v1.0.0 to v1.0.0

---

name: varg-occasion-video

description: >-

license: MIT

metadata:

author: vargHQ

version: "1.0.0"

openclaw:

requires:

anyBins:

- curl

homepage: https://varg.ai/how-to/make-birthday-and-occasion-videos

compatibility: >-

Needs a VARG_API_KEY with curl (see the varg-ai skill) or the varg MCP connection (https://mcp.varg.ai/mcp).

ffmpeg for scripts/assemble.sh (joining clips and laying the music).

allowed-tools: Bash(curl:*) Bash(jq:*) Bash(ffmpeg:*) Bash(ffprobe:*) Bash(bash:*) Read Write Edit

---

# Invitations, holiday greetings, old photos and tributes

The occasion sets the rules: an invitation must carry the names, the date and the place without a single wrong

letter; a holiday greeting must be forwardable to a family group; old photos must still look like the people;

a tribute must stay calm. Generation runs on varg: REST `https://api.varg.ai/v2` (the `varg-ai` skill) or the MCP

server `https://mcp.varg.ai/mcp` (`generate_image`, `generate_video`, `generate_music`, `call_tool`, `get_job`,

`estimate_cost`). Quote the price before anything runs.

## 1. Which occasion

| Occasion | What people want (searches, Oct 2026) | Format | Reference |

|---|---|---|---|

| **Invitation / save-the-date** | "ai wedding invitation video", "save the date video", "invitation video for whatsapp" (851 suggestions) | A card or envelope that opens onto the names, date and place; 15–30 s, 9:16 | `references/invitations.md` |

| **Holiday greeting** | "ai christmas video", "christmas card video", "ai new year video", Diwali, Eid (386) | An animated card, a snow globe, a lamp-lit story, a family scene; 10–30 s | `references/holidays.md` |

| **Old photos brought to life** | "animate old photos", "bring old photos to life" (222) | Restore, then a gentle motion per photo, cut to music | `references/old-photos.md` |

| **Anniversary / love story** | "ai anniversary video", "ai wedding video" (339) | The couple across the eras, ending where they met | `references/old-photos.md` |

| **Memorial / tribute** | "memorial video ai", "celebration of life video", "retirement tribute video" (254) | Restored photos, slow motion, words from the family | `references/old-photos.md` |

## 2. Ask, then go

- **Exact words:** names as they are written, the date, the time, the place, the RSVP line, the greeting. Read them

back to the person before you generate anything that prints them.

- **Photos:** the couple or the family (with their agreement), old prints scanned flat, or none (an illustrated

card needs no face).

- **Style:** pick one look (`references/styles.md`): pop-up card, envelope, illustrated card, snow globe, diya glow,

1990s film, cozy holiday still, retro home video.

- **Where it goes:** WhatsApp or iMessage (9:16, under 60 s, send as a document to keep quality), Instagram

story (9:16), a screen at the venue or the service (16:9).

- **Music:** an original track (`eleven_music_v2_5` for a song with words, `mureka_9_5` for an instrumental) or a

public-domain piece; never a commercial song on a public post.

## 3. Stills first, then motion

1. **Print the words on a still** with `gpt_image_2_5`: quote every word and spell it ("the words "ANNA & LEO" and

below "12 JUNE 2027 · LISBON", spelled exactly like that"). Read the still at full size; if one letter is wrong,

regenerate. For anything longer than a line or two, leave the space empty and add real type later (HyperFrames or

an editor): generated paragraphs smudge.

2. **Make the matching first frame** as an edit of that still (`generate_image` with `reference_image`): the card

closed, the envelope sealed, the photo still faded. Same table, light and angle.

3. **Animate between them** with `seedance_2_5` first and last frames: `files: [first, last]` and

`provider_options: {piapi: {input: {mode: "first_last_frames"}}}`. The model moves from the closed card to the

open one, so the words land exactly as printed. For a single photo, image-to-video on `kling_v4` or `wan_3`.

4. **Music and export** with `scripts/assemble.sh` (scales, joins, lays the track, -14 LUFS, H.264 + AAC).

```bash

curl -s -X POST https://api.varg.ai/v2/video -H "Authorization: Bearer $VARG_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \

-d '{"model":"seedance_2_5","duration":8,"aspect_ratio":"9:16","resolution":"720p","audio":true,

"files":[{"url":"CLOSED_CARD_URL"},{"url":"OPEN_CARD_URL"}],

"provider_options":{"piapi":{"input":{"mode":"first_last_frames"}}},

"prompt":"<timed beats: the card opens, the paper scene rises, the names settle; paper sounds>"}'

bash scripts/assemble.sh -s 0 invite.mp4 music.mp3 clip.mp4

```

## 4. Check before you send

- Every name, date and place matches what the person gave you, letter by letter, in the last frame.

- Faces still look like the people (eyes, smile lines, glasses); old photos keep their grain and era.

- Nothing extra appears: no new guests, no rings or logos, no extra pages on a card.

- A festival greeting shows the festival respectfully: lamps, food, family, lights; no deities unless the family

asks for them.

## Tested

2026-10-30, a fictional couple "Anna & Leo": the open pop-up invitation on `gpt_image_2_5`, 9:16 (22 credits,

the names and "12 JUNE 2027 · LISBON" spelled right on the first try), the closed card as an edit of it (23

credits), then `seedance_2_5` first and last frames, 8 s, 720p, with sound (280 credits): the cover swings open,

the paper arch rises layer by layer, and the names and date land sharp and unchanged in the last frame, with paper

sounds and a music-box chime. https://s3.varg.ai/files/72c55813-c0fa-4cf2-9f64-ec4f7ed0e7ae/file_e1ac8b0f8d63.mp4

Old photo, a fictional 1962 seaside couple: `nano_banana_2_1` restore and colorize as an edit (5 credits, both faces

kept), then 5 s of gentle motion on `kling_v4` (79 credits: she turns to him and laughs, he smiles down at her, a

slow push-in, the faces and the 1960s color and grain kept).

https://s3.varg.ai/files/72c55813-c0fa-4cf2-9f64-ec4f7ed0e7ae/file_34e07d214ef1.mp4

## Rules

- Consent: animate a living person's face, or a family's old photos, only with their or the family's agreement.

Never a celebrity, a public figure or a stranger.

- The dead: no party effects, no making them speak or sing unless the family asks; keep the film private unless

they want it shared.

- Children: use the family's own photos only, deliver privately, never post a child's face publicly.

- Label realistic AI footage as AI when it is posted on social media.

## Related skills

`varg-birthday-video` (birthdays, the song with the name), `varg-consistent-characters` (the same faces in every

shot), `hyperframes` (real type, envelopes and title cards rendered from HTML), `varg-video-editing` (real

wedding footage), `varg-ai` (models and prices).