Short Maker 🎬

"in the future entertainment will be randomly generated". Automate vertical video creation with zero AI

(GUI version shown - CLI version also available)

Create professional short vertical videos by combining videos, adding narration (TTS), dynamic subtitles, and audio mixing. Perfect for content creators who want to streamline their workflow. (Or if you want to make the Dead Internet Theory real)

Example Created Video:

Check out an example video created using Short Maker:
Watch the video on Twitter

Created using two video files and a text file

python short-maker.py video1.mp4 video2.mp4 -t script.txt -a --duck-volume 5 -vv 100

Features ✨

• 📼 Create vertical (9:16) video compositions
• 🔊 Text-to-Speech narration with sync subtitles
• 🎵 Background music mixing with volume control
• 🦆 Audio ducking during narration
• 🖼️ Smart video cropping/resizing
• 🎞️ Full animated GIF support with auto-looping
• 🐍 Pure Python, FFmpeg and ImageMagick - no AI/ML dependencies

Installation 📦

Quick Setup (Recommended) 🚀

We provide automated setup scripts that install everything for you:

Windows:

1. Download or clone this repository
2. Choose one of the setup options:
   • Option A (Recommended): Right-click on setup_windows.ps1 and select "Run with PowerShell as administrator"
   • Option B (Alternative): Right-click on setup_windows.bat and select "Run as administrator"
3. Wait for the installation to complete (5-15 minutes)

Note: The PowerShell script (setup_windows.ps1) provides better error handling and ImageMagick configuration.

Virtual Environment (Windows): The Windows setup creates a virtual environment for better Python package management. For manual usage:

# Activate virtual environment for manual command-line use (Batch version)
activate_venv_windows.bat

# Or use PowerShell version
activate_venv_windows.ps1

# Then use Short Maker
python short-maker.py

Note: GUI launchers (run_gui_windows.bat) automatically handle virtual environment activation.

Linux:

git clone https://github.com/Hukasx0/short-maker.git
cd short-maker
chmod +x setup_linux.sh
./setup_linux.sh

Virtual Environment (Linux): The Linux setup creates a virtual environment for better Python package management. For manual usage:

# Activate virtual environment for manual command-line use
chmod +x activate_venv.sh
./activate_venv.sh

# Then use Short Maker
python short-maker.py

Note: GUI launchers (run_gui_linux.sh) automatically handle virtual environment activation.

macOS:

git clone https://github.com/Hukasx0/short-maker.git
cd short-maker
chmod +x setup_macos.sh
./setup_macos.sh

Virtual Environment (macOS): The macOS setup creates a virtual environment for better Python package management. For manual usage:

# Activate virtual environment for manual command-line use
chmod +x activate_venv_macos.sh
./activate_venv_macos.sh

# Then use Short Maker
python short-maker.py

Note: GUI launchers (run_gui_macos.sh) automatically handle virtual environment activation.

macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon) Notes:

• The setup script automatically installs python-tk for better GUI support
• Tk deprecation warnings are automatically suppressed
• If GUI is not visible, ensure you've run the setup script: ./setup_macos.sh
• For best GUI experience, restart your terminal after setup

Manual Installation (Alternative) 🔧

If you prefer to install manually or the automated scripts don't work:

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10.11 (Recommended & Tested)
• Git (to clone the repository)
• FFmpeg
• ImageMagick

How to Install Python

1. Download Python:
   • Go to the official Python website.
   • Download the latest version of Python 3 for your operating system.
2. Install Python:
   • Run the installer and ensure that you check the box "Add Python to PATH" before proceeding with the installation.
   • Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

How to Install Git

1. Download Git:
   • Visit the official Git website and download the appropriate version for your operating system.
2. Install Git:
   • Run the installer and follow the default instructions.

Cloning the Repository

You have two options to obtain the source code:

1. Clone using Git:
   Open your terminal or command prompt and run:

git clone https://github.com/Hukasx0/short-maker.git

2. Download as ZIP:
   • Click the "Code" button on the repository page.
   • Select "Download ZIP" and then extract the contents to your desired location.

Installing Other Dependencies

1. Windows:

# 0. Install Chocolatey (Windows Package Manager)
#    Open Windows PowerShell as Administrator and run:
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

# 1. Install dependencies  
choco install ffmpeg imagemagick  

# 2. Add to PATH (search for Environment Variables)  
#    Add paths to ffmpeg.exe and magick.exe  

# 3. Configure ImageMagick for MoviePy
#    Short Maker automatically detects and configures ImageMagick on Windows
#    Ensure 'magick.exe' (not 'convert') is accessible from command line

2. Linux:

sudo apt-get install ffmpeg imagemagick

3. macOS:

brew install ffmpeg imagemagick

4. All Systems:
   (Before installing Python packages, make sure you change to the project directory where requirements.txt is located.)

cd short-maker
pip install -r requirements.txt

Preparation 🛠️

1. Install required tools from above
2. Prepare your video file/files (supports videos, images, and animated GIFs)
3. (Optional) For narration: create text file with script
4. (Optional) Find background music

Usage 🚀

GUI Mode (Recommended for Beginners) 🖥️

Quick Launch (One-Click) 🚀

Use these launcher scripts that automatically handle setup if needed:

Windows:

# Double-click or run in Command Prompt
run_gui_windows.bat

Linux:

chmod +x run_gui_linux.sh
./run_gui_linux.sh

macOS:

chmod +x run_gui_macos.sh
./run_gui_macos.sh

Manual Launch 💻

# Launch the graphical interface directly
python short-maker.py --gui

The GUI provides an intuitive interface with:

• 📁 File browsers for easy selection
• 🎛️ Visual controls for all settings
• ℹ️ Helpful tooltips explaining each feature
• 📊 Real-time progress tracking
• 📤 Export settings as CLI command
• 🔄 Settings preview and reset options

⚠️ GUI Display Issues (Tkinter Compatibility)

Known Issue: On some screens/systems, the GUI window may appear truncated or show only partial controls.

Solution: If you experience this issue:

1. Resize the window by dragging the window borders
2. Maximize the window using your system's maximize button
3. Manually adjust window width and height by dragging corners
4. Scroll within the GUI if scrollbars appear

This is a Tkinter display limitation that can occur on certain screen configurations or display settings. The GUI can be made fully functional with manual window adjustment.

Command Line Mode (Advanced Users) 💻

# Two videos with background music  
python short-maker.py top.mp4 bottom.mp4 -m music.mp3 -o output.mp4  

# Single video with narration  
python short-maker.py input.mp4 -t script.txt -o narrated.mp4

Advanced Command Line Example

python short-maker.py top.mp4 bottom.mp4 \  
  -m music.mp3 -t script.txt \  
  -o final.mp4 -r 1080x1920 \  
  -mv 20 -vv 100 --duck-volume 40 \  
  -a \
  --animate-text \
  --fade-duration 0.15 \
  --text-color "#00FF00" \
  --text-border-color black \
  --no-bg-box \
  --use-video-length

All Flags Explained 🏁

Flag	Description	Default
Interface
--gui	Launch graphical user interface	False
Video Composition
top_video	Path to main video file	Required
bottom_video	Secondary video (optional)	None
-m, --music	Background music file	None
-o, --output	Output filename	output.mp4
-r, --resolution	Target resolution	1080x1920
-mv, --music-volume	Music volume (0-100)	100
-a, --audio	Keep original video audio	False
-vv, --video-volume	Original video volume (requires -a to work)	0
Narration
-t, --text	Narration script file	None
-l, --lang	TTS language code	en
-ns, --no-subtitles	Disable subtitles	Enabled
--duck-volume	Lower background audio during TTS speech	Off
--use-video-length	Match video duration	False
-s, --speed	Narration speed multiplier	1.0
--animate-text	Enable subtitle fade-in animation	False
--fade-duration	Text fade-in, and fade-out animation duration (seconds)	0.15
--text-color	Subtitle text color (name/hex)	white
--no-bg-box	Disable semi-transparent background box	Enabled
--text-border-color	Text border/shadow color	black
--image-duration	Duration per image file in seconds	5.0
--transition-type	Transition effect between multiple files	none
--transition-duration	Duration of transition effects in seconds	0.5
--start-transition	Transition effect at start of entire video (fade recommended)	none
--end-transition	Transition effect at end of entire video (fade recommended)	none

Multiple Images Support 🖼️

Short Maker supports creating videos from multiple images in three ways:

1. Multiple Files (Semicolon Separated)

# 3 images, each 5 seconds = 15 second video
python short-maker.py "image1.jpg;image2.jpg;image3.jpg" --image-duration 5 -m music.mp3 -o slideshow.mp4

2. Directory Path

# All images in directory, automatically sorted
python short-maker.py /path/to/images/ --image-duration 3 -t script.txt -o gallery.mp4

3. GUI Multiple Selection

In GUI mode, when browsing for media files, you'll be asked if you want to select multiple files for image sequences.

With Narration: When using text-to-speech, the narration duration is distributed evenly across all images.

Without Narration: Each image displays for the specified --image-duration.

Animated GIF Support 🎞️

Short Maker has full support for animated GIFs, which play as animations and loop automatically:

Features:

• Automatic Animation Detection: Animated GIFs are detected and loaded as video clips
• Smart Looping: GIFs automatically loop to fill the specified duration
• Seamless Integration: Works with all existing features (narration, transitions, split-screen)
• Fallback Support: If GIF loading fails, automatically falls back to static image handling

Examples:

# Single animated GIF (loops automatically to match duration)
python short-maker.py animation.gif --image-duration 10 -m music.mp3 -o gif_video.mp4

# Animated GIF with narration (GIF loops during narration)
python short-maker.py funny.gif -t script.txt -o narrated_gif.mp4

# Split-screen with animated GIF and static image
python short-maker.py animation.gif photo.jpg --image-duration 8 -m background.mp3 -o mixed_gif.mp4

# Multiple animated GIFs with transitions
python short-maker.py "gif1.gif;gif2.gif;gif3.gif" --transition-type fade --transition-duration 0.5 --image-duration 6 -o gif_slideshow.mp4

# Mix of animated GIFs and static images
python short-maker.py "intro.gif;photo1.jpg;animation.gif;photo2.jpg" --image-duration 4 -m music.mp3 -o mixed_sequence.mp4

Technical Notes:

• Requires Pillow (PIL) library (included in requirements.txt)
• GIFs shorter than --image-duration automatically loop to fill the time
• GIFs longer than --image-duration are trimmed to the specified duration
• Works with all transition effects and start/end transitions

Transition Effects 🎬

Short Maker supports smooth transitions between multiple media files with customizable effects:

Available Transition Types:

• none: No transition (default)
• fade: Fade in/out effect
• slide_left: Slide in from right
• slide_right: Slide in from left
• slide_up: Slide in from bottom
• slide_down: Slide in from top
• zoom_in: Zoom in effect (starts small)
• zoom_out: Zoom out effect (starts large)

Examples:

# Fade transitions between images
python short-maker.py "img1.jpg;img2.jpg;img3.jpg" --transition-type fade --transition-duration 1.0 -o slideshow.mp4

# Slide transitions with custom duration
python short-maker.py "photo1.jpg;photo2.jpg" --transition-type slide_left --transition-duration 0.8 -m music.mp3

# Zoom effects between videos
python short-maker.py "video1.mp4;video2.mp4" --transition-type zoom_in --transition-duration 0.5

Start/End Transitions (Entire Video):

# Fade in at start, zoom out at end of the entire short
python short-maker.py video.mp4 --start-transition fade --end-transition zoom_out --transition-duration 1.0

# Slide in from left at start of any video/image
python short-maker.py image.jpg --start-transition slide_left -m music.mp3 --image-duration 10

# Zoom in at start and slide out at end, works with any content
python short-maker.py video.mp4 --start-transition zoom_in --end-transition slide_right -t script.txt

# Works with multiple files too - transitions apply to the entire final video
python short-maker.py "img1.jpg;img2.jpg" --start-transition fade --end-transition zoom_out --transition-type slide_left

Note:

• Multi-file transitions: Work between clips in sequences (--transition-type)
• Start/End transitions: Apply to the beginning and end of the entire final video (--start-transition, --end-transition)
• Universal compatibility: Start/End transitions work with any content (single files, multiple files, videos, images)
• Improved stability: Automatic fallback to fade transitions if complex effects fail
• Best practices: Use 'fade' transitions for most reliable results
• Transition duration is automatically limited to prevent exceeding clip durations
• Zoom transitions now properly handle different image resolutions

Why No AI? 🤖

This script intentionally uses simple TTS (gTTS) instead of AI voice generation:

1. No API keys required
2. Faster processing
3. Smaller footprint

License & Author 📜

Author: Hubert Kasperek

License: GNU Affero General Public License v3.0