Save as Editable Project

This guide shows you how to create video storyboards and save them as editable projects in your Pictory account. Save projects to make changes later through the Pictory web interface, perfect for iterative workflows and collaborative video creation.

What You’ll Learn

Save Projects

Save video storyboards as editable projects

Edit Anytime

Access and modify projects through web interface

Project Management

Organize and manage saved projects

Workflow Control

Choose when to save vs. render directly

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

A Pictory API key (get one here)
Node.js or Python installed on your machine
Access to your Pictory account for viewing saved projects
Basic understanding of video storyboard creation

npm install axios

How Saving Projects Works

When you save a video as an editable project:

Storyboard Creation - Your video storyboard is created with all scenes and settings
Project Saving - The complete project is saved to your Pictory account
Video Rendering - The video is rendered as normal (if using render endpoint)
Account Storage - Project appears in your “My Projects” section
Web Access - You can open and edit the project in Pictory’s web editor
Future Updates - Make changes and re-render whenever needed

Saved projects are stored in your Pictory account and count toward your account’s project storage limit. You can access them anytime through the Pictory web interface at app.pictory.ai.

Saved Projects vs. Direct Rendering

With `saveProject: true`

✅ Advantages:

Project saved to your Pictory account
Full editing capability through web interface
Can modify scenes, visuals, text, and timing later
Perfect for iterative refinement and reviews
Enables collaborative workflows with team members
Create reusable templates for future videos

❌ Considerations:

Uses account project storage quota
Requires manual cleanup of old projects
Slightly longer processing time

With `saveProject: false` (or omitted - default)

✅ Advantages:

Faster processing for one-time videos
No project storage used
Ideal for automated, high-volume workflows
Clean, streamlined API-only workflow

❌ Considerations:

Cannot edit through web interface later
No visual preview in Pictory account
Must recreate via API for any changes

Complete Example

import axios from "axios";

const API_BASE_URL = "https://api.pictory.ai/pictoryapis";
const API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY";

const STORY_TEXT =
  "AI is poised to significantly impact educators and course creators on social media. " +
  "By automating tasks like content generation, visual design, and video editing, " +
  "AI will save time and enhance consistency.";

async function createAndSaveProject() {
  try {
    console.log("Creating video storyboard and saving as project...");

    const response = await axios.post(
      `${API_BASE_URL}/v2/video/storyboard/render`,
      {
        videoName: "my_saved_project",         // Project name in your account
        saveProject: true,                      // Save as editable project

        // Scene configuration
        scenes: [
          {
            story: STORY_TEXT,
            createSceneOnNewLine: true,
            createSceneOnEndOfSentence: true,
          },
        ],
      },
      {
        headers: {
          "Content-Type": "application/json",
          Authorization: API_KEY,
        },
      }
    );

    const jobId = response.data.data.jobId;
    console.log("✓ Video creation started!");
    console.log("Job ID:", jobId);

    // Monitor progress
    console.log("\nMonitoring video creation...");
    let jobCompleted = false;
    let jobResult = null;

    while (!jobCompleted) {
      const statusResponse = await axios.get(
        `${API_BASE_URL}/v1/jobs/${jobId}`,
        {
          headers: { Authorization: API_KEY },
        }
      );

      const status = statusResponse.data.data.status;
      console.log("Status:", status);

      if (status === "completed") {
        jobCompleted = true;
        jobResult = statusResponse.data;
        console.log("\n✓ Video created and project saved!");
        console.log("Video URL:", jobResult.data.videoURL);
        console.log("Project URL:", jobResult.data.projectUrl);
        console.log("\nAccess this project at: https://app.pictory.ai/");
      } else if (status === "failed") {
        throw new Error("Video creation failed: " + JSON.stringify(statusResponse.data));
      }

      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 5000));
    }

    return jobResult;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error:", error.response?.data || error.message);
    throw error;
  }
}

createAndSaveProject();

Understanding the Parameters

Main Request Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`videoName`	string	Yes	Name of the project as it appears in your Pictory account. Use descriptive names for easy identification.
`saveProject`	boolean	No	Set to `true` to save as editable project. Default is `false` (no project saved).
`scenes`	array	Yes	Array of scene objects defining video content (same as normal video creation).

Response Fields (When Project Saved)

Field	Type	Description
`jobId`	string	Unique identifier for tracking the job status
`videoURL`	string	Direct download link to the rendered video file
`projectUrl`	string	Link to open the project in Pictory’s web editor
`previewUrl`	string	Preview link for the video (accessible without login)

Accessing Saved Projects

After creating a saved project, you can access it in several ways:

Through Pictory Web Interface

Visit https://app.pictory.ai/
Log in to your Pictory account
Navigate to My Projects from the dashboard
Find your project by the videoName you specified
Click the project to open it in the visual editor
Make any changes (edit text, swap visuals, adjust timing, etc.)
Click Generate Video to re-render with your changes

Through API Response

When the job completes, the response includes:

projectUrl - Direct link to edit the project in Pictory
previewUrl - Shareable preview link for the video

Organizing Projects

Projects in your Pictory account can be:

Renamed - Change project names for better organization
Duplicated - Create copies for variations
Deleted - Remove old projects to free up storage
Searched - Find projects by name in the web interface
Sorted - Sort by creation date, name, or modification date

Common Use Cases

Collaborative Video Review

{
  videoName: "marketing_video_draft_v1",
  saveProject: true,                     // Save for team review

  scenes: [
    {
      story: "Your marketing message here...",
      createSceneOnNewLine: true
    }
  ]
}

Result: Project saved for team members to review and refine through web interface before final approval.

Template Creation

{
  videoName: "weekly_update_template",
  saveProject: true,                     // Save as reusable template
  brandName: "Company Brand",

  scenes: [
    {
      story: "This week's highlights and updates...",
      createSceneOnNewLine: true
    }
  ]
}

Result: Create a template project that can be duplicated and customized weekly through the web interface.

{
  videoName: "product_demo_v1",
  saveProject: true,                     // Save for multiple iterations

  scenes: [
    {
      story: "Introducing our new product features...",
      createSceneOnEndOfSentence: true
    }
  ]
}

Result: Generate initial version, then refine visuals, timing, and text through web editor based on feedback.

Client Presentation Drafts

{
  videoName: "client_proposal_acme_corp",
  saveProject: true,                     // Save for client changes

  scenes: [
    {
      story: "Proposed campaign messaging and visuals...",
      createSceneOnNewLine: true
    }
  ]
}

Result: Share preview with client, incorporate feedback by editing the saved project, then re-render final version.

Best Practices

Use Descriptive Project Names

Choose clear, organized naming conventions:

Include Context: “marketing_q4_social_media” not “video1”
Version Numbers: “product_launch_v1”, “product_launch_v2”
Date Stamps: “weekly_update_2024_03_15”
Client/Project: “acme_corp_proposal_draft”
Searchable: Use keywords that make projects easy to find
Consistent Format: Establish naming conventions for your team

Save Projects When Collaboration Is Needed

Use saved projects for workflows involving multiple people:

Team Review: Let team members preview and suggest edits
Client Approval: Share preview link before finalizing
Stakeholder Input: Allow non-technical users to make changes
Quality Control: Enable review process before publication
Iterative Feedback: Make rounds of revisions through web interface

Skip Saving for High-Volume Automation

Don’t save projects for automated, one-time videos:

Bulk Generation: Creating hundreds of similar videos programmatically
Automated Reports: Daily/weekly videos that don’t need editing
Social Media Automation: Scheduled posts generated automatically
Data-Driven Videos: Videos created from changing data sources
Storage Management: Avoid filling account storage with temporary projects

Manage Project Storage

Keep your account organized and under storage limits:

Regular Cleanup: Delete old projects you no longer need
Archive Important Projects: Download videos before deleting projects
Monitor Storage: Check account storage limits periodically
Delete Duplicates: Remove test projects and duplicates
Use Descriptive Names: Makes it easier to identify projects for deletion

Combine with Other Features

Saved projects work with all Pictory features:

Brand Settings: Apply brand presets to saved projects
Custom Styles: Use custom subtitle styles that can be edited later
Voice-Over: Add AI narration to saved projects
Background Music: Include music that can be changed in web editor
Logos and Watermarks: Add branding elements editable later

Troubleshooting

Project not appearing in My Projects

Problem: Created project with saveProject: true but can’t find it in Pictory account.Solution:

Wait for job to complete - projects appear only after “completed” status
Check you’re logged into the correct Pictory account (same as API key)
Search for the project using the exact videoName you specified
Sort by “Date Created” to see most recent projects first
Refresh the My Projects page in your browser
Check if job actually succeeded (status should be “completed”, not “failed”)

Cannot edit project in web interface

Problem: Project appears in account but editing options are limited.Solution:

Ensure you have an active Pictory subscription with editing privileges
Some features may require specific subscription tiers
Try refreshing the page or clearing browser cache
Check if the project fully loaded before making edits
Verify account permissions if using a team account

Project storage limit exceeded

Problem: Error message about reaching project storage limit.Solution:

Delete old projects you no longer need from My Projects
Download important videos before deleting their projects
Consider upgrading to a plan with higher storage limits
Use saveProject: false for videos that don’t need editing
Regularly clean up test projects and duplicates
Archive completed projects by downloading videos and deleting projects

Changes in web editor not saving

Problem: Made edits to project but changes aren’t persisting.Solution:

Click the “Save” or “Update” button in the web editor
Wait for save confirmation message before closing the browser
Check your internet connection while editing
Avoid making edits in multiple browser tabs simultaneously
Refresh the page and check if changes were saved
Try editing again if changes were lost

Project URL returns 404 error

Problem: The projectUrl from API response shows “Not Found” error.Solution:

Ensure you’re logged into Pictory before clicking the project URL
Check that the job completed successfully (status = “completed”)
Copy the full URL including all parameters
Try accessing through My Projects instead of direct URL
Wait a few minutes for project indexing to complete
Contact support if problem persists with job ID

Video renders but project not saved

Problem: Got video output but project doesn’t appear in account.Solution:

Verify you included saveProject: true in the request payload
Check the parameter is boolean true, not string "true"
Ensure parameter is at the top level, not nested in scenes
Review the request payload you sent to confirm parameter presence
Try the request again with explicit saveProject: true
Check API response for any warnings about saving

API Endpoints for Saved Projects

Storyboard Endpoint (Saves but doesn’t render)

POST /v2/video/storyboard
{
  "videoName": "project_name",
  "saveProject": true,
  "scenes": [...]
}

Use Case: Create editable project without rendering video yet. Faster processing, edit first in web interface, then render.

Render Endpoint (Saves and renders)

POST /v2/video/storyboard/render
{
  "videoName": "project_name",
  "saveProject": true,
  "scenes": [...]
}

Use Case: Create project and render video in one step. Gets both editable project and finished video.

Choosing the Right Endpoint:

Use /storyboard if you want to edit the project in the web interface before rendering
Use /storyboard/render if you want both a rendered video and the ability to edit later
Omit saveProject (or set to false) for either endpoint if you only need the video output

Next Steps

Enhance your saved projects workflow with these features:

Brand Settings

Apply consistent branding to all your projects

Custom Subtitle Styling

Create custom subtitle styles for your projects

Background Music

Add background music to your saved projects

Intro/Outro Videos

Include intro and outro sequences in projects

API Reference

For complete technical details, see:

Create Storyboard Preview

Create editable project without rendering

Render Storyboard Video

Create project and render video

Render Project

Render an existing saved project

Get Job Status

Monitor job status and get project URLs

Getting started

Text to Video

Article to Video

Presentation to Video

Audio to Video

Video to Shorts

Video Story CoPilot

Smart Layouts and Subtitles

Branding & Customization

Advanced Features

​What You’ll Learn

Save Projects

Edit Anytime

Project Management

Workflow Control

​Before You Begin

​How Saving Projects Works

​Saved Projects vs. Direct Rendering

​With saveProject: true

​With saveProject: false (or omitted - default)

​Complete Example

​Understanding the Parameters

​Main Request Parameters

​Response Fields (When Project Saved)

​Accessing Saved Projects

​Through Pictory Web Interface

​Through API Response

​Organizing Projects

​Common Use Cases

​Collaborative Video Review

​Template Creation

​Iterative Refinement

​Client Presentation Drafts

​Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

​API Endpoints for Saved Projects

​Storyboard Endpoint (Saves but doesn’t render)

​Render Endpoint (Saves and renders)

​Next Steps

Brand Settings

Custom Subtitle Styling

Background Music

Intro/Outro Videos

​API Reference

Create Storyboard Preview

Render Storyboard Video

Render Project

Get Job Status

What You’ll Learn

Before You Begin

How Saving Projects Works

Saved Projects vs. Direct Rendering

With `saveProject: true`

With `saveProject: false` (or omitted - default)

Complete Example

Understanding the Parameters

Main Request Parameters

Response Fields (When Project Saved)

Accessing Saved Projects

Through Pictory Web Interface

Through API Response

Organizing Projects

Common Use Cases

Collaborative Video Review

Template Creation

Iterative Refinement

Client Presentation Drafts

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

API Endpoints for Saved Projects

Storyboard Endpoint (Saves but doesn’t render)

Render Endpoint (Saves and renders)

Next Steps

API Reference