Create Branded Instagram Reel

Create Branded Instagram Reel

Use this skill to turn a folder of local video clips into a finished 9:16 H.264 Reel. The workflow is deterministic and uses only supplied/local media; it does not generate or alter the underlying footage.

Inputs and defaults

• Accept a folder path. Scan it recursively for supported video files, sorted by path.
• Use one short, centered segment from each source video. Include every discovered clip by default; use --max-clips only when the folder is too large for the intended Reel.
• Render at 1080 × 1920, 30 fps, H.264, yuv420p, with a default segment length of 2.75 seconds.
• Start with a 1.5-second branded slate and finish with a 3-second branded end card.
• Use the bundled assets/brand-panel-base.png as the default end-card artwork. It is an exact supplied Coldwell Banker Schmidt / 906 Real Estate Group panel and includes the associated agent contact block. Pass --brand-panel for a replacement or --no-brand-panel for a text-only end card; never invent a different agent name, phone number, logo, or contact detail.
• Use supplied --headline, --subheadline, and --cta text exactly. Do not infer an address, price, listing status, claim, or other property fact from filenames or video frames.
• Do not carry source audio automatically because a folder may mix incompatible tracks. Without --music, render the Reel silently; with --music, use only the supplied file.

Workflow

1. Resolve the actual input folder and inspect its contents. Do not include prior Reel outputs, covers, manifests, hidden files, or unsupported media.
2. Read references/render-spec.md when changing defaults, branding, crop behavior, or output requirements.
3. Run scripts/render_reel.py with absolute paths. Keep source media unchanged. Use --force only when the requested output may be replaced.
4. Inspect the generated cover image with view_image. If the cover is a poor representation, rerun with a different --cover-time or adjust the supplied source folder/order; do not edit the underlying footage.
5. Verify the output with the script's manifest and an independent ffprobe/frame check. Confirm the video is vertical, has the expected dimensions and frame rate, contains the branded slate/bug/end card, and has no accidental text overflow.
6. Deliver the .mp4, cover .jpg, and manifest .json. Mention whether music was supplied and whether the default branded panel or a replacement was used.

Renderer

python3 "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/create-branded-instagram-reel/scripts/render_reel.py" \
  "/absolute/path/to/video-folder" \
  --headline "YOUR EXACT HEADLINE" \
  --subheadline "Optional exact subheadline" \
  --cta "YOUR EXACT CALL TO ACTION" \
  --output "/absolute/path/to/output/reel.mp4" \
  --music "/absolute/path/to/music.mp3"

The command also writes reel-cover.jpg and reel-manifest.json beside the requested output unless alternate paths are supplied. If the user requests a simple branded montage, omit the optional text and music flags. If the user supplies a different logo/end-card image, pass it with --brand-panel rather than recreating or approximating it.

Quality and safety rules

• Preserve the original source files and never overwrite them.
• Do not use generative image/video tools, virtual staging, synthetic property imagery, or invented listing facts.
• Center-crop landscape or square footage to fill 1080 × 1920 without stretching or letterboxing. Verify that important subjects remain visible in the selected central region; if not, choose a better source or ask for a crop/focal-point decision.
• Keep branding inside the upper and lower safe areas. The persistent bug must remain legible over footage, and the end card must hold long enough to read.
• Use only supplied music. Normalize it to a conservative social-video level and loop/truncate it to the rendered duration. Do not download music or claim a license.
• If FFmpeg, FFprobe, or Pillow is unavailable, report the missing dependency and stop before creating a partial deliverable.

Output verification

Run the following after rendering:

ffprobe -v error -show_entries stream=codec_type,width,height,r_frame_rate,codec_name:format=duration \
  -of json "/absolute/path/to/output/reel.mp4"

Require a video stream with width 1080, height 1920, H.264 codec, and a playable duration. Inspect at least the cover, an interior frame, and the final frame. Treat any missing brand element, cropped subject, unreadable text, unsupported audio, or stale output as a failed render and fix or rerun it before delivery.