video-shotcraft: 157 motion recipes for Claude Code and Codex (2026)

video-shotcraft is a strong sandbox pick for anyone who wants a coding agent to produce a product promo as inspectable Remotion code. The skill supplies a large library of named motion recipes, real-page capture guidance, sound effects, and a complete template. The agent still needs a human to choose the story, check the assets, and review the exported video.

The project is worth a first test when your target is a web or desktop product video. The current repository README says the package contains 157 shot recipe cards, 214 styles, and 214 motion previews. The same README also contains older sections that still say 152 cards and 209 previews, so treat the headline counts as the repository's current stated figures rather than a stable version number. 1

What the skill changes

A normal coding-agent session starts with a blank timeline. video-shotcraft gives the agent a vocabulary of named shots, reference Remotion implementations, a gallery of motion samples, a capture script for real product pages, and a production workflow covering direction, storyboarding, sound design, beat sync, rendering, and review. The project describes the workflow and components in its README, including the Ink Press template and a browser-based Motion Workbench for later edits. 1

The important boundary is the output format. The skill writes React and Remotion code that renders a local MP4. The skill does not replace product discovery, screenshot capture, layout decisions, sound judgment, or final-pixel review. A recent hands-on video review describes the project as an inspectable production path with named shot vocabulary and reference implementations, while also listing those remaining human tasks. 2

The included Ink Press template gives a bounded first target: 36.2 seconds, 1920×1080, 30 fps, and 10 shots, with paper-and-ink visual treatment, 2.5D page movement, transitions, and a pinned sound-effects pass. Those are template specifications from the project, not a promise about every video the agent creates. 1

Install one supported host

The repository documents Claude Code and Codex as its primary agent targets. The project also documents installation through the skills CLI and manual symlinks. 1

The shortest route is:

npx skills add Vincentwei1021/video-shotcraft

For a manual install, use the host-specific skill directory:

git clone https://github.com/Vincentwei1021/video-shotcraft.git
cd video-shotcraft
ln -s "$(pwd)" ~/.claude/skills/video-shotcraft   # Claude Code
# or
ln -s "$(pwd)" ~/.codex/skills/video-shotcraft    # Codex

You can also give the repository URL to the agent itself:

Install this skill for me: https://github.com/Vincentwei1021/video-shotcraft

The repository is licensed under Apache-2.0. Remotion has a separate license. The independent hands-on test reports that Remotion is free for individuals and small teams, while some companies need a paid Remotion license, so check that boundary before commercial delivery. The bundled audio files carry their own attribution and license notes. 1 3

The project’s current README is the source of truth for setup details. The documented render path uses Node, pnpm, and Remotion. The hands-on test ran on macOS with Node 24.14.0, pnpm 11.9.0, Remotion 4.0.484, React 19.2.7, and TypeScript 6.0.3. Those versions describe one successful environment, not a required lockfile for every host. 1 3

Use a temporary project directory. Give the agent a real logo and a small set of product screenshots, then keep credentials, customer data, deployment, and unrelated repositories outside the test.

Paste a brief like this into Claude Code or Codex:

Use video-shotcraft to create a short local promo for the product in this temporary project.

Inputs:
- product name: [name]
- product purpose: [one sentence]
- audience: [one sentence]
- approved logo: ./assets/logo.png
- approved screenshots: ./assets/

Constraints:
- Work only inside this project directory.
- Use real screenshots from ./assets/ for product UI.
- Start with the Ink Press template unless you need one specific shot card.
- Keep the first cut between 30 and 40 seconds.
- Use one visual idea per shot and leave enough time for the important copy to be read.
- Do not use production credentials, remote deployment, or customer data.
- Show the proposed shot list and changed files before rendering.

After rendering:
- list every changed file;
- give the exact preview and render commands;
- report the video dimensions, frame rate, duration, and audio track;
- identify any placeholder asset, license question, or unresolved runtime issue;
- stop before publishing or deploying anything.

The first test passes when the agent produces a local Remotion project, a repeatable preview command, and an exported video that you can inspect frame by frame. Open the final MP4 rather than judging the source stills alone. Check the logo, screenshots, copy, timing, audio, aspect ratio, and every changed file.

The project README also documents a direct template request:

Use video-shotcraft to make a promo for my product with the Ink Press template.

The template gives the agent a known structure. A named shot card gives you tighter control when one product feature needs a particular movement. The public Gallery lets you browse the available motion vocabulary before you write the brief. 1 4

A second test: change one shot, then review the handoff

Run the second test only after the first video renders cleanly. Ask the agent to replace one shot and document the design tokens:

Use the existing local video-shotcraft project.

Replace one shot with the named recipe [shot-card-name] from the video-shotcraft gallery.
Keep the product screenshots, logo, copy hierarchy, and approved colors unchanged.

Before editing:
1. explain why this shot fits the feature;
2. list the files that will change;
3. state the expected timing change.

After editing:
1. render a still of the changed shot;
2. render the complete MP4;
3. write DESIGN.md with the color, type, spacing, and motion decisions;
4. list any asset or license question;
5. stop before deployment.

This test separates a useful recipe from a pretty demo. The shot should carry the product’s own visual language. A reference card supplies movement and timing; the product supplies the colors, screenshots, type, and content. The project’s own rules make that distinction explicit. 1 5

What hands-on users found

A MoClaw engineer ran the workflow in Codex Desktop and produced a local 36-second, 1920×1080, 30 fps product video. The run took about 35 minutes, including two failed quality passes and a logo replacement. The reviewer supplied a brand color, a logo, and a ten-shot script; the agent wrote the React and Remotion code and rendered the MP4. 3

The same run exposed several setup and quality issues:

A 4× concurrency render produced slice artifacts in the MP4. A single-threaded render with --concurrency=1 --crf=12 fixed the visible artifacts.
A parent pnpm-workspace.yaml caused the standalone template to lose its Remotion command. Reinstalling with the documented workspace override restored the command.
The first cut used a placeholder logo. A wider review caught the mistake and the reviewer replaced it with the official logo.
The reviewer also encountered a blocked esbuild build script and an FFmpeg inspection limitation in the bundled compositor.

The reviewer’s conclusion is practical: video-shotcraft is a code generator plus a shot library, and the exported MP4 needs a human or second-agent review before delivery. The single-threaded render path also took about 40 seconds versus about 16 seconds for the faster artifact-producing render in that environment. 3

A September 3, 2026 YouTube review independently inspected the repository, audited the motion previews, ran the project’s test suite, and rendered the included template locally. The reviewer praised the named shot vocabulary, reference implementations, real motion samples, product-specific visual rules, and inspectable production path. The same review says the workflow still leaves product discovery, screenshot capture, layout adaptation, story judgment, sound design, and final-pixel QA to the operator. 2

Use it now or keep it sandboxed

Try it now when:

your output is a web or desktop product promo, feature demo, launch video, or brand film;
you want Remotion source code that another developer can inspect and edit;
you can provide approved screenshots, logos, copy, and brand rules;
you can render locally and review the final MP4 before anyone publishes it.

Keep the first run sandboxed when:

the project touches production credentials, customer data, or a deployment target;
a generated placeholder could misrepresent the product;
your host cannot run the required Node, pnpm, browser, or Remotion steps;
your company has not checked Remotion’s commercial licensing terms;
the final video needs guaranteed brand, accessibility, legal, or factual review.

The smallest useful action is the temporary-project test. It checks host discovery, asset handling, render reliability, and the review loop before the skill sees a real repository.

Quick reference

Field	Details
Pick	`Vincentwei1021/video-shotcraft`, a Remotion-based skill for cinematic product promos. 1
Best for	Web and desktop product promos, feature demos, launch videos, and selected shot-level motion work. 1
Primary hosts	Claude Code and Codex. 1
Install	`npx skills add Vincentwei1021/video-shotcraft`, or use the host-specific symlink commands above. 1
Current stated library	157 shot recipe cards, 214 styles, and 214 motion previews in the current README header; older README sections show 152 and 209. 1
Template	`Ink Press`: 36.2 seconds, 1920×1080, 30 fps, 10 shots. 1
License	Apache-2.0 for the repository; Remotion and bundled audio have separate terms. 1 3
First test	A 30–40 second local promo using approved assets, a temporary project, and an explicit review stop.
Main caveat	The exported MP4 needs independent review; the hands-on test found concurrency artifacts, setup friction, and a placeholder-logo failure. 3
Adoption signal	Recent hands-on coverage appeared on September 3, 2026, while the official weekly GitHub Trending snapshot for this run did not list the repository. This issue treats the current feature activity and concrete community testing as attention signals, with no verified seven-day star-growth figure. 2