> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pictory.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Blog URL to Video
> Convert any blog article or webpage into a video by providing its URL
This guide shows you how to convert blog articles and web pages into engaging videos. Simply provide a URL and the API automatically extracts content, selects visuals, and creates a complete video - perfect for repurposing written content for social media and video platforms.
## What You'll Learn
Convert blog URLs to video storyboards automatically
Automatic content extraction and processing
AI-selected visuals matched to your content
Track video creation progress in real-time
## Before You Begin
Make sure you have:
* A [Pictory API key](https://app.pictory.ai/api-access)
* Node.js or Python installed on your machine
* A publicly accessible blog article or webpage URL
* Basic understanding of web content structure
```bash npm theme={null}
npm install axios
```
```bash pip theme={null}
pip install requests
```
## How Blog-to-Video Works
When you convert a blog URL to video:
1. **URL Access** - The API accesses your provided URL
2. **Content Extraction** - Text content is scraped from the web page
3. **Content Analysis** - The content is analyzed for key topics and themes
4. **Scene Generation** - Content is intelligently split into logical video scenes
5. **Visual Selection** - Appropriate stock visuals are matched to each scene
6. **Caption Generation** - Subtitles are created from the extracted text
7. **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
```javascript Node.js theme={null}
import axios from "axios";
const API_BASE_URL = "https://api.pictory.ai/pictoryapis";
const API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY";
// Sample blog URL - replace with your own blog URL
const BLOG_URL = "https://blog.pictory.ai/10-best-text-to-video-ai-tools/";
async function createBlogUrlToVideo() {
try {
console.log("Creating video from blog URL...");
const response = await axios.post(
`${API_BASE_URL}/v2/video/storyboard/render`,
{
videoName: "blog_url_to_video",
scenes: [
{
blogUrl: BLOG_URL, // Blog article URL
createSceneOnNewLine: true, // Create new scene on each new line
createSceneOnEndOfSentence: true, // Create new scene at end of sentences
}
],
},
{
headers: {
"Content-Type": "application/json",
Authorization: API_KEY,
},
}
);
const jobId = response.data.data.jobId;
console.log("ā Video creation started!");
console.log("Job ID:", jobId);
// Monitor progress
console.log("\nMonitoring video creation...");
let jobCompleted = false;
let jobResult = null;
while (!jobCompleted) {
const statusResponse = await axios.get(
`${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("\nā Video from blog URL is ready!");
console.log("Video URL:", jobResult.data.videoURL);
} 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;
}
}
createBlogUrlToVideo();
```
```python Python theme={null}
import requests
import time
import json
API_BASE_URL = 'https://api.pictory.ai/pictoryapis'
API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY'
# Sample blog URL - replace with your own blog URL
BLOG_URL = "https://blog.pictory.ai/10-best-text-to-video-ai-tools/"
def create_blog_url_to_video():
try:
print("Creating video from blog URL...")
response = requests.post(
f'{API_BASE_URL}/v2/video/storyboard/render',
json={
'videoName': 'blog_url_to_video',
'scenes': [
{
'blogUrl': BLOG_URL, # Blog article URL
'createSceneOnNewLine': True, # Create new scene on each new line
'createSceneOnEndOfSentence': True # Create new scene at end of sentences
}
]
},
headers={
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
'Authorization': API_KEY
}
)
response.raise_for_status()
job_id = response.json()['data']['jobId']
print("ā Video creation started!")
print(f"Job ID: {job_id}")
# Monitor progress
print("\nMonitoring video creation...")
job_completed = False
job_result = None
while not job_completed:
status_response = requests.get(
f'{API_BASE_URL}/v1/jobs/{job_id}',
headers={'Authorization': API_KEY}
)
status_response.raise_for_status()
status = status_response.json()['data']['status']
print(f"Status: {status}")
if status == 'completed':
job_completed = True
job_result = status_response.json()
print("\nā Video from blog URL is ready!")
print(f"Video URL: {job_result['data']['videoURL']}")
elif status == 'failed':
raise Exception(f"Video creation failed: {status_response.json()}")
time.sleep(5)
return job_result
except requests.exceptions.RequestException as error:
print(f"Error: {error}")
if hasattr(error, 'response') and error.response is not None:
print(f"Response: {error.response.text}")
raise
if __name__ == '__main__':
create_blog_url_to_video()
```
## Understanding the Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| ------------------------------------- | ------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `videoName` | string | Yes | A descriptive name for your video project |
| `scenes` | array | Yes | Array of scene objects |
| `scenes[].blogUrl` | string | Yes | The URL of the blog article or webpage to convert |
| `scenes[].createSceneOnNewLine` | boolean | No | Create a new scene on each new line in the content (default: false) |
| `scenes[].createSceneOnEndOfSentence` | boolean | No | Create a new scene at the end of each sentence (default: false) |
## 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 |
**Access Requirements:** The URL must be publicly accessible without login, subscription, or paywall. Password-protected, members-only, or paywalled content cannot be extracted.
## Common Use Cases
### Content Marketing and Social Media
```javascript theme={null}
{
videoName: "latest_blog_post_social",
scenes: [
{
blogUrl: "https://yourblog.com/latest-marketing-tips",
createSceneOnNewLine: true,
createSceneOnEndOfSentence: true
}
]
}
```
**Result:** Blog content repurposed as video for social media sharing.
### News and Updates
```javascript theme={null}
{
videoName: "company_news_announcement",
scenes: [
{
blogUrl: "https://company.com/news/quarterly-update",
createSceneOnNewLine: true,
createSceneOnEndOfSentence: true
}
]
}
```
**Result:** News article transformed into shareable video format.
### Educational Content
```javascript theme={null}
{
videoName: "tutorial_how_to_guide",
scenes: [
{
blogUrl: "https://knowledge-base.com/how-to-use-feature",
createSceneOnNewLine: true,
createSceneOnEndOfSentence: true
}
]
}
```
**Result:** Tutorial article converted to video for better engagement.
### Product Announcements
```javascript theme={null}
{
videoName: "new_product_launch",
scenes: [
{
blogUrl: "https://blog.company.com/introducing-new-product",
createSceneOnNewLine: true,
createSceneOnEndOfSentence: true
}
]
}
```
**Result:** Product announcement blog as promotional video.
## Best Practices
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
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
Prepare your articles for best conversion:
* **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
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
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
**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 does not 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
**Problem:** Generated video does not 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 is a page-specific issue
**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
**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
**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](/guides/text-to-video/text-to-video-basic) 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 AI narration to your blog videos
Add music to complement your videos
Apply consistent branding automatically
Customize or translate subtitles
## API Reference
For complete technical details, see:
* [Render Storyboard Video](/api-reference/videos/render-storyboard-video) - Full API specification
* [Get Job Status](/api-reference/jobs/get-video-render-job-by-id) - Monitor job status and progress