Videofy Minimal is a local tool for automating short news video creation for digital signage. It targets users needing to quickly transform articles into engaging video content, running on a laptop. The benefit is rapid video production with a human-in-the-loop review process, reducing manual effort.

How It Works

The system orchestrates content fetching, manuscript generation, media matching, narration, and video rendering. A Next.js CMS UI manages the workflow, interacting with a FastAPI backend. AI services (OpenAI, ElevenLabs) generate scripts and voiceovers, while content is ingested via plugin fetchers (Reuters, AP, web). Video composition and local rendering use Remotion. Project state is persisted locally under projects/<projectId>/, enabling review and tweak cycles before final output.

Quick Start & Requirements

Installation on macOS requires Homebrew for uv, node, and ffmpeg, plus Python 3.12 and npm. After configuring API keys in .env, install dependencies via uv sync and npm install. Start development with make dev. Docker is available via docker compose up --build. CMS UI: http://127.0.0.1:3000, API: http://127.0.0.1:8001.

Highlighted Details

• Fetcher Plugins: Flexible architecture for custom content ingestion via plugins in fetchers/*.
• Brand Configuration: Extensive customization via brands/*.json files for themes, AI prompts, voice, and assets.
• Remotion Rendering: Leverages Remotion for video composition and local rendering.
• Hotspot Model: Optional, locally run model for identifying focus areas in press images.

Maintenance & Community

The project lists individual contributors. Community interaction occurs via an issue tracker and Discord server.

Licensing & Compatibility

The specific open-source license is not detailed. Users must verify Remotion's license terms for commercial use, as a separate license may be required.

Limitations & Caveats

This "minimal" version omits complex internal integrations. The generic web fetcher is not production-ready. Commercial use may be subject to Remotion's licensing.