Video Creation Workflow

Overview

From idea to export in six steps. This guide covers the complete video creation process - plan, build, review, ship. Works the same whether you’re using the REST API or MCP server.

The Video Creation Process

Plan Your Video

Define the structure, duration, and content for your video

Create a Project

Set up a project container to organize your work

Add Chapters

Break your video into logical segments

Create Content

Submit prompts to create video content for each chapter

Review & Refine

Iterate on content until you’re satisfied

Export

Render the final video for download

Step 1: Plan Your Video

Before creating anything, plan your video structure:

Define Your Goals

Purpose: What is this video for? (marketing, tutorial, social media, etc.)
Audience: Who will watch it?
Message: What’s the key takeaway?
Duration: How long should it be?

Create a Storyboard

Break your video into logical segments (chapters): Example: Pricing Page Refresh launch ad (30 seconds)

Hook (5s) - Headline pulled from the latest release notes
Tier Breakdown (12s) - Walkthrough of the new pricing screenshot
Why Now (8s) - The reason this tier matters for product teams
CTA (5s) - Pricing page button, copy and color matched

What you bring in

The inputs are real product surfaces, not stock imagery:

The release note for the tier
The new pricing page screenshot, or its URL
Brand assets (logo, type, palette), already in your catalog if you’ve connected one
Anything specific the chapter needs (a product screenshot, a Figma frame, a customer logo)

Upload custom assets using the Assets API. If you’ve connected your catalog, brand colors and type resolve automatically. no upload needed.

Step 2: Create a Project

Every video starts with a project:

curl -X POST https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BABOU_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Pricing Page Refresh",
    "description": "30-second launch ad for the new Team tier"
  }'

Use descriptive names and detailed descriptions to keep projects organized, especially when managing multiple videos.

Step 3: Add Chapters

Create chapters for each segment of your video:

const chapters = [
  { name: 'Hook', duration: 5 },
  { name: 'Tier Breakdown', duration: 12 },
  { name: 'Why Now', duration: 8 },
  { name: 'CTA', duration: 5 }
];

for (const chapter of chapters) {
  const result = await fetch(
    `https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects/${project.id}/chapters`,
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.BABOU_API_KEY}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      },
      body: JSON.stringify(chapter)
    }
  ).then(r => r.json());

  console.log(`✓ Created: ${result.name} (${result.duration}s)`);
}

Step 4: Create Content

Submit prompts to create video content for each chapter:

Writing Effective Prompts

Anchor on the product surface

Bad:

Create a hook for the launch

Good:

5-second hook for our pricing page launch:
- Lead with the headline from release note v2.4
  ("Team plan: built for product teams that ship daily")
- Background: subtle motion of the new pricing page
- End on the Team tier card, ready to push into the next chapter

Include timing and pacing

12-second tier breakdown:
- 0-3s: Pricing page hero shot, panning to the Team column
- 3-7s: Three core inclusions appear one at a time
- 7-10s: Price + billing toggle highlight
- 10-12s: Transition to "Why Now"

Lean on the catalog for brand

Use the catalog defaults:
- Brand color, type, and motion language already on file
- Pull the accent color from the pricing CTA button so the
  ad matches the page it's promoting

If you haven’t connected a catalog yet, you can pass brand details inline. Once it’s connected, this section is one line.

Reference uploaded assets

Use the new pricing screenshot (uploaded as ast_pricingV2)
and the headline from release note v2.4. Match the style from
babou.ai/pricing.

Submit Prompts

const prompts = {
  'Hook': `
    5-second hook for the Team tier launch.
    - Lead with the headline from release note v2.4
    - Subtle motion of the new pricing page in the background
    - Resolve brand color and type from the catalog
    - End on the Team tier card, ready to push into the breakdown
  `,
  'Tier Breakdown': `
    12-second walkthrough of the new Team tier.
    - 0-3s: pan across the new pricing page, focus on the Team column
    - 3-7s: three core inclusions appear one at a time
    - 7-10s: price plus billing toggle highlight
    - 10-12s: transition into "Why Now"
  `,
  'Why Now': `
    8 seconds on why this matters for product teams.
    - One-line value prop, pulled from the launch summary
    - Light motion graphic from the catalog (Block: stat-callout)
    - Confident, on-brand pacing
  `
  // ...CTA chapter follows the same shape
};

// Get chapters
const chaptersResponse = await fetch(
  `https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects/${project.id}/chapters`,
  {
    headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.BABOU_API_KEY}` }
  }
).then(r => r.json());

// Submit prompts
for (const chapter of chaptersResponse.chapters) {
  if (prompts[chapter.name]) {
    await fetch(
      `https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects/${project.id}/chapters/${chapter.id}/prompt`,
      {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
          'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.BABOU_API_KEY}`,
          'Content-Type': 'application/json'
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({
          content: prompts[chapter.name]
        })
      }
    );
    console.log(`✓ Submitted prompt for: ${chapter.name}`);

    // Wait 60 seconds for processing
    await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 60000));
  }
}

Step 5: Review & Refine

Check Chapter Status

Monitor the processing status:

async function checkChapterStatus(projectId: string, chapterId: string) {
  const chapter = await fetch(
    `https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects/${projectId}/chapters/${chapterId}`,
    {
      headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.BABOU_API_KEY}` }
    }
  ).then(r => r.json());

  const latestPrompt = chapter.prompts[chapter.prompts.length - 1];

  return {
    chapterName: chapter.name,
    status: latestPrompt?.status || 'no_content',
    promptContent: latestPrompt?.content
  };
}

Iterate on Content

If you want to refine a chapter, submit a new prompt:

// Update a chapter with new prompt
await fetch(
  `https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects/${projectId}/chapters/${chapterId}/prompt`,
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.BABOU_API_KEY}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      content: 'Updated prompt with faster pacing and brighter colors',
      force: true  // Override previous prompt
    })
  }
);

Step 6: Export

Once all chapters are complete, export the final video:

// Start export
await fetch(
  `https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects/${projectId}/export`,
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.BABOU_API_KEY}` }
  }
);

// Poll for completion
async function waitForExport(projectId: string) {
  while (true) {
    const status = await fetch(
      `https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects/${projectId}/export`,
      {
        headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.BABOU_API_KEY}` }
      }
    ).then(r => r.json());

    if (status.status === 'completed') {
      console.log('✓ Export complete!');
      console.log(`Download: ${status.download_url}`);
      return status;
    }

    if (status.status === 'failed') {
      throw new Error('Export failed');
    }

    console.log(`Status: ${status.status}...`);
    await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 10000)); // Wait 10s
  }
}

await waitForExport(projectId);

Best Practices

1. Start Simple

Begin with a simple structure and iterate:

Create project
Add 1-2 chapters
Test with basic prompts
Refine and expand

2. Use Templates

Create reusable templates for common video types:

const templates = {
  launchAd: ['Hook', 'Tier Breakdown', 'Why Now', 'CTA'],
  featureDemo: ['Open', 'Walkthrough', 'Wins', 'CTA'],
  socialCut: ['Hook', 'Punchline', 'CTA']
};

function createFromTemplate(template: string[]) {
  // Create chapters from template
}

3. Batch Process

For multiple similar videos, batch process:

templates = [
    {'name': 'Social Post 1', 'topic': 'Feature A'},
    {'name': 'Social Post 2', 'topic': 'Feature B'},
    {'name': 'Social Post 3', 'topic': 'Feature C'}
]

for template in templates:
    # Create project
    # Add chapters
    # Submit prompts
    # Export

4. Version Control

Keep track of iterations:

const projectName = `Product Video v${version}`;
// or
const projectName = `Product Video - ${new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0]}`;

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Rapid Prototyping

// Quick test of video concept
const project = await createProject('Quick Test v1');
const chapter = await addChapter(project.id, 'Test', 15);
await submitPrompt(project.id, chapter.id, 'Simple test content');

Pattern 2: Progressive Enhancement

// Start basic, add detail
const project = await createProject('Product Video');

// V1: Basic structure
await addChapter(project.id, 'Intro', 10);
await submitPrompt(..., 'Simple intro');

// V2: Add more chapters
await addChapter(project.id, 'Features', 30);
await submitPrompt(..., 'Feature showcase');

// V3: Refine content
await submitPrompt(..., 'Enhanced intro with animations', { force: true });

Pattern 3: Conditional Content

// Different content based on audience
const audience = 'technical'; // or 'general'

const prompt = audience === 'technical'
  ? 'Detailed technical architecture overview with code examples'
  : 'High-level benefits overview with simple visuals';

await submitPrompt(projectId, chapterId, prompt);

Next Steps

Asset Management

Learn how to upload and use custom assets

Error Handling

Handle errors gracefully in your workflows

API Reference

Complete API documentation

MCP Server

Use MCP for conversational workflows

Getting Started

Guides

Video Creation Workflow

Overview

The Video Creation Process

Step 1: Plan Your Video

Define Your Goals

Create a Storyboard

What you bring in

Step 2: Create a Project

Step 3: Add Chapters

Step 4: Create Content

Writing Effective Prompts

Submit Prompts

Step 5: Review & Refine

Check Chapter Status

Iterate on Content

Step 6: Export

Best Practices

1. Start Simple

2. Use Templates

3. Batch Process

4. Version Control

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Rapid Prototyping

Pattern 2: Progressive Enhancement

Pattern 3: Conditional Content

Next Steps

Asset Management

Error Handling

API Reference

MCP Server

Getting Started

Guides

Documentation Index

​Overview

​The Video Creation Process

​Step 1: Plan Your Video

​Define Your Goals

​Create a Storyboard

​What you bring in

​Step 2: Create a Project

​Step 3: Add Chapters

​Step 4: Create Content

​Writing Effective Prompts

​Submit Prompts

​Step 5: Review & Refine

​Check Chapter Status

​Iterate on Content

​Step 6: Export

​Best Practices

​1. Start Simple

​2. Use Templates

​3. Batch Process

​4. Version Control

​Common Patterns

​Pattern 1: Rapid Prototyping

​Pattern 2: Progressive Enhancement

​Pattern 3: Conditional Content

​Next Steps

Asset Management

Error Handling

API Reference

MCP Server

Overview

The Video Creation Process

Step 1: Plan Your Video

Define Your Goals

Create a Storyboard

What you bring in

Step 2: Create a Project

Step 3: Add Chapters

Step 4: Create Content

Writing Effective Prompts

Submit Prompts

Step 5: Review & Refine

Check Chapter Status

Iterate on Content

Step 6: Export

Best Practices

1. Start Simple

2. Use Templates

3. Batch Process

4. Version Control

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Rapid Prototyping

Pattern 2: Progressive Enhancement

Pattern 3: Conditional Content

Next Steps