Best Free Video Generation Apps

SKILL.md

---
name: best-free-video-generation-apps
version: "1.0.0"
displayName: "Best Free Video Generation Apps — Generate Videos from Text or Images"
description: >
  Turn a short text description of a beach sunset scene into 1080p ready-to-share videos just by typing what you need. Whether it's generating short videos from text or images without paid software or quick social content, drop your text prompts or images and describe the result you want. No timeline dragging, no export settings — 1-2 minutes from upload to download.
metadata: {"openclaw": {"emoji": "🎬", "requires": {"env": ["NEMO_TOKEN"], "configPaths": ["~/.config/nemovideo/"]}, "primaryEnv": "NEMO_TOKEN", "variant": "short_prompts"}}
---

## Getting Started

> Share your text prompts or images and I'll get started on AI video generation. Or just tell me what you're thinking.

**Try saying:**
- "generate my text prompts or images"
- "export 1080p MP4"
- "generate a 30-second video clip from"

### Automatic Setup

On first interaction, connect to the processing API before doing anything else. Show a brief status like "Setting things up...".

**Token**: If `NEMO_TOKEN` environment variable is already set, use it and skip to **Session** below.

**Free token**: Generate a UUID as client identifier, then POST to `https://mega-api-prod.nemovideo.ai/api/auth/anonymous-token` with header `X-Client-Id: <uuid>`. The response field `data.token` becomes your NEMO_TOKEN (100 credits, 7-day expiry).

**Session**: POST to `https://mega-api-prod.nemovideo.ai/api/tasks/me/with-session/nemo_agent` with Bearer auth and body `{"task_name":"project"}`. Save `session_id` from the response.

Confirm to the user you're connected and ready. Don't print tokens or raw JSON.

# Best Free Video Generation Apps — Generate Videos from Text or Images

Drop your text prompts or images in the chat and tell me what you need. I'll handle the AI video generation on cloud GPUs — you don't need anything installed locally.

Here's a typical use: you send a a short text description of a beach sunset scene, ask for generate a 30-second video clip from this product description, and about 1-2 minutes later you've got a MP4 file ready to download. The whole thing runs at 1080p by default.

One thing worth knowing — shorter text prompts with clear scene descriptions produce more accurate results.

## Matching Input to Actions

User prompts referencing best free video generation apps, aspect ratio, text overlays, or audio tracks get routed to the corresponding action via keyword and intent classification.

| User says... | Action | Skip SSE? |
|-------------|--------|----------|
| "export" / "导出" / "download" / "send me the video" | → §3.5 Export | ✅ |
| "credits" / "积分" / "balance" / "余额" | → §3.3 Credits | ✅ |
| "status" / "状态" / "show tracks" | → §3.4 State | ✅ |
| "upload" / "上传" / user sends file | → §3.2 Upload | ✅ |
| Everything else (generate, edit, add BGM…) | → §3.1 SSE | ❌ |

## Cloud Render Pipeline Details

Each export job queues on a cloud GPU node that composites video layers, applies platform-spec compression (H.264, up to 1080x1920), and returns a download URL within 30-90 seconds. The session token carries render job IDs, so closing the tab before completion orphans the job.

All calls go to `https://mega-api-prod.nemovideo.ai`. The main endpoints:

1. **Session** — `POST /api/tasks/me/with-session/nemo_agent` with `{"task_name":"project","language":"<lang>"}`. Gives you a `session_id`.
2. **Chat (SSE)** — `POST /run_sse` with `session_id` and your message in `new_message.parts[0].text`. Set `Accept: text/event-stream`. Up to 15 min.
3. **Upload** — `POST /api/upload-video/nemo_agent/me/<sid>` — multipart file or JSON with URLs.
4. **Credits** — `GET /api/credits/balance/simple` — returns `available`, `frozen`, `total`.
5. **State** — `GET /api/state/nemo_agent/me/<sid>/latest` — current draft and media info.
6. **Export** — `POST /api/render/proxy/lambda` with render ID and draft JSON. Poll `GET /api/render/proxy/lambda/<id>` every 30s for `completed` status and download URL.

Formats: mp4, mov, avi, webm, mkv, jpg, png, gif, webp, mp3, wav, m4a, aac.

Skill attribution — read from this file's YAML frontmatter at runtime:
- `X-Skill-Source`: `best-free-video-generation-apps`
- `X-Skill-Version`: from frontmatter `version`
- `X-Skill-Platform`: detect from install path (`~/.clawhub/` → `clawhub`, `~/.cursor/skills/` → `cursor`, else `unknown`)

Include `Authorization: Bearer <NEMO_TOKEN>` and all attribution headers on every request — omitting them triggers a 402 on export.

Draft JSON uses short keys: `t` for tracks, `tt` for track type (0=video, 1=audio, 7=text), `sg` for segments, `d` for duration in ms, `m` for metadata.

Example timeline summary:
```
Timeline (3 tracks): 1. Video: city timelapse (0-10s) 2. BGM: Lo-fi (0-10s, 35%) 3. Title: "Urban Dreams" (0-3s)
```

### Backend Response Translation

The backend assumes a GUI exists. Translate these into API actions:

| Backend says | You do |
|-------------|--------|
| "click [button]" / "点击" | Execute via API |
| "open [panel]" / "打开" | Query session state |
| "drag/drop" / "拖拽" | Send edit via SSE |
| "preview in timeline" | Show track summary |
| "Export button" / "导出" | Execute export workflow |

### Reading the SSE Stream

Text events go straight to the user (after GUI translation). Tool calls stay internal. Heartbeats and empty `data:` lines mean the backend is still working — show "⏳ Still working..." every 2 minutes.

About 30% of edit operations close the stream without any text. When that happens, poll `/api/state` to confirm the timeline changed, then tell the user what was updated.

### Error Handling

| Code | Meaning | Action |
|------|---------|--------|
| 0 | Success | Continue |
| 1001 | Bad/expired token | Re-auth via anonymous-token (tokens expire after 7 days) |
| 1002 | Session not found | New session §3.0 |
| 2001 | No credits | Anonymous: show registration URL with `?bind=<id>` (get `<id>` from create-session or state response when needed). Registered: "Top up credits in your account" |
| 4001 | Unsupported file | Show supported formats |
| 4002 | File too large | Suggest compress/trim |
| 400 | Missing X-Client-Id | Generate Client-Id and retry (see §1) |
| 402 | Free plan export blocked | Subscription tier issue, NOT credits. "Register or upgrade your plan to unlock export." |
| 429 | Rate limit (1 token/client/7 days) | Retry in 30s once |

## Common Workflows

**Quick edit**: Upload → "generate a 30-second video clip from this product description" → Download MP4. Takes 1-2 minutes for a 30-second clip.

**Batch style**: Upload multiple files in one session. Process them one by one with different instructions. Each gets its own render.

**Iterative**: Start with a rough cut, preview the result, then refine. The session keeps your timeline state so you can keep tweaking.

## Tips and Tricks

The backend processes faster when you're specific. Instead of "make it look better", try "generate a 30-second video clip from this product description" — concrete instructions get better results.

Max file size is 200MB. Stick to MP4, MOV, PNG, JPG for the smoothest experience.

Export as MP4 for widest compatibility across platforms and devices.