Video Automation: 3 Ways to Automate your Video Creation

In this post, you'll learn what video automation is and how to automate video creation using a spreadsheet, a no-code platform (like Zapier), and an API.

You couldn't have missed it: videos have been the most popular form of online content for years now, and there's no sign of this trend slowing down. Video is everywhere, especially on social media and in marketing campaigns. Think about YouTube Shorts, TikTok videos, and Instagram Reels on the one hand, and personalized videos for your customers on the other.

As the demand for video content continues to grow, you're likely searching for an efficient way to create these videos. If that's the case, you've come to the right place.

In this post, I'll introduce you to a novel approach to creating videos at scale: using video automation software. Whether you need 10, 100, or even thousands of videos, with a video automation platform like Creatomate, you can automatically generate all of them in no time.

While this might seem a bit technical, don't worry, there are also video automation methods that don't require any technical skills at all.

We'll start this post with a brief introduction to what video automation is and how it works. Once you've grasped the concept, we'll delve into three methods for automating video creation:

• Using a simple spreadsheet
• Using a no-code automation platform like Zapier, Make, or Pabbly
• Using code

Let's dive in.

What is video automation?

Video automation is the process of using software to generate video content automatically. It differs from the traditional method of creating videos, which involves lots of manual and repetitive tasks. With video automation, all you need is a reusable video design and dynamic data, which can be presented through a spreadsheet, no-code tool, or via code.

Almost any type of video can be created automatically, as long as the design fits within a reusable template. Video automation is commonly used for creating content for social media, personalization, and other types of marketing campaigns. That's because these kinds of videos often follow a consistent design but only differ in content, making them ideal for automation.

In addition to a template, you'll also need to provide content for the videos. This could include media like video clips, images, and audio files, as well as text, colors, and more. Chances are, you already have much of this data — think product catalogs, customer information, or items from an RSS feed. And now that generative AI has greatly improved, it's no longer just for experiments; it can actually help you create content for your videos as well. For instance, ChatGPT can write a storyboard based on your video topic and an image generator like DALL·E can create background visuals. For voiceovers, you can use a text-to-speech tool like ElevenLabs, and Creatomate's auto-transcription service can add animated subtitles to your videos.

Let me give you an example. Imagine a real estate company wanting to showcase their listings on social media, of course, through videos. With each property having its own price, photos, and details, making all the videos by hand would take a lot of time. However, with video automation software, you create a video design once and input information about each property using one of the three methods. As a result, a unique video will be generated for each listing:

Now, let's see how this works. The video automation process starts with a template, serving as the blueprint for all videos. Within this template, you can specify which elements you wish to change in each video. This could include text, images, video clips, audio, colors, and more.

Creatomate comes with an online template editor, allowing you to create designs for any type of video you want to automate. It supports text animations, emojis, custom fonts, keyframes, compositions, and much more. We won't go into details here, but if you're curious about how the editor works, check out this quick guide.

Once you have a template in place, it's time to automatically generate your videos. Let's find out how to do this.

How to automate video creation?

There are three ways to automate video creation: using a spreadsheet, a no-code platform, and via code. Each method has its own strengths and is best suited to specific use cases. Additionally, there's a difference in the level of technical expertise required, ranging from zero technical skills to familiarity with APIs and programming languages.

Below, we'll explore each method in more detail, and I'll point you to related tutorials to help you get started.

1. Using a spreadsheet

Creatomate comes with a built-in spreadsheet feature specifically designed for creating videos in bulk. You can use the spreadsheet to input content for your videos, such as text captions, images, and more. This method doesn't require any technical skills, making it the easiest and most accessible way to automate video creation.

Check out our 8-minute tutorial to get started right away.

Video automation with a spreadsheet is perfect for creating large batches of videos at once, especially when you need to produce a lot of content in a short time. For example, it's ideal for planning an entire month of social media videos in advance or preparing a cold outreach campaign with personalized videos for each prospect.

You can manually enter the video content, or if you already have a document, such as a Google Sheets file or one created by ChatGPT, you can easily import it into the spreadsheet.

With just the push of a button, all your videos will be generated. Once the batch is ready, you can download the videos and use them as needed.

👉 How to Batch-Create Shorts, Stories, and Reels
👉 How to Create Personalized Videos at Scale
👉 How to Create Prospecting Videos for Sales Outreach in Bulk
👉 How to Bulk-Create Videos with ChatGPT
👉 How to Create AI-Generated Videos in Bulk (with Voiceovers, Images, and Subtitles)

2. Using no-code tools

Unlike the spreadsheet approach, a no-code automation platform like Zapier, Make, or Pabbly enables you to build a fully automated video creation workflow. Setting up an automation is as simple as connecting multiple apps via a user-friendly interface, so you don't need coding skills for this method. Once a workflow is set up, videos are generated automatically, eliminating the need for any human effort.

Not only can you automate video creation, but these platforms can also handle additional tasks for you, such as posting on social media, sharing via email, or uploading to your cloud storage.

Check out this 7-minute tutorial to get started right away.

Every workflow starts with a trigger, which is a specific event that initiates the automation. This could be actions like publishing a new blog post or article, adding data to your Google Sheet or Airtable document, or even setting it to occur at specific times each day. This dynamic data is then mapped to your template, allowing Creatomate to automatically generate a video for you.

All three automation platforms support thousands of integrations, allowing you to build video generation workflows that suit your specific needs while using the apps you're already familiar with. If you're new to this, we recommend starting with Zapier, as it's the easiest platform to use. However, if you've used automation tools before or need more advanced options, Make.com might be the better choice for you.

We've written a series of step-by-step tutorials that cover practical use cases. You can apply them in full, or use them as a starting point to set up your own custom workflows. Below, you'll find a selection of the most popular ones:

👉 How to Auto-Generate Instagram Posts
👉 How to Automate YouTube Shorts with AI-Generated Videos
👉 TikTok Automation: How to Create TikTok Videos using AI
👉 How to Automatically Convert Text to Video using AI
👉 Auto-Create and Schedule Social Media Posts with Google Sheets
👉 How to Automatically Turn Blogs and Articles into Videos
👉 Auto-Generate Videos & Images in Multiple Languages

3. Using code

The API provides the most flexibility for automatically generating videos. Developers and those familiar with programming can seamlessly integrate video generation into their software, applications, and scripts. Creatomate's REST API is accessible through languages like JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Python, and more.

Check out this quick guide to get started with the API.

Generating videos using the API is as straightforward as sending a single POST request. Within this request, you provide the template ID along with the text, images, and other dynamic content you wish to insert. In return, you'll receive a URL where you can find the generated video.

In addition to the two automation methods mentioned previously, where a template serves as the video design, you can also create videos from scratch. Using a simple JSON format that describes the entire video from beginning to end, you can compose videos entirely through code. This approach offers even more flexibility and control over the video creation process. For more information on JSON to video, visit the knowledge base or explore over 50 code examples on GitHub.

👉 How to Create AI Voice Over Videos using an API
👉 Using Node.js to Generate Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok Videos
👉 How to Create and Edit Video with PHP
👉 Using ChatGPT's API to Auto-Create Social Media Videos by Code

Conclusion

By now, you should have a clear understanding of what video automation is, how templates serve as the foundation, and which types of videos are best suited to automation. You've also learned about three different methods of automatically generating videos.

Which automation method is best for you depends on your specific use case. Here's a quick recap:

Video automation using a spreadsheet: It's best for bulk video creation. You don't need any technical skills for this.

Video automation using a no-code platform: It's best if you want to create videos on autopilot. It doesn't require coding skills, however, some technical know-how might be helpful.

Video automation using code: This is the most flexible way to create any kind of dynamic video, but it does require some familiarity with APIs and programming languages.

To help you get started, we've created a series of video automation tutorials with step-by-step instructions. You can find them on our blog page.

And if you have any questions, check out the FAQ section below, or send us an email at [email protected].

Happy automating!

Video Automation FAQs

How does video automation work?

The process is simple. First, you create a template in the online editor, which serves as the foundation for all your videos. Next, you set up a workflow to automatically replace text, images, and other content. This can be done using a video generation spreadsheet, a no-code platform like Zapier or Make, or by using a programming language.

What are the benefits of video automation?

The biggest advantage of video automation is greater efficiency. By letting software handle repetitive video creation tasks, you can save a significant amount of time, making it a cost-effective solution.

What's the best video automation software?

There are several video automation tools available on the market, each with its own unique features. For example, Plainly works with After Effects, while Shotstack is better suited for developers than for no-code users. However, we believe Creatomate stands out as the best overall option for automating videos. This is because of its versatile template system, three different automation methods, and its vast collection of step-by-step tutorials. Moreover, Creatomate offers key features for video automation, such as auto-sizing text and the capability to adjust the length of each generated video based on dynamic content, like AI voiceovers. That said, our opinion may be biased, so we recommend trying out each tool to see which one best fits your needs.

Can I automate videos using generative AI?

Absolutely! Video automation is powerful on its own, but combining it with AI tools opens up even more possibilities. One exciting use case is auto-generating faceless shorts for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram. Once the workflow is set up, all you need to do is provide a topic, and Creatomate, along with AI tools, will handle the rest.

For instance, ChatGPT can generate a complete video script based on your topic, including prompts for background images, which are then created by DALL·E. A text-to-speech tool like ElevenLabs produces AI voiceovers, while Creatomate adds animated subtitles using its auto-transcription feature. Best of all, this process works seamlessly with all three automation methods. Check out our tutorials for step-by-step instructions.

Do I need video editing experience?

No, you don't need any video editing or design experience. You can simply select a ready-made video template from our gallery. However, if you'd like to create your own designs, you'll have to familiarize yourself with the editor. Alternatively, you can hand over template creation to a designer on your team or hire a freelancer.

How do I get started with video automation?

Sign up for a free trial with Creatomate. You can automate your first videos within minutes by following one of our step-by-step tutorials, which cover both the spreadsheet method, no-code automation platforms, and the API.

How much does video automation cost?

Video automation is a cost-effective alternative to traditional manual video creation. For just $49, you'll receive 2,000 credits — enough to generate over 550 videos at 720p, 25fps, and 15 seconds in length. The exact credit cost per video depends on specific factors, and a detailed calculation formula is available in the documentation. If you need more credits, you can always upgrade to a higher plan, which offers even better value.