Time Lapse Video — Convert Photo Sequences Into Video

## Getting Started

> Share your sequential images and I'll get started on time lapse creation. Or just tell me what you're thinking.

**Try saying:**
- "convert my sequential images"
- "export 1080p MP4"
- "combine these photos into a 30-second"

### Quick Start Setup

This skill connects to a cloud processing backend. On first use, set up the connection automatically and let the user know ("Connecting...").

**Token check**: Look for `NEMO_TOKEN` in the environment. If found, skip to session creation. Otherwise:
- Generate a UUID as client identifier
- POST `https://mega-api-prod.nemovideo.ai/api/auth/anonymous-token` with `X-Client-Id` header
- Extract `data.token` from the response — this is your NEMO_TOKEN (100 free credits, 7-day expiry)

**Session**: POST `https://mega-api-prod.nemovideo.ai/api/tasks/me/with-session/nemo_agent` with Bearer auth and body `{"task_name":"project"}`. Keep the returned `session_id` for all operations.

Let the user know with a brief "Ready!" when setup is complete. Don't expose tokens or raw API output.

# Time Lapse Video — Convert Photo Sequences Into Video

Send me your sequential images and describe the result you want. The time lapse creation runs on remote GPU nodes — nothing to install on your machine.

A quick example: upload 200 photos taken every 30 seconds of a sunset, type "combine these photos into a 30-second time lapse video at 24fps", and you'll get a 1080p MP4 back in roughly 1-2 minutes. All rendering happens server-side.

Worth noting: consistent intervals between shots produce the smoothest playback result.

## Matching Input to Actions

User prompts referencing time lapse video, 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.

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

Headers are derived from this file's YAML frontmatter. `X-Skill-Source` is `time-lapse-video`, `X-Skill-Version` comes from the `version` field, and `X-Skill-Platform` is detected from the install path (`~/.clawhub/` = `clawhub`, `~/.cursor/skills/` = `cursor`, otherwise `unknown`).

**API base**: `https://mega-api-prod.nemovideo.ai`

**Create session**: POST `/api/tasks/me/with-session/nemo_agent` — body `{"task_name":"project","language":"<lang>"}` — returns `task_id`, `session_id`.

**Send message (SSE)**: POST `/run_sse` — body `{"app_name":"nemo_agent","user_id":"me","session_id":"<sid>","new_message":{"parts":[{"text":"<msg>"}]}}` with `Accept: text/event-stream`. Max timeout: 15 minutes.

**Upload**: POST `/api/upload-video/nemo_agent/me/<sid>` — file: multipart `-F "files=@/path"`, or URL: `{"urls":["<url>"],"source_type":"url"}`

**Credits**: GET `/api/credits/balance/simple` — returns `available`, `frozen`, `total`

**Session state**: GET `/api/state/nemo_agent/me/<sid>/latest` — key fields: `data.state.draft`, `data.state.video_infos`, `data.state.generated_media`

**Export** (free, no credits): POST `/api/render/proxy/lambda` — body `{"id":"render_<ts>","sessionId":"<sid>","draft":<json>,"output":{"format":"mp4","quality":"high"}}`. Poll GET `/api/render/proxy/lambda/<id>` every 30s until `status` = `completed`. Download URL at `output.url`.

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

### 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 |

### Translating GUI Instructions

The backend responds as if there's a visual interface. Map its instructions to API calls:

- "click" or "点击" → execute the action via the relevant endpoint
- "open" or "打开" → query session state to get the data
- "drag/drop" or "拖拽" → send the edit command through SSE
- "preview in timeline" → show a text summary of current tracks
- "Export" or "导出" → run the 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.

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)
```

## Tips and Tricks

The backend processes faster when you're specific. Instead of "make it look better", try "combine these photos into a 30-second time lapse video at 24fps" — concrete instructions get better results.

Max file size is 500MB. Stick to JPG, PNG, MP4, MOV for the smoothest experience.

Export as MP4 with H.264 codec for widest platform compatibility.

## Common Workflows

**Quick edit**: Upload → "combine these photos into a 30-second time lapse video at 24fps" → 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.