BlitzReels Carousels (TikTok)

This skill is a convenience wrapper around blitzreels-carousels with TikTok defaults:

platform: "tiktok"
Recommended aspect ratio: 9:16
Safe area preset: tiktok_9_16

Use it when the user explicitly wants a TikTok photo-mode carousel.

TikTok Platform-Specific Guidelines

Danger Zones (Absolute Pixels @ 1080x1920)

AVOID these areas:

Right edge: Rightmost 120px (share/like/comment/profile buttons)
Bottom: Bottom 450px (username, caption, sound name, CTA button)
Top: Top 80px (status bar, back button, camera/search icons)

Safe Text Positioning

Normalized Coordinates (0-1 scale):

Top-center safe: position_x: 0.45, position_y: 0.18 (offset left to avoid right UI)
Middle-left safe: position_x: 0.35, position_y: 0.5 (body text)
Bottom safe (max): position_x: 0.45, position_y: 0.65 (before caption zone)

Best Practices:

Always offset text slightly left (position_x: 0.45 instead of 0.5)
Use position: "top" preset for hook slides
Keep text within center 70% of width (avoid left/right 15% edges)

Caption & Hashtag Strategy

Captions:

First 125 characters visible without "more" tap
Lead with hook/question (don't repeat slide 1 text)
Use emojis for visual breaks (max 3-4 per caption)

Hashtags:

Mix broad (1M+ views) + niche (10K-100K views) + branded
Example: #entrepreneur #startuptips #businessgrowth #YourBrand
Place at end of caption or first comment

Visual Consistency Patterns

Color Palette:

High-contrast backgrounds (black, white, bold gradients)
Consistent brand colors across all slides
TikTok users prefer vibrant, eye-catching palettes

Typography:

Bold sans-serif fonts (Montserrat Bold, Poppins Bold)
64-80px for titles, 48-56px for body
Always enable 6px text stroke (black on white or vice versa)

Slide Timing:

3 seconds per slide (TikTok's photo mode default)
Keep total carousel under 15 seconds (3-5 slides)

Quickstart

export BLITZREELS_API_KEY="br_live_xxxxx"

bash scripts/tiktok.sh \
  --name "My TikTok Carousel" \
  --slide-duration 3 \
  --images "https://.../1.jpg|https://.../2.jpg|https://.../3.jpg" \
  --titles "Hook|Point|CTA"

Full Workflow Example

Goal: Create a 3-slide TikTok carousel about productivity tips.

Step 1: Prepare slide backgrounds (use Canva, Figma, or AI generation)

Slide 1: Bold gradient (red → purple)
Slide 2: Minimalist white background
Slide 3: Dark background with subtle pattern

Step 2: Run script

bash scripts/tiktok.sh \
  --name "Productivity Hacks Carousel" \
  --slide-duration 3 \
  --images "https://i.imgur.com/slide1.jpg|https://i.imgur.com/slide2.jpg|https://i.imgur.com/slide3.jpg" \
  --titles "5 Productivity Hacks\nThat Actually Work|1. Time blocking\n2. 2-minute rule\n3. Batch similar tasks|Save this & follow\nfor more tips 🚀"

Step 3: Verify layout

bash scripts/blitzreels.sh GET "/projects/${PROJECT_ID}/context?mode=timeline"

Step 4: Export slideshow

export BLITZREELS_ALLOW_EXPENSIVE=1
bash scripts/blitzreels.sh POST "/projects/${PROJECT_ID}/export" '{"resolution":"1080p","format":"mp4"}'

Step 5: Upload to TikTok

Use TikTok's native photo mode upload
Add caption: "Which one do you struggle with most? 👇"
Add hashtags: #productivity #productivitytips #worksmart #tiktokcarousel
Post at peak times (7-9 AM, 12-1 PM, 7-9 PM user's timezone)