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

npm install -g storycanvas

Or run directly with npx:

npx storycanvas

Requirements

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

Quick Start

1. Run the setup wizard:

   storycanvas onboard

   This will guide you through:

   • API key configuration
   • Model selection
   • Output directory setup

2. Create multimedia from a book:

   storycanvas create --file my-book.epub

3. Or download from Project Gutenberg:

   storycanvas create --gutenberg 74  # Tom Sawyer

Commands

storycanvas onboard

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

storycanvas create

Create multimedia content from text.

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

storycanvas books

Browse and download books from Project Gutenberg.

# 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

storycanvas doctor

Run diagnostics to check your setup.

storycanvas doctor

Checks:

• Node.js version
• FFmpeg availability
• API key validity
• Configuration status

storycanvas config

View and manage configuration.

# 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.

{
  "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

Text/Chat

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

Image Generation

• 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)

Text-to-Speech

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

Video

• 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