StoryCanvas

Transform books and text into multimedia content using Google Gemini AI.

StoryCanvas is an interactive CLI tool that converts text files (TXT, PDF, EPUB) into illustrated videos with AI-generated images, narration, and background music. It leverages the Google Gemini ecosystem including Imagen for image generation, Gemini TTS for narration, and Veo for AI video generation.

Features

- Multiple Input Formats: Support for TXT, PDF, EPUB, and Markdown files
- Project Gutenberg Integration: Search and download classic books directly
- AI Image Generation: Create character and scene illustrations using Imagen 4 or Nano Banana
- TTS Narration: Generate spoken narration with 30+ voice options
- Video Creation: Choose between image slideshow or Veo AI video generation
- Background Music: Mix in royalty-free background music
- YouTube Metadata: Auto-generate titles, descriptions, and tags

Installation

``bash
npm install -g storycanvas
`

Or run directly with npx:

`bash
npx storycanvas
`

Requirements

- Node.js 22 or later
- Google Gemini API key (Get one here)

Quick Start

1. Run the setup wizard:
`bash
storycanvas onboard
`
This will guide you through:
- API key configuration
- Model selection
- Output directory setup

2. Create multimedia from a book:
`bash
storycanvas create --file my-book.epub
`

3. Or download from Project Gutenberg:
`bash
storycanvas create --gutenberg 74 # Tom Sawyer
`

Commands

$3

Interactive setup wizard for first-time configuration. Sets up your API key, preferred models, and output directories.

$3

Create multimedia content from text.

`bash


Interactive mode

storycanvas create

From local file

storycanvas create --file book.epub
storycanvas create --file article.pdf
storycanvas create --file story.txt

From Project Gutenberg

storycanvas create --gutenberg 74

Specify stages

storycanvas create --file book.txt --stages illustrations,video,music

Use Veo AI video instead of slideshow

storycanvas create --file book.txt --mode veo
`

Options:
- -f, --file : Path to input file
- -g, --gutenberg : Project Gutenberg book ID
- -s, --stages : Comma-separated stages (illustrations, narration, video, music, metadata)
- -m, --mode : Video mode (slideshow or veo)

$3

Browse and download books from Project Gutenberg.

`bash


Interactive mode

storycanvas books

Search for books

storycanvas books --search "alice wonderland"

Download by ID

storycanvas books --download 11

List downloaded books

storycanvas books --list
`

$3

Run diagnostics to check your setup.

`bash
storycanvas doctor
`

Checks:
- Node.js version
- FFmpeg availability
- API key validity
- Configuration status

$3

View and manage configuration.

`bash


Show current config

storycanvas config --show

Edit interactively

storycanvas config --edit

Reset to defaults

storycanvas config --reset

Show config file path

storycanvas config --path
`

Configuration

Configuration is stored in ~/.storycanvasrc. You can edit it manually or use storycanvas config --edit.

`json
{
"apiKey": "your-gemini-api-key",
"models": {
"text": "gemini-2.5-flash",
"image": "imagen-4.0-fast-generate-001",
"tts": "gemini-2.5-flash-preview-tts",
"video": "veo-3.1-fast"
},
"image": {
"maxCharacterImages": 30,
"maxSceneImages": 50,
"aspectRatio": "9:16",
"personGeneration": "allow_adult"
},
"video": {
"mode": "slideshow",
"fps": 0.5,
"resolution": "1080p"
},
"tts": {
"enabled": true,
"voice": "Kore"
},
"audio": {
"musicVolume": 0.3,
"narrationVolume": 1.0
},
"directories": {
"output": "./storycanvas-output",
"music": "./music",
"books": "./books"
}
}
`

Available Models

$3


- gemini-2.5-flash (default, fast)
- gemini-2.5-pro (enhanced reasoning)

$3

- imagen-4.0-fast-generate-001 (default, fast)
- imagen-4.0-ultra-generate-001 (highest quality)
- imagen-4.0-generate-001 (standard)
- gemini-2.5-flash-image (Nano Banana, native Gemini)
- gemini-3-pro-image-preview (Nano Banana Pro)

$3

- gemini-2.5-flash-preview-tts (default)
- gemini-2.5-pro-preview-tts

$3

- veo-3.1-fast (default, faster)
- veo-3.1 (higher quality)

Pipeline Stages

1. Input Processing: Extract text from TXT/PDF/EPUB or download from Gutenberg
2. Illustration Generation: Create character and scene images with AI
3. Narration: Generate TTS audio from the text
4. Video Creation: Combine images into slideshow or generate with Veo
5. Background Music: Mix in audio tracks
6. Metadata Generation: Create YouTube-ready title, description, and tags

Background Music

Place your royalty-free music files in the ./music` directory (or configure a different path). Supported formats: MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, OGG.

License

MIT

Credits

Built with:
- Google Gemini API
- @clack/prompts for terminal UI
- fluent-ffmpeg for video processing