- Descriptive Text: Use visual, descriptive language in your writing
- Logical Sections: Break content into clear sections with headings
- Concise Paragraphs: Shorter paragraphs (3-5 sentences) work better
- Key Points: Highlight main ideas that translate well to visual scenes
- Active Voice: Use active voice for more engaging narration
What You’ll Learn
URL to Video
Convert blog URLs to video storyboards automatically
Auto Extraction
Automatic content extraction and processing
Smart Visuals
AI-selected visuals matched to your content
Job Monitoring
Track video creation progress in real-time
Before You Begin
Make sure you have:- A Pictory API key (get one here)
- Node.js or Python installed on your machine
- A publicly accessible blog article or webpage URL
- Basic understanding of web content structure
How Blog-to-Video Works
When you convert a blog URL to video:- URL Access - The API accesses your provided URL
- Content Extraction - Text content is scraped from the web page
- Content Analysis - The content is analyzed for key topics and themes
- Scene Generation - Content is intelligently split into logical video scenes
- Visual Selection - Appropriate stock visuals are matched to each scene
- Caption Generation - Subtitles are created from the extracted text
- Video Rendering - The final video is assembled and rendered
The URL must be publicly accessible without requiring login, subscription, or paywall access. The API uses intelligent parsing to extract the main article content while filtering out ads and sidebars.
Complete Example
Understanding the Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
videoName | string | Yes | A descriptive name for your video project |
url | string | Yes | The URL of the blog article or webpage to convert |
Supported Content Types
The API can extract and convert content from:| Content Type | Examples | Processing Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blog Posts | Personal blogs, company blogs, Medium articles | Best results with 300-2000 word articles |
| News Articles | Online news sites, magazine articles | Main content extracted, ads filtered out |
| WordPress Sites | WordPress-powered blogs and sites | Clean extraction from WordPress structure |
| Content Platforms | Medium, Substack, LinkedIn articles | Platform-specific parsing for best results |
| Static Web Pages | HTML pages, landing pages | Works with well-structured HTML content |
Common Use Cases
Content Marketing and Social Media
News and Updates
Educational Content
Product Announcements
Best Practices
Choose Well-Structured Articles
Choose Well-Structured Articles
Select articles that convert well to video:
- Clear Structure: Articles with headings and paragraphs work best
- Appropriate Length: 300-2000 words is ideal for video conversion
- Rich Content: Articles with descriptive text help AI select better visuals
- Topic Focus: Focused articles on specific topics convert better than general overviews
- Visual Language: Descriptive, visual language helps the AI match relevant stock footage
Verify URL Accessibility
Verify URL Accessibility
Ensure your URL will work:
- Public Access: URL must be accessible without login (test in incognito browser)
- No Paywalls: Content behind paywalls cannot be extracted
- Clean URLs: Use the article URL, not shortened or tracking URLs
- Direct Link: Link directly to the article, not category or archive pages
- Active Page: Ensure the page hasn’t been deleted or moved
Optimize Article Content
Optimize Article Content
Prepare your articles for best conversion:
Plan for Video Length
Plan for Video Length
Consider appropriate video duration:
- Short Articles (300-500 words): 1-2 minute videos
- Medium Articles (500-1000 words): 2-4 minute videos
- Long Articles (1000-2000 words): 4-6 minute videos
- Very Long Articles (2000+ words): May be automatically summarized
- Social Media: Consider extracting key sections for shorter clips
Test Different Content Types
Test Different Content Types
Experiment to find what works best:
- Start Simple: Begin with shorter, well-structured articles
- Compare Platforms: Different blogging platforms may yield different results
- Review Output: Check generated videos to refine your content strategy
- Iterate: Use insights from generated videos to improve future articles
- Document Success: Note which article types and structures work best
Troubleshooting
Error: Unable to extract content from URL
Error: Unable to extract content from URL
Problem: The API cannot access or parse content from the URL.Solution:
- Verify the URL is publicly accessible (test in incognito/private browser)
- Check that the page doesn’t require login or subscription
- Ensure the URL points to an article, not a homepage or category page
- Try removing URL parameters (everything after
?in the URL) - Verify the page loads correctly and contains text content
- Check if the site has anti-scraping protection or blocking
Video is very short or missing content
Video is very short or missing content
Problem: Generated video doesn’t include all the article content.Solution:
- Check if the article has substantial text content (300+ words)
- Verify the URL points to the full article, not a preview or excerpt
- Very long articles may be automatically summarized - consider this expected
- Ensure article structure is clear (the API filters out ads and navigation)
- Try a different article to test if it’s a page-specific issue
Visuals don't match article topic
Visuals don't match article topic
Problem: Selected stock visuals seem unrelated to article content.Solution:
- Ensure article contains descriptive, visual language
- Add more context about key concepts in the article
- The AI selects visuals based on extracted text - review article wording
- Consider that visuals may be thematic rather than literal
- Try articles with clearer, more specific topics
Processing takes longer than expected
Processing takes longer than expected
Problem: Job status shows “in-progress” for extended periods.Solution:
- Blog-to-video processing time depends on article length
- Expected times:
- Short articles (300-500 words): 5-10 minutes
- Medium articles (500-1000 words): 10-15 minutes
- Long articles (1000-2000 words): 15-25 minutes
- Complex page structures may take longer to parse
- Check status every 5-10 seconds (not more frequently)
- If stuck for over 30 minutes, contact support with job ID
Article is behind a paywall
Article is behind a paywall
Problem: Cannot extract content from subscription or paywall-protected articles.Solution:
- The API cannot access paywalled or protected content
- Options:
- Copy article text and use the Text to Video endpoint instead
- Publish a public version of the article for video conversion
- Use article preview/excerpt if publicly available
- For members-only content, make it temporarily public for processing
Next Steps
Enhance your blog-to-video content with these features:Add Voice-Over
Add AI narration to your blog videos
Background Music
Add music to complement your videos
Brand Settings
Apply consistent branding automatically
Custom Captions
Customize or translate subtitles
API Reference
For complete technical details, see:- Render Storyboard Video - Full API specification
- Get Job Status - Monitor job status and progress
