What Is Video Automation?
An Overview for Marketing Teams
How Video Automation Works
Video automation can look different depending on your workflow, but most processes involve three key elements:
-
Input Forms or Data Sources
-
Where information comes from (spreadsheets, online forms, APIs).
-
Example: A marketing team fills out a form with campaign dates and sponsor names.
-
-
Automated Project Templates
-
Pre-built projects in software like Adobe After Effects, structured to accept automated inputs.
-
Example: A lower thirds template where text layers are dynamically linked to a spreadsheet.
-
-
Scripts and Expressions
-
The “brains” of automation—custom code that tells the project what to do with the data.
-
Example: A script that automatically generates a video for every event listed in your database.
-
Benefits of Video Automation for Digital Teams
1. Save Time on Repetitive Tasks
Instead of spending hours copying and pasting, your team can generate hundreds of deliverables in minutes.
2. Reduce Human Error
Automation removes the risk of typos, formatting mistakes, or forgotten updates.
3. Scale Production Without Scaling Staff
Automation allows a small team to deliver content at the level of a much larger organization.
4. Keep Branding Consistent
Every video follows the same standards for logos, fonts, and layouts.
5. Free Your Team for Creativity
With the tedious work handled, your designers and editors can focus on storytelling, design, and innovation.
Real-World Examples of Video Automation
-
Sports Broadcasting: Automatically generating highlight reels with team names, scores, and sponsor logos.
-
Corporate Communications: Producing localized versions of training videos for different regions.
-
Marketing Campaigns: Scaling ad variations with different calls-to-action, product names, or languages.
-
Event Management: Quickly producing event videos with dynamic dates, locations, and speaker details.
Getting Started with Video Automation
-
Step 1: Identify Repetitive Tasks
Look at your current workflow. Where are you copying and pasting? Where do errors keep slipping in?
-
Step 2: Build a Template
Create a flexible project file in After Effects (or your platform of choice) that’s ready for automation.
-
Step 3: Connect Your Data
Use spreadsheets, forms, or APIs to feed your project the data it needs.
-
Step 4: Apply Scripts & Expressions
Leverage automation scripts to do the heavy lifting. These can generate new comps, replace assets, and render outputs automatically.
-
Step 5: Test, Refine, and Scale
Start small, test the workflow, and then scale it across your projects.
Should You Build or Partner?
Some teams try to build automation workflows internally. While possible, it requires deep expertise in scripting, After Effects, and data integration.
For many organizations, partnering with a video automation company is faster and more cost-effective. We help teams design automation that’s tailored to their unique workflows, ensuring maximum efficiency and creative freedom.
Short form video is one of the most powerful tools for communication today. But creating and managing video content at scale often comes with a hidden cost: time-consuming, repetitive tasks that drain creative energy and slow down production.
This is where video automation comes in. By combining custom workflows, scripting, and intelligent project structures, video automation helps digital teams eliminate tedious work and focus on what matters most—storytelling, creativity, and impact.
In this guide, we’ll break down:
-
What video automation is
-
How it works in real production environments
-
The benefits for teams and organizations
-
Examples of video automation in action
-
How to get started with your own automation workflows
What Is Video Automation?
Video automation is the process of using software, scripts, and workflows to reduce or eliminate repetitive manual tasks in video production.
Instead of manually copying text, resizing graphics, or duplicating project structures, automation allows you to create rules, templates, and custom input forms that handle those steps for you.
In practical terms, video automation can:
-
Pull data from spreadsheets or forms and populate video templates
-
Automatically update text, images, or logos across multiple videos
-
Resize, replace and precompose assets to always meet quality standards
-
Generate large batches of video content with minimal manual effort
-
Standardize branding and formatting across campaigns
Video automation isn’t just about saving time—it’s about enabling your team to produce smarter, faster, and more creatively. Whether you’re managing large-scale campaigns, frequent event content, or repetitive brand videos, automation transforms the way digital teams work.
The Future of Video Production Is Automated
Ready to save time and money?
Connect with our team to explore how our automation solutions can transform your business.