Video Automation

Looking for an efficient way to produce videos at scale? Video automation is the solution!
Whether you're creating content for social media, personalization, or any other marketing campaign, an automated workflow can help you generate hundreds — or even thousands — of videos in no time.

Create videos on autopilot
Easy to set up
No technical expertise required

How to Automate Video Creation

There are three ways to automate videos: using a spreadsheet, no-code platform, or code. Regardless of the method, the core concept is the same — a template serves as the foundation and is populated with dynamic data to generate each video. The best workflow for you depends on your specific needs and technical expertise.
Let's explore the options below.

1
Start with a video template

The first step in automating videos is to create a template. This design includes dynamic elements like text captions, images, voiceovers, and subtitles, all of which can be replaced with different content through an automated process.

Creatomate offers a wide selection of ready-made video templates that can be customized to suit your specific needs. If you prefer, you can also design your own templates from scratch. The online editor is equipped with powerful editing tools and customization options designed for automation, enabling you to generate videos for virtually any purpose.

01	Spring Sale	Image 1	#4980f1
02	Summer Sale	Image 2	#4980f1
03	Autumn Sale	Image 3	#4980f1
…	…	…	…
99	Holiday Sale	Image 99	#4980f1

99 videos generated

2
Set up an automated workflow

Once you have a video template ready, it's time to automate. You can set up a partially automated or fully automated workflow. Here's how:

Using a video generation spreadsheet. This is one of the automation options that doesn't require any programming or technical knowledge. Creatomate includes a built-in spreadsheet feature that allows you to create videos in bulk. Simply fill out the spreadsheet with the content for your videos, and with the click of a button, all videos will automatically be generated. This approach is perfect for batch-creating videos in advance. Here's a tutorial with step-by-step instructions.
Using a no-code automation platform like Zapier or Make. Instead of creating a batch of videos at once, you can set up a fully automated workflow to generate videos on autopilot. Both Zapier and Make integrate with thousands of apps, so you can easily build an automation that works for you. For example, the automation could run when new data appears in Google Sheets or Airtable, automatically generating a video with Creatomate, which can then be posted on your preferred social media platform. We've written several hands-on tutorials covering practical use cases, which you can find on our blog.
Using the REST API. This is the most flexible method for automating videos, but it requires familiarity with APIs and programming languages like JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, or Python. If you're a developer — or have one on your team — you can integrate automatic video generation into your software and apps. Check out this quick guide to get started with the API.

3
Automate your video creation

With the right setup, video automation can significantly speed up your production process. Whether you're creating shorts for YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram, or generating personalized videos for a cold outreach campaign, there's a method that works for you.

We haven't even touched on the potential of generative AI yet. While video automation is powerful on its own, combining it with AI takes things to a whole new level. For example, you can use ChatGPT to write scripts, DALL·E or Stable Diffusion for creating visuals, ElevenLabs for voiceovers, and Creatomate's auto-transcription service for adding animated subtitles. The best part? It all works seamlessly with the spreadsheet approach, no-code automation platforms, and the API. You can find step-by-step tutorials here.

And if you're interested in video automation but aren't sure which method to choose, check out our post "Video Automation: 3 Ways to Automate your Video Creation". It goes into more detail on each approach and points you to tutorials to help you get started.

Frequently asked questions

What is video automation?

Video automation is the use of software to automatically create and edit video content. Unlike traditional video production, where each video is made manually, video automation allows you to produce multiple videos without human effort. It's commonly used to automate videos for social media, personalization, and marketing campaigns.

How do I automate video creation?

There are several ways to automate video creation: using a spreadsheet, a no-code platform like Zapier or Make, or through coding. The spreadsheet method is semi-automated, as you'll need to manually input the video content. It's ideal for generating large batches of videos at once. For a fully automated process, Zapier, Make, and the API let you set up workflows that run automatically in the background. This approach is perfect if you need to create videos regularly. Once everything is set up, the system handles the work for you, requiring no additional effort.

What types of videos can be automated?

Nearly any type of video can be automated, as long as it follows the same design layout. With the editor, you can easily create your own video automation templates — whether for marketing, social media, personalization, or other purposes.

Who is video automation for?

Video automation is highly beneficial for anyone who needs to produce a large number of videos in a consistent format. It's easy to set up and saves significant time for each video generated. Marketers can use user-friendly, no-code methods that don't require any technical expertise, while developers have the option to integrate video generation using the REST API.

How long does it take to set up?

Setting up an automated workflow can take as little as 15 minutes, regardless of the approach you choose. Check out our tutorials for step-by-step instructions. Creating the perfect video design may take a bit more time, but if needed, you can always outsource this to a designer.

What's the best video automation tool?

There are many video automation tools on the market, but we believe Creatomate stands out as one of the best solutions for automating video creation. It brings together all the essential features in one platform: an online editor for creating your own video designs, a gallery of ready-made templates, a built-in spreadsheet feature for bulk video creation, native integrations with no-code platforms like Zapier and Make.com, and a REST API for adding video generation capabilities to your own software and apps. Creatomate also offers advanced automation features, including an auto-scaling system for handling high demand, automatic text resizing, and the ability to adjust video length based on dynamic content like AI voiceovers. But of course, we're biased, so you should try it for yourself.