tiktok-carousel-creator

Creates TikTok image carousels with text overlays using Pexels API & FFmpeg, then uploads via PostBridge API. Use when the user wants to: create TikTok slideshows or carousels, search images for social media content, post or upload slideshow content to TikTok, edit slide text, or manage image collections for content creation. Do NOT use for: general TikTok account management, TikTok analytics or metrics, video editing or video creation (this is for photo slideshows only), non-TikTok social media platforms, or any task unrelated to creating visual slideshow content for TikTok.

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Install skill "tiktok-carousel-creator" with this command: npx skills add oyi77/tiktok-carousel-creator

TikTok Carousel Creator (Pexels + FFmpeg + PostBridge)

Custom implementation for BerkahKarya - Creates TikTok carousels with professional text overlays.

Architecture

Flow:

Topic Research → Pexels Image Search → FFmpeg Text Overlay → PostBridge Upload → TikTok Carousel

Stack:

  • Image Search: Pexels API (high-quality stock photos/videos)
  • Text Overlay: FFmpeg (professional text rendering)
  • Upload: PostBridge API (multi-platform posting)
  • Format: TikTok Carousel 1080×1920px (9:16 vertical)

Prerequisites

1. Pexels API Key

Get FREE API key at: https://www.pexels.com/api/

Set environment variable:

export PEXELS_API_KEY="your_pexels_api_key_here"

Important: You need this key to search images. Without it, the script will fail.

2. PostBridge API Key

Already configured in PostBridge Client:

export POST_BRIDGE_API_KEY="pb_live_Kyc2gafDF7Qc8c2ALELtEC"
export POST_BRIDGE_BASE_URL="https://api.post-bridge.com/v1"

3. Python PIL (Pillow)

Check if installed:

python3 -c "from PIL import Image; print('PIL available')"

Install:

pip3 install Pillow

4. FFmpeg (for optional resizing)

Check if installed:

ffmpeg -version

Install (optional - PIL handles most tasks):

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt install ffmpeg

# macOS
brew install ffmpeg

4. ImgBB API Key (OPTIONAL - for auto-hosting)

Get FREE API key at: https://api.imgbb.com/

Set environment variable (optional - for auto-upload to ImgBB):

export IMGBB_API_KEY="your_imgbb_api_key_here"

Why ImgBB?

  • Free tier: 32MB per image upload
  • No strict rate limit for free tier
  • Simple REST API
  • Permanent image hosting
  • Public URLs for social media platforms

5. Directory Structure

Skill will create:

~/.tiktok-slideshow/
├── images/          # Downloaded from Pexels
├── rendered/        # FFmpeg rendered slides
├── scripts/         # Helper scripts
└── projects/        # Project metadata

TikTok Carousel Best Practices (2026)

Algorithm Metrics (from latest research):

  • Swipe-through rate: Percentage of users who swipe all slides
  • Dwell time: Time spent viewing each slide
  • Reverse swipes: Users swiping back to re-view

Optimal Format:

Resolution: 1080 × 1920px (9:16 vertical)
Slides: 5-10 images (best engagement)
Image size: < 100KB per slide (fast loading)
Aspect ratio: 9:16 (native TikTok)

Engagement Tips:

  1. Hook in first slide: Bold, attention-grabbing text
  2. Storytelling progression: Each slide builds on previous
  3. CTA on last slide: Follow, save, share, or link
  4. Consistent visual style: Same font, color palette
  5. High-quality images: Use high-res Pexels images

Text Overlay Best Practices:

  • Font size: 32-48px for titles, 24-32px for subtitles
  • Position: Centered with margins
  • Color: White text with black outline (high contrast)
  • Background: Semi-transparent dark box for readability
  • Length: Max 2-3 lines per slide

Usage

Create Slideshow

python3 tiktok_slideshow.py create "morning routine" "Your routine is broken" 5

Parameters:

  • topic: Search theme for Pexels images
  • hook: Hook text for first slide (attention-grabbing)
  • num_slides: Number of slides (5-10 recommended)

Example:

python3 tiktok_slideshow.py create "productivity tips" "You're doing productivity wrong" 7

List Projects

python3 tiktok_slideshow.py list

Shows all existing projects with metadata.

Host Images Only (ImgBB)

Upload all carousel images to ImgBB hosting:

# Requires IMGBB_API_KEY
export IMGBB_API_KEY="your_imgbb_api_key"

python3 tiktok_slideshow.py host <project_id>

Outputs public URLs for all slides:

🖼️  Uploading 5 slides to ImgBB hosting...
✅ Uploaded to ImgBB: slide_1.jpg
✅ Uploaded to ImgBB: slide_2.jpg
✅ Uploaded to ImgBB: slide_3.jpg
✅ Uploaded to ImgBB: slide_4.jpg
✅ Uploaded to ImgBB: slide_5.jpg

✅ Uploaded 5 slides to ImgBB!

Media URLs:
  1. https://i.ibb.co/xxx/slide-1.jpg
  2. https://i.ibb.co/yyy/slide-2.jpg
  3. https://i.ibb.co/zzz/slide-3.jpg
  4. https://i.ibb.co/aaa/slide-4.jpg
  5. https://i.ibb.co/bbb/slide-5.jpg

📝 URLs saved to: /home/openclaw/.tiktok-slideshow/projects/project_id_urls.txt

Upload to TikTok

Option 1: Auto-host + upload (recommended)

Automatically uploads images to ImgBB, then posts to TikTok via PostBridge.

Option 2: Manual hosting + upload

# Step 1: Host images manually (use ImgBB, S3, Cloudinary, etc.)
python3 tiktok_slideshow.py host <project_id>

# Step 2: Upload to TikTok (skip hosting)
python3 tiktok_slideshow.py upload <project_id> --no-host

Note: ImgBB hosting is FREE and recommended for social media uploads.

Complete Example

# 1. Set your Pexels API key
export PEXELS_API_KEY="563492ad6f91700001000001234567890"

# 2. Create a slideshow
python3 tiktok_slideshow.py create "fitness motivation" "Stop making this mistake" 5

# Output:
# ==================================================
# 📱 Creating TikTok Slideshow
# ==================================================
# 🎯 Topic: fitness motivation
# 🪝 Hook: Stop making this mistake
# 📊 Slides: 5
# ==================================================
#
# 🔍 Searching images on Pexels...
# 📸 Found 5 images for: fitness motivation
# ✅ Downloaded: temp_0.jpg
# ✅ Rendered: slide_1.jpg
# ✅ Downloaded: temp_1.jpg
# ✅ Rendered: slide_2.jpg
# ...
#
# ==================================================
# ✅ Slideshow Created Successfully!
# ==================================================
# 📦 Project ID: fitness_motivation_20260306_044512
# 📁 Slides: 5
# 📂 Location: /home/openclaw/.tiktok-slideshow/rendered/
# 💾 Metadata: /home/openclaw/.tiktok-slideshow/projects/fitness_motivation_20260306_044512.json
# ==================================================

# 3. Review slides
ls /home/openclaw/.tiktok-slideshow/rendered/

# 4. Upload to TikTok (requires image hosting setup)
python3 tiktok_slideshow.py upload fitness_motivation_20260306_044512

How It Works

Step 1: Search Images with Pexels API

POST https://api.pexels.com/v1/search
Authorization: {PEXELS_API_KEY}

Query Parameters:
- query: "fitness motivation"
- orientation: "vertical"  # For TikTok 9:16
- size: "large"
- per_page: 5

Response:
{
  "photos": [
    {
      "id": 123456,
      "src": {
        "large": "https://images.pexels.com/photos/123456/large.jpg"
      },
      "photographer": "Joe Smith"
    }
  ]
}

Step 2: Download & Resize with FFmpeg

Resize to TikTok format and add professional text overlay:

ffmpeg -i input.jpg \
  -vf "scale=1080:1920,drawtext=text='Your Text Here':fontfile=/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans-Bold.ttf:fontsize=48:fontcolor=white:x=(w-text_w)/2:y=(h-text_h)/2:borderw=4:bordercolor=black:box=1:boxcolor=black@0.5:boxborderw=10" \
  -q:v 2 \
  output.jpg

FFmpeg parameters explained:

  • scale=1080:1920: Resize to TikTok format
  • fontsize=48: Title font size
  • fontcolor=white: Text color
  • borderw=4:bordercolor=black: Text outline
  • box=1:boxcolor=black@0.5: Semi-transparent background
  • boxborderw=10: Box padding
  • -q:v 2: JPEG quality (2-5 recommended)

Step 3: Upload via PostBridge

from skills_1ai_skills.marketing.post_bridge_client import PostBridgeClient

client = PostBridgeClient(api_key=POST_BRIDGE_API_KEY)
tiktok_accounts = client.get_accounts_by_platform("tiktok")

client.create_post(
    caption="Here's my carousel...",
    account_ids=[tiktok_accounts[0]['id']],
    media_urls=[...your hosted image URLs...]
)

Publishing to ClawHub

After publishing this skill:

GITHUB_TOKEN="clh_Nf4OK9akiUsJe4mKeVaCJiupZILjii6g35bxs9LX5-w"

clawhub publish \
  ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/tiktok-carousel-creator \
  --slug tiktok-carousel-creator \
  --name "TikTok Carousel Creator (Pexels + FFmpeg + PostBridge)" \
  --version 1.0.0 \
  --changelog "Initial release. Custom TikTok carousel creator using Pexels API + FFmpeg + PostBridge. Designed for BerkahKarya workflow." \
  --tags latest,tiktok,carousel,slideshow,pexels,ffmpeg,postbridge

Learn more: https://www.tip.md/oyi77

Resources

Troubleshooting

Pexels API Key Not Set

Error: PEXELS_API_KEY not set

Solution:

export PEXELS_API_KEY="your_key_here"

Get free key at: https://www.pexels.com/api/

FFmpeg Not Found

Error: ffmpeg not found

Solution:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install ffmpeg

No Images Found

Error: No images found for topic: xyz

Solution:

  • Try different search terms
  • Check Pexels API key is valid
  • Use more generic terms

BerkahKarya Custom Implementation - 2026 Learn more: https://www.tip.md/oyi77

Source Transparency

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