AutoReels Guide

Getting Started#

What is AutoReels?#

AutoReels is an AI-powered platform that turns any topic, idea, or script into a fully-produced short-form video — complete with narration, stock footage, animated captions, background music, and direct publishing to YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels.

You don't need a camera, microphone, or video editing skills. AutoReels handles the entire production pipeline automatically.

Quick Start#

Get your first video live in under 5 minutes:

1. 1
   Create an account

   Go to Sign Up and create a free account. You get 20 free credits to start — no credit card needed.
2. 2
   Go to New Video

   From the sidebar click My Videos → New Video. Type a topic like "5 interesting facts about black holes" or pick a Template.
3. 3
   Adjust settings

   Choose a voice, language, aspect ratio (9:16 for Shorts/Reels), caption style, and music mood. Or leave defaults for the fastest result.
4. 4
   Generate

   Click Generate. Your video is rendered in 2–5 minutes. You'll see real-time progress on the video detail page.
5. 5
   Download or Publish

   Once completed, download the MP4 or click Publish to send it directly to your connected social accounts.

Account Setup#

After registering you can enhance your account:

• Set your display name and profile in Settings
• Connect social accounts in Publish to enable one-click publishing
• Explore Billing to see your plan or upgrade for more credits

Dashboard#

Navigation Overview#

The left sidebar is your main navigation. Here's what each section does:

Credits System#

Credits are AutoReels' currency. Every video you generate costs credits based on its duration and the features used. Credits reset each billing cycle on your plan.

Creating Videos#

Generating a Video#

Navigate to My Videos → New Video. The creation form has the following fields:

Script & Voice Settings#

AutoReels uses GPT-4o to write a scene-by-scene script. Each scene has a narration line and a visual cue used to find matching stock footage. You can preview and edit the script before rendering by clicking Edit Script on the video detail page while the video is in DRAFT status.

Voices are powered by ElevenLabs. Available voices depend on your plan:

• Free / Starter — access to standard ElevenLabs voices
• Pro / Enterprise — access to premium voices + voice cloning (upload a 60-second sample to clone your own voice)

Using Templates#

Templates are pre-configured prompts and settings for popular video niches. Browse them at Templates. When you select a template, the topic prompt, duration, caption style, and music mood are auto-filled — you can still override any field.

Popular templates include: Reddit Stories, Fun Facts, Motivational Quotes, News Summaries, History Explainers, and more.

Video Credit Cost#

Credit cost is calculated when the render job starts. The formula is approximately:

Base cost = ceil(duration_seconds / 12)
+ AI visuals: +3 credits per AI scene
+ Voice cloning: +2 credits flat

For example: a 60s video = 5 base credits. A 3-minute video with 2 AI scenes = 15 + 6 = 21 credits.

Downloading & Sharing#

Once a video status shows Completed, you can:

• Download — download the MP4 file directly to your device
• Publish — open the Publish modal to post to YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram (requires a connected account)
• Copy link — copy a shareable preview link (available if you have a public CDN URL)

Series & Scheduling#

What is a Series?#

A Series is an automated content pipeline. You define a topic, a generation schedule (daily, every 3 days, weekly, etc.), and optionally link social accounts. AutoReels will automatically generate a new video episode on that schedule and publish it — without any manual intervention.

Creating a Series#

1. 1
   Open Series

   Navigate to Series and click New Series.
2. 2
   Basics (Step 1)

   Enter a series name and the recurring topic or prompt. You can also choose a template to use for each episode.
3. 3
   Schedule (Step 2)

   Choose how often new episodes are generated: Daily, Every 3 days, Weekly, or Biweekly. Set the time of day for generation.
4. 4
   Publishing (Step 3 — optional)

   Select connected social accounts to auto-publish each new episode. You can skip this and link accounts later. A warning badge will show on the series card if no accounts are linked.
5. 5
   Create

   Click Create Series. AutoReels calculates the first run time and schedules it automatically.

Scheduling Episodes#

Episodes are generated by a cron job that runs every 5 minutes. It checks all active series and triggers generation for any that are due. The next run time is shown on each series card.

You can pause or resume a series at any time using the pause/play button on the series card or detail page. When paused, the series will not generate new episodes.

Auto-Publish with Series#

When social accounts are linked to a series, each new episode is automatically queued for publishing immediately after rendering completes. You can:

• Link multiple platforms (YouTube + TikTok simultaneously)
• Update linked accounts on an existing series via the Share icon on the series card
• Unlink accounts without deleting the series

Auto-Publishing#

Connecting Social Accounts#

Go to Publish. The Connected Accounts section shows YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram cards. Click Connect [Platform] to begin the OAuth flow. You'll be redirected to the platform's authorization page and back automatically.

YouTube Setup#

AutoReels uses the YouTube Data API v3 (OAuth 2.0) with the youtube.upload scope. When you connect:

1. You'll see Google's consent screen asking for permission to manage your YouTube videos
2. After approval, AutoReels stores an encrypted refresh token to upload on your behalf
3. Videos are uploaded as unlisted by default — you can change visibility in the Publish modal

TikTok Setup#

AutoReels uses the TikTok Content Posting API v2. On connection:

1. You'll authorize AutoReels to post content on your TikTok account
2. Videos are uploaded using chunked multipart upload then queued for TikTok's processing pipeline
3. TikTok typically takes 30 seconds to 5 minutes to process a video after upload

Instagram Setup#

AutoReels uses the Facebook Graph API v20.0 to publish Instagram Reels. Requirements:

• Your Instagram account must be a Professional account (Creator or Business)
• The account must be connected to a Facebook Page
• You'll authorize via Facebook — AutoReels requests instagram_content_publish permission

Instagram Reels are published using the container/polling pattern — AutoReels creates a media container, polls for readiness, then publishes. This typically takes 1–3 minutes.

Publishing a Video#

1. 1
   Open a completed video

   Go to My Videos and open any video with Completed status.
2. 2
   Click Publish

   Click the Share/Publish button in the video detail header. The Publish modal opens.
3. 3
   Select platforms

   Choose one or more connected social accounts. Each selected account creates a separate publish job.
4. 4
   Add caption & hashtags

   Write a caption for each platform (each can be different). Add hashtags separated by spaces.
5. 5
   Schedule (optional)

   Leave the time blank to publish immediately, or pick a future date/time to schedule it.
6. 6
   Submit

   Click Publish Now (or Schedule). Jobs appear in the Recent Publish Jobs table on the Publish page.

Scheduled Publishing#

When you schedule a publish job, it's stored with a QUEUED status and a target publish time. AutoReels' BullMQ worker picks it up at the scheduled time and uploads it. You can cancel a queued job from the Publish page by clicking the X icon next to any QUEUED job.

Billing & Credits#

Plans Overview#

How Credits Work#

Credits are deducted when a video render job starts processing. The exact cost depends on duration and features:

• Short videos (≤60s): ~5 credits
• Medium videos (≤3 min): ~15 credits
• Long videos (≤10 min): ~50 credits
• AI-generated visuals: +3 credits per scene
• Voice cloning: +2 credits per video

If a render fails due to an internal platform error (not user error), credits are automatically refunded. You can view your current balance in the sidebar credits card.

Buying Extra Credits#

Run out of credits before your billing cycle resets? You can buy credit top-ups anytime without changing your plan. Click Buy credits in the sidebar or go to Billing. Credit packs are available in several sizes and are added to your balance immediately after payment via Stripe.

Upgrading Your Plan#

1. 1
   Go to Billing

   Navigate to Billing from the sidebar.
2. 2
   Choose a plan

   Review the plan comparison table and click Upgrade on the plan you want.
3. 3
   Complete payment

   You'll be redirected to Stripe's secure checkout. Enter your payment details.
4. 4
   Credits top-up

   After payment, your plan updates immediately and your credits are topped up with the new plan's monthly allocation.

Settings#

Profile & Password#

Go to Settings to update:

• Display name — shown in the sidebar and on your profile
• Email address — used for billing, notifications, and login
• Password — change your current password (requires current password confirmation)
• Profile picture — avatar shown in the sidebar (initials used if no picture uploaded)

Notifications#

AutoReels sends email notifications for the following events (configurable in Settings → Notifications):

• Video generation completed
• Video generation failed
• Publish job succeeded or failed
• Credits running low (below 10% of plan allocation)
• Social account token expiring soon

Troubleshooting#

Video Generation Errors#

OAuth / Social Errors#

Credit Issues#

• Credits deducted but video failed — Credits for internal failures are refunded automatically within 5 minutes. If not received, contact support.
• Credits not added after purchase — Check your email for a Stripe receipt. If payment confirmed but credits not added, contact support with the Stripe charge ID.
• Credits reset date — Credits reset on the day of the month you first subscribed, not the 1st.

Contact Support#

Can't find an answer here? Reach our support team: