What tools and accounts does the workflow require?

The guide uses HyperFrames with Node.js 22+ and FFmpeg for the picture, and the ChatCut Claude Code plugin with an authenticated ChatCut account for the sound pass. It recommends Opus 5.5 or Fable 5.5 in that host. These are package-specific instructions, not verified compatibility with every agent. Local picture rendering has no generation-job fee; ChatCut music/effects use account credits.

Will every promo use the same generic scenes?

It should not. The planning method starts from the product’s users, objects and actions, then uses adapted presets, sprites or custom scene code for a signature moment. Generic city or globe views are limited breathers, not a substitute for showing the actual product world.

Can captions be Chinese and can I change themes later?

Yes. The package includes a CJK pixel font and supports night, strict monochrome and block-world themes through the story setting. Re-scaffold and recheck after a change; timing changes also require new audio cues and another sound review.

Does the project work entirely offline?

Do not assume that. Fonts are bundled, but the composition template loads GSAP from a remote script, and reading a product URL or using ChatCut requires network access. Local drawing is different from a verified offline toolchain.

Can I revise the picture after adding sound?

Yes, but a scene or timing change can move every later cue. Update the story, rebuild and inspect the picture, regenerate the cue sheet and redo the affected sound timing instead of keeping the old audio export against a new edit.

Pixel Promo Video

Previews from the publisher

Turn a small product story into a pixel-art world with a moment only that product could have. Pixel Promo combines hard-edged scenes, moving cameras, typewriter captions and dithered joins in a short promotional film. The story file keeps scenes and wording editable, with night, monochrome and bright block-world themes available for different tones.

What you get

A workflow for a twenty-to-forty-five-second pixel promo with captions, instrumental music and timed sound effects, delivered as an MP4 and an editable project. The guide allows a wider fifteen-to-sixty-second planning range when the brief calls for it.
A supplied pixel renderer, scene/sprite libraries, composition template, local pixel fonts and project-scaffolding/validation scripts. The picture is drawn on a 480×270 pixel stage and enlarged with hard edges, rather than generated by an image or video model.
A product-world planning method covering users, objects, actions and one signature scene. Presets can be customized with props, stage layouts, sprites or custom scene code; generic city or landscape scenes serve as occasional breathers rather than the entire film.
An editable story file and optional custom scene file, with theme, accent, captions and timings. A cue-sheet script derives audio timing from the same story for a ChatCut sound pass; the silent picture and final audio export are separate steps.

Before you choose

Choose Pixel Promo when the product can be recognized from its objects and actions even with captions covered. Start with that test on the opening scene. A retro palette and a typed tagline can set a tone, but the custom product moment is what prevents the result from becoming a generic pixel slideshow.

Good fit

Independent makers launching a product, app or community without live filming or hand-animating every frame.
Founders who want a short retro-looking teaser for social posts or an appropriate landing-page placement.
A small story or idea that can be expressed through clear pictures and brief captions rather than spoken narration.

Not for

Live action, photographic montage or a 3D-rendered aesthetic. The picture is a deliberately low-resolution pixel world.
A long tutorial or detailed explanation requiring more than a short film can communicate.
Voiceover narration. The documented sound pass uses an instrumental bed and effects, while captions carry the words.

How to use

You say/hyperframes-pixel-promo Make a 30-second pixel promo for my habit-tracking app, dark night style.

Provide a product link, description, direction or small story and settle language, theme and accent. Map the product’s users, objects and key actions before selecting scenes; use facts from the brief or official material and leave unsupported numbers out.
Plan a concise beat sheet with one product-specific picture per scene and a signature moment. Keep caption lines within the guide’s budgets—about eighteen CJK or thirty-four Latin characters, two lines maximum—and allow the typing to finish before the scene ends.
Prepare the documented HyperFrames environment with Node.js 22 or newer and FFmpeg. The sound workflow targets the ChatCut plugin in Claude Code with an authenticated account; the package recommends specific host models, so confirm compatibility rather than assuming every host supports that integration.
Write the story and any custom scenes, run the supplied validator and scaffold the project with the renderer and fonts. Inspect scene snapshots for legibility, overlap, product specificity and intended accent words. Preview and render a silent picture lock, checking duration and resolution.
Generate the cue sheet and use an approved ChatCut sound pass for music and timed effects, noting that generation uses ChatCut credits. If that route is declined, keep a silent cut or use a supplied licensed track as described in the guide. After picture retiming, regenerate cues and check sound alignment again before exporting the final MP4.

Requirements and costs

You bring: A product link, a short description, a product idea or a small story · Optional: theme choice (night, black and white, or block world) and an accent colour
Dependencies: HyperFrames CLI — required · ChatCut plugin for Claude Code and a ChatCut account — required for music and sound effects · Claude Code with Opus 5.5 or Fable 5.5 — recommended · Node.js 22 or newer — required · FFmpeg — required
Outside costs: Music and sound-effect generation in ChatCut use your ChatCut credits; the pixel picture renders locally at no cost.
Tools used: HyperFrames
Publisher testing: v1.0.0 — Claude Code