create from Deep Research

Convert research findings into video content using /video/CreateShortsFromDeepResearch:

curl -X POST "https://api.autocontentapi.com/video/CreateShortsFromDeepResearch" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "deepResearchId": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "avatar1": "1",
    "avatar2": "2",
    "subtitles": true,
    "prompt": "Create an educational video explaining the research findings in simple terms"
  }'

View Your Video Shorts

Get all your created video shorts:

curl -X GET "https://api.autocontentapi.com/video/GetShorts" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"

Response

[
  {
    "id": "video-550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "status": 100,
    "requestedOn": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
    "processingOn": "2024-01-15T10:31:00Z", 
    "succeededOn": "2024-01-15T10:35:00Z",
    "requestTypeId": 4,
    "callbackData": "ai-tutorial-video",
    "audioUrl": "https://storage.autocontentapi.com/audio/video-550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000.mp3",
    "audioTitle": "AI Tutorial: Machine Learning for Business",
    "responseText": "Welcome to our AI tutorial series..."
  }
]

Avatar Selection Tips

Single Avatar (Presentation Style)

• Use only avatar1 for lecture/presentation format

• Great for educational content, tutorials, announcements

• More focused, single-speaker delivery

Dual Avatar (Conversation Style)

• Use both avatar1 and avatar2 for dialogue format

• Perfect for interviews, debates, Q&A sessions

• Creates more engaging, conversational content

Gender Considerations

• Mix genders ("M" and "F") for diverse representation

• Consider your target audience preferences

• Professional vs. casual avatar styles

Content Types That Work Well

Educational Content

{
  "text": "In this video, we'll explain the key principles of blockchain technology and how it enables secure, decentralized transactions across networks.",
  "prompt": "Create an educational explainer video with clear, simple language"
}

Product Announcements

{
  "text": "We're excited to announce the launch of our new AI-powered customer service platform that reduces response times by 90%.",
  "prompt": "Create an enthusiastic product announcement video"
}

Tutorial Content

{
  "text": "Step 1: Open your dashboard. Step 2: Click on Analytics. Step 3: Select your date range. Step 4: Export your data.",
  "prompt": "Create a step-by-step tutorial video with clear instructions"
}

Marketing Content

{
  "text": "Transform your business with AI automation. Increase efficiency, reduce costs, and scale faster than ever before.",
  "prompt": "Create a compelling marketing video with energetic delivery"
}

Best Practices

Content Length

• Optimal: 30-90 seconds for social media

• Maximum: 3-5 minutes for detailed explanations

• Minimum: 15 seconds for quick announcements

Text Guidelines

• Clear Structure: Use bullet points or numbered steps

• Conversational Tone: Write as you would speak

• Call to Action: End with clear next steps

• Keyword Rich: Include relevant terms for SEO

Visual Considerations

• Subtitles: Always enable (default true) for accessibility

• Avatar Choice: Match avatar style to content tone

• Prompt Instructions: Guide the delivery style and energy

Error Handling

Invalid Avatar ID

{
  "error": "Invalid avatar ID provided",
  "status": 400
}

Text Too Long

{
  "error": "Text content exceeds maximum length",
  "status": 400
}

Processing Failed

{
  "id": "video-550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "status": 0,
  "error_code": 500,
  "error_message": "Video generation failed, please try again",
  "updated_on": "2024-01-15T10:35:00Z"
}

Use Cases

Social Media Marketing: Create engaging shorts for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts

Employee Training: Generate training videos for onboarding and skill development

Product Demos: Show features and benefits with professional avatars

Educational Content: Create course materials and explainer videos

Customer Support: Build FAQ videos with common questions and answers

Internal Communications: Company updates and announcements

What's Next?

• 🎧 Learn about Creating Podcast Episodes for audio content

• 🐦 Explore Creating Content from X Feeds

• 🔬 Try Deep Research Podcasts for comprehensive content

• 📖 Check out more Code Samples in different languages

• 🗣️ Discover Custom Voices for audio content

• ❓ Have questions? Visit our FAQ