1. Opening Problem Statement
Meet Jamie, an aspiring content creator juggling a day job and a side hustle in social media marketing. Jamie spends countless late nights struggling to craft engaging TikTok and YouTube Shorts videos themed around job hunting and resume building. Each video requires writing punchy captions, generating visuals, syncing voiceovers, and editing clips—tasks that easily add up to over 10 hours weekly. Jamie’s current process is manual, error-prone, and leaves little time for actual creativity or audience engagement.
This is a common scenario for many small creators, marketers, and agencies needing to produce short-form videos rapidly and consistently. The pain? Wasted time, inconsistent quality, and stress from juggling multiple complex tools and APIs.
2. What This Automation Does
With this powerful n8n workflow, here’s what happens automatically once triggered:
- Generates 5 entertaining, edgy video captions from a job hunting or resume-related idea stored in a Google Sheet using OpenAI GPT-4o-mini.
- Expands captions into hyper-realistic, cinematic image prompts suitable for AI image generation with Flux via PiAPI.
- Creates corresponding images with Flux, then converts each image into a 5-second engaging video clip using Kling (via PiAPI).
- Generates a witty, Andrew Tate-style 15-second narration script for the video using OpenAI.
- Converts the narration text into a high-quality voiceover with Eleven Labs’ AI text-to-speech API.
- Combines captions, videos, and voiceover into a final ready-to-publish video rendered by Creatomate, then uploads it to Google Drive with shareable permissions.
- Notifies the creator automatically via Discord when the video is ready for use.
This workflow saves approximately 10+ hours per week by eliminating scripting, voice recording, editing, and API juggling. It ensures consistent, high-quality content production, freeing creators to focus on strategy and audience.
3. Prerequisites ⚙️
- Google Sheets 📊 – For loading video ideas and storing metadata about production status.
- OpenAI API (GPT-4o-mini) 🔑 – Used twice: once for generating captions and once for narration scripts.
- PiAPI API 🔐 (Flux and Kling) – Flux model generates realistic images; Kling converts images to short video clips.
- Eleven Labs Text-to-Speech API 🔐 – For generating natural-sounding voiceovers.
- Creatomate API 🔐 – To render final composite videos from template assets.
- Google Drive 📁 – Uploads and shares the final videos and voiceovers.
- Discord Webhook 💬 – Sends notifications when video processing is complete.
- n8n Workflow Automation Platform 🔌 – To orchestrate all these APIs and services in one integrated flow.
Optionally, if you’re self-hosting n8n, platforms like Hostinger can make setup easier and more reliable.
4. Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Schedule the Automation Trigger
Navigate in n8n to Triggers → Schedule Trigger. Configure it to run once daily at 7 AM. This ensures your workflow picks one new video idea per day from your Google Sheet and starts processing without manual intervention.
Expected outcome: The workflow automatically begins every morning, prepping your content pipeline.
Common mistake: Forgetting to activate the schedule node after creation, so the workflow never runs.
Step 2: Set Your API Keys
Go to the Set API Keys node and input your valid API keys for PiAPI, OpenAI, Eleven Labs, and Creatomate. Be sure to use the correct keys linked to your accounts to avoid authentication failures later.
Expected outcome: Credentials securely stored for seamless access in subsequent API nodes.
Common mistake: Typo in keys or mixing test and production keys causes failures during API calls.
Step 3: Load Video Ideas from Google Sheets
Open the Load Google Sheet node. Connect to your Google Sheets document holding your video ideas focused on job hunting, with columns like “idea” and “environment_prompt.” Set filters to select unprocessed rows marked “for production.”
Expected outcome: One fresh video idea loaded as JSON data for later steps.
Common mistake: Incorrect sheet ID or filter leading to empty or wrong data loads.
Step 4: Generate 5 Video Captions Using OpenAI
Open the Generate Video Captions node. This uses the GPT-4o-mini model with a prompt tailored to create unhinged, entertaining captions about job hunting in a first-person perspective and edgy tone inspired by Andrew Tate and Charlie Sheen. The node outputs 5 captions in a text block separated by newlines.
Expected outcome: A 5-item list of catchy, provocative captions for short-form videos.
Common mistake: Editing the prompt wrongly can cause poor or off-topic caption generation.
Step 5: Split Captions into List Items for Processing
Examine the Create List node containing JavaScript that splits the captions by line breaks and maps each caption into an individual item. This step makes each caption separately processable in the next stages.
Expected outcome: Each caption becomes an item node accessible for image and video generation.
Common mistake: Removing or altering the splitting logic causes downstream nodes to fail due to improper data formats.
Step 6: Validate Caption List Format
The Validate list formatting node ensures the split captions array contains more than one item before continuing. If validation fails, the workflow loops back to regenerate captions.
Expected outcome: Protection against API or parsing errors disrupting the video creation pipeline.
Common mistake: Misunderstanding node output data structure can cause false negatives here.
Step 7: Generate Cinematic Image Prompts
Open the Generate Image Prompts node (OpenAI via LangChain). This expands each caption into a detailed, cinematic, first-person perspective prompt optimized for Flux image generation. It emphasizes hyper-realism and job-hunting POV scenes with sensory details.
Expected outcome: Five unique, ready-to-use image prompts perfectly aligned with captions.
Common mistake: Modifying prompt instructions improperly may cause unusable or generic images.
Step 8: Calculate Total Token Usage
The Calculate Token Usage node runs custom JavaScript that sums prompt and completion tokens from all OpenAI calls to monitor API credit consumption.
Expected outcome: Comprehensive token usage reporting helps keep costs in check.
Common mistake: Removing this node disables cost tracking.
Step 9: Generate Images with Flux via PiAPI
The Generate Image node calls PiAPI’s Flux model, sending your cinematic prompts to create 540×960 realistic, casual images mimicking TikTok influencer style shots.
Expected outcome: Creative, high-quality images for each caption.
Common mistake: Incorrect API key or model name leads to API rejection.
Step 10: Wait and Retrieve Created Images
After requesting image generation, the workflow pauses for 3 minutes in the Wait 3min node, then requests image status via the Get image node. It checks success or failure and retries if necessary.
Expected outcome: Reliable retrieval of generated images without premature fetching.
Common mistake: Ignoring failure checks can cause corrupt or empty image URLs downstream.
Step 11: Transform Images into Short Video Clips
The Image-to-Video node sends each image URL to PiAPI’s Kling video generation API, producing engaging 5-second clips with subtle camera zoom effects.
Expected outcome: Short, eye-catching videos that bring the static images to life.
Common mistake: Using a higher-cost “pro” model unnecessarily increases budget without proportional gain.
Step 12: Wait, Check Video Generation Status, Retry if Failed
The workflow pauses 10 minutes in the Wait 10min node while video clips are being processed, then checks status with Get Video. If any processing failed, it retries generation for those clips.
Expected outcome: All video clips successfully generated and ready.
Common mistake: Skipping retries results in incomplete final videos.
Step 13: Merge Captions and Videos
The Match captions with videos node merges generated captions and video clips by their positions to form combined video segments for narration and final rendering.
Expected outcome: Perfect alignment of video clips with their storyline captions.
Common mistake: Mismatched indexing breaks the narrative flow.
Step 14: Generate a Witty Script Narration
Using the Generate Script node with OpenAI, the workflow creates an edgy, entertaining narration script in a 15-second format matching the 5 clips. It channels a humor style inspired by Andrew Tate and Charlie Sheen with bold language.
Expected outcome: A catchy voiceover script that enhances viewer engagement.
Common mistake: Editing the prompt can skew tone and pacing.
Step 15: Convert Script to Voiceover with Eleven Labs
The Generate voice node sends the narration text to Eleven Labs’ text-to-speech API, creating a realistic MP3 voiceover.
Expected outcome: Professional-quality voice audio ready for video.
Step 16: Upload Voiceover to Google Drive and Share
Upload the MP3 to Google Drive using the Upload Voice Audio node, then set sharing permissions to public with Set Access Permissions node. This makes audio easily accessible for video rendering.
Expected outcome: Voiceover MP3 accessible via link.
Common mistake: Forgetting to set public permissions leads to inaccessible audio.
Step 17: Combine Videos and Audio for Final Rendering
The Pair Videos with Audio node merges the video clips and the voiceover into one object, ready for rendering.
Expected outcome: Unified video/audio dataset sent to Creatomate.
Step 18: Render Final Composite Video with Creatomate
The Render Final Video node calls Creatomate’s API with your template ID, replacing the placeholders with your generated video clips, captions, and audio.
Expected outcome: A polished, professional short video ready for distribution.
Common mistake: Incorrect template ID or API key causes rendering failure.
Step 19: Retrieve and Upload Final Video to Google Drive
The Get Final Video and Get Raw File nodes poll the Creatomate API until rendering is complete, then download the final MP4 video. It’s then uploaded to Google Drive via Upload Final Video and sharing permissions are set with Set Permissions.
Expected outcome: Final video stored and shareable.
Common mistake: Timing out the API calls before rendering finishes.
Step 20: Update Production Status in Google Sheet
The Update Google Sheet node updates the original row with production details, token usage, costs, final video link, and marks the idea as “done” for publishing.
Expected outcome: Accurate tracking and data for your video production pipeline.
Step 21: Receive Notification on Discord
The Notify me on Discord node sends a message to your chosen Discord channel letting you know the new video is created and ready to be shared.
Expected outcome: Real-time alert for smooth content scheduling.
5. Customizations ✏️
- Change the Video Caption Style: In the Generate Video Captions (OpenAI) node, modify the prompt to reflect your preferred tone, whether it’s more professional, humorous, or industry-specific jargon. This tailors content to your audience.
- Use Different Image or Video Models: In the Generate Image or Image-to-Video nodes, switch the PiAPI model IDs to other supported Flux or Kling models for different styles or cost savings.
- Adjust Video Length and Zoom: Customize the Image-to-Video node’s “duration” and “camera_control.zoom” parameters to produce longer clips or varied visual effects.
- Switch Voice Profiles: Modify the Eleven Labs API endpoint URL in the Generate voice node with the voice ID of your choice from Eleven Labs to personalize narration voices.
- Update Creatomate Template: Edit your Creatomate template JSON to change how captions, videos, or voiceovers appear in the final video, adapting layouts and styles.
6. Troubleshooting 🔧
Problem: “API key invalid or unauthorized” error
Cause: One or more API keys are incorrect or missing.
Solution: Double-check the keys in the Set API Keys node. Re-copy them from your service dashboards, and ensure no extra white spaces or characters are present.
Problem: Generated images or videos stuck in “pending” or “failed” state
Cause: API service delays or rejected requests due to wrong parameters or rate limits.
Solution: Review the API request parameters in the Generate Image and Image-to-Video nodes. Ensure valid model IDs and clean prompt data. Wait sufficient time in the Wait nodes, and check API key quota limits.
Problem: Final video not rendering correctly or missing elements
Cause: Creatomate template issues or bad API payloads.
Solution: Validate your Creatomate template JSON with sample data. Confirm all variables used in the Render Final Video node are correctly referencing earlier data. Test with a minimal dataset first.
Problem: Google Drive uploads inaccessible
Cause: Sharing permissions not correctly set.
Solution: Use the Set Access Permissions and Set Permissions Google Drive nodes to ensure files are shared publicly or with required parties.
7. Pre-Production Checklist ✅
- Verify all API keys in the Set API Keys node are current and active.
- Ensure your Google Sheet template has the correct column names and at least one “for production” idea.
- Test OpenAI prompt nodes independently to confirm quality caption and script generation.
- Confirm PiAPI and Eleven Labs API connectivity and functionality with test requests.
- Validate Creatomate template setup and confirm your Template ID is correctly set.
- Perform a full dry run with sample data to observe end-to-end pipeline execution.
- Double-check file permissions on Google Drive to avoid access issues.
8. Deployment Guide
Activate your workflow in n8n after completing setup and testing. The workflow runs automatically once per day as scheduled.
Monitor executions via the n8n dashboard to quickly spot errors. Enable email or webhook alerts for failures if desired.
Adjust scheduling frequency to match your content needs. Back up your Google Sheets data regularly to prevent data loss.
9. Conclusion
By completing this tutorial, you’ve built an end-to-end AI-powered video generation pipeline that transforms simple job hunting story ideas into fully rendered TikTok and YouTube Shorts videos. This automation saves you hours of scripting, recording, and editing time each week, letting you create viral-worthy content consistently with minimal manual effort.
Next, consider automations that could extend this workflow: auto-uploading videos to social platforms, A/B testing caption effectiveness, or creating versions for Instagram Reels with varied voice profiles.
Keep experimenting and refining your automated content factory for maximum creative output and audience growth!