AI Video Storyboard Generator

A skill for Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and other AI coding assistants that turns vague video ideas into complete multi-shot storyboards — with ready-to-copy prompts, visual consistency guidance, and post-production checklists.

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The Problem

AI video generators produce 5–15 second clips. But real videos people actually ship are longer:

• 30-second TikTok Reels
• 60-second Instagram Ads
• 90-second product explainers
• 2-minute YouTube Shorts

If you just generate 6 clips independently and stitch them together, the result looks like 6 disconnected pieces made by 6 different people. No consistent color, no consistent lighting, no narrative arc.

This skill fixes that.

What It Does

Give it a brief like "a 30-second TikTok for my coffee shop opening" and it produces:

1. A shared visual theme — color palette, lighting style, lens character, film look, motion language — that every shot must respect
2. A complete shot list — 6–18 shots with purpose, composition, camera move, lighting, subject, and action
3. Ready-to-copy prompts — cinematic, concrete, 40–80 words each, tuned for modern AI video models
4. Audio direction — what the synchronized audio should sound like per shot
5. Post-production checklist — LUT suggestions, transition specs, BGM direction, export settings
6. "Why this works" rationale — the storytelling logic behind the shot order

See examples/tiktok-reel-30s-coffee.md for a complete worked example.

Quick Example

You: "Help me make a 30s TikTok for my specialty coffee shop opening next week. Warm and analog vibe, final CTA is 'Opening Saturday'."

The skill outputs:

# 30s TikTok Reel — Coffee Shop Opening
6 shots × 5s, 9:16 vertical

## Visual Theme
- Palette: espresso brown, cream, muted amber, sage green
- Lighting: warm golden backlight with motivated window light
- Lens: shallow DOF, 35mm full-frame
- Film: subtle 16mm grain, warm 3200K

## Shot 1 (0-5s) — Hook: The Pour
Prompt to copy:
> Extreme close-up overhead shot of hot water pouring from a brass
> gooseneck kettle into a white ceramic V60 dripper filled with dark
> coffee grounds, the grounds blooming and rising in slow motion,
> warm golden backlight with visible steam curling upward, shallow
> depth of field, 35mm full-frame look, subtle 16mm film grain,
> cinematic 1080p, synchronized audio, 5 seconds, 9:16 vertical

[... 5 more shots with matching visual language ...]

## Post-Production Checklist
- Stitch in CapCut with Portra 400 LUT
- 0.3s dissolve transitions
- Acoustic guitar BGM at 85 BPM
- Export 1080×1920 30fps

Installation

Claude Code

1. Clone this repo or copy SKILL.md into your Claude Code skills directory:

   # User-level (all projects)
   cp SKILL.md ~/.claude/skills/ai-video-storyboard/SKILL.md
   cp -r examples references ~/.claude/skills/ai-video-storyboard/

2. Invoke in any Claude Code session:

   Use the ai-video-storyboard skill to plan a 30s TikTok for my coffee shop opening
   

Cursor

1. Copy the contents of SKILL.md (without frontmatter) into your project's .cursorrules file
2. Ask Cursor to "plan an AI video storyboard for [your brief]"

Windsurf

1. Copy SKILL.md content into your .windsurfrules file
2. Invoke the same way

ChatGPT / Claude.ai

Paste the contents of SKILL.md as system instructions for a custom GPT or project.

What Makes It Different

Most AI video helpers give you one prompt at a time. This skill gives you a coordinated production plan:

Feature	Typical prompt helpers	AI Video Storyboard
Output	A single prompt	A shot list of 6–18 prompts
Visual consistency	Not considered	Enforced via a shared theme layer
Narrative structure	None	Explicit arc (hook/build/payoff/CTA)
Per-shot details	Prompt only	Prompt + composition + camera + lighting + audio
Post-production	Not covered	LUT, transitions, BGM, export specs
Platform awareness	Generic	Platform-specific cadence (TikTok, Reels, Shorts, Ads)

Use Cases

• 📱 TikTok / Reels / Shorts creators making multi-shot content
• 📢 Marketing teams producing short-form ads at scale
• 🛍️ E-commerce brands shooting product showcase videos
• 🎨 Creative agencies pitching concept videos to clients
• 🎮 Indie game devs making trailers and store videos
• 🎓 Educators creating explainer content
• 🎬 Freelancers delivering multi-shot video projects

Examples Library

• tiktok-reel-30s-coffee.md — Specialty coffee shop opening Reel

More examples coming soon: 15s Instagram Ad, 60s product explainer, 90s brand story, 2-minute YouTube Short.

Contributing

Contributions welcome. Especially:

• Additional examples for new platforms / genres
• New references (genre templates, lighting patterns, camera moves)
• Translation of the skill into other languages
• Format ports (Continue.dev, Cline, Windsurf, OpenAI Custom GPT)

Open an issue or PR.

License

MIT — use freely, commercial or personal.