n8n-nodes-remotion-render — by mimnets

An n8n community node for rendering videos using a self-hosted Remotion server. Part of the n8n-qdrant-starter project.

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🚀 Features

• 📷 Multiple images with Ken Burns effects (zoom, slide, pan)
• 📝 Text overlays — captions, titles, TikTok word-by-word style
• 🎵 Multi-track audio — scene-specific clips + background soundtrack
• 🔄 2 input methods:
  • Manual — configure everything in the node UI
  • ⚡ Batch Render — each upstream item = one scene, renders individually, concats with ffmpeg, returns video as binary data (no internal upload — you control upload)
• ⏳ Auto-poll — blocks until video is ready
• 🎬 Resolutions — preview, mobile, SD, HD (1080p), vertical/Reels, 4K
• 🎨 Configurable per-scene defaults — image effects, fades, fonts, colors, caption style, text animation, alignment — with per-item overrides
• 🌐 Any Remotion server — local Docker, remote VPS, or cloud

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📦 Installation

Quick install (via n8n UI)

1. In your n8n, go to Settings → Community Nodes
2. Click Install
3. Enter: n8n-nodes-remotion-render
4. Click Install

Manual Docker install (for this project)

If you're running the n8n-qdrant-starter Docker setup, mount the node into the n8n container:

# docker-compose.yml — add to n8n service
n8n:
  environment:
    - N8N_CUSTOM_EXTENSIONS=/home/node/custom-nodes
  volumes:
    - ./n8n-nodes-remotion-render:/home/node/custom-nodes/n8n-nodes-remotion-render

Then restart n8n:

docker compose up -d n8n

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🔐 Credential Setup

1. n8n → Credentials → Add New → Remotion Render API - mimnets
2. Server URL: http://remotion:3000 (Docker internal) or your external IP
3. API Key: leave blank
4. Save

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🎬 Usage

Input Method: Manual

1. Operation → Render Video, Input Method → Manual
2. Add images, text overlays, audio clips, and soundtrack
3. Set resolution and FPS
4. Run — returns the rendered video URL

Best for: Testing, fixed-content videos, predictable timelines.

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Input Method: ⚡ Batch Render

Each upstream item = one scene. Scenes are rendered individually, then concatenated with ffmpeg. Perfect for per-scene zoom + captions + audio without timeline complexity.

1. Input Method → Batch Render
2. Connect any upstream node that outputs scene objects
3. Set Resolution and FPS

What each upstream item should look like

{
  "imageUrl": "https://.../scene1.png",
  "audioUrl": "https://.../scene1.mp3",
  "caption": "First scene caption",
  "duration": 5,
  "scene_number": 1
}

Output

The node returns the final concatenated video as binary data — no internal file upload. After the node, connect your own upload/publish chain:

[Remotion Render (Batch)] → [Code Node] → [HTTP Request (upload)] → wherever

The JSON output contains { status, scenesProcessed, fileName } and the video is attached as $binary.data.

Per-item overrides

Each scene item can override the Batch Render Defaults via its own fields. Precedence: item field → UI default → hardcoded fallback

Field	Overrides	Example
effect	Image Effect	"slideLeft"
fit	Image Fit	"contain"
fadeIn	Image Fade In	true
fadeOut	Image Fade Out	true
fontSize	Font Size	48
fontColor	Font Color	"#FFD700"
fontFamily	Font Family	"Arial"
fontWeight	Font Weight	700
background	Background	"rgba(0,0,0,0.5)"
captionStyle	Caption Style	"static"
combineMs	Word Timing	800
textAnimation	Text Animation	"slideUp"
vertical	Vertical Position	"top"
horizontal	Horizontal Position	"left"

Example with overrides:

{
  "imageUrl": "...",
  "audioUrl": "...",
  "caption": "Custom scene",
  "duration": 5,
  "effect": "slideRight",
  "fontSize": 48,
  "fontColor": "#FFD700",
  "textAnimation": "fadeIn"
}

Requirements

• ffmpeg must be installed in the n8n container
• Scenes render sequentially (one at a time)

Best for: AI pipelines, per-scene audio+caption sync, loops, variable-length scenes.

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📋 Node Fields Reference

Batch Render settings

Field	Default	Description
Resolution	vertical (1080×1920)	Preview, mobile, SD, HD, 1080, vertical, 4K
FPS	30	Frames per second

Batch Render Defaults (collapsible in UI)

Image defaults:

• Effect (default: zoomIn), Fit (cover), Fade In/Out (false)

Text defaults:

• Font: Family (Inter), Size (36), Color (#FFFFFF), Weight (400)
• Background (rgba(0,0,0,0.3))
• Caption Style (tiktok), Word Timing (400ms)
• Animation (none), Vertical (bottom), Horizontal (center)

Image fields (Manual)

Field	Description
Image URL	Public URL of the image
Start (seconds)	When the image appears
Length (seconds)	How long it stays
Ken Burns Effect	zoomIn, zoomOut, slideLeft, etc.
Fade In / Fade Out	Toggle fades

Text fields (Manual)

Field	Description
Text	Caption or title content
Start / Length	Timing
Vertical Position	bottom (captions), center, top
Font	Family, Size, Weight, Color
Background	CSS color behind text
Caption Style	Static or TikTok word-by-word

Audio fields (Manual)

Field	Description
Audio URL	Public URL (mp3, wav, ogg)
Start / Length	Timing
Soundtrack	Background music with volume control

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🔧 Remotion Server

Your Remotion server at http://remotion:3000 supports:

Endpoint	Method	Description
/edit/v1/render	POST	Submit a render job
/edit/v1/render/:id	GET	Check render status
/serve/v1/assets/:id/output.mp4	GET	Download rendered MP4
/health	GET	Server health

Resolutions

Value	Dimensions	Use case
preview	512×288	Quick testing
mobile	640×360	Phone-optimized
sd	1024×576	Standard def
hd	1280×720	YouTube
1080	1920×1080	Full HD
vertical	1080×1920	TikTok/Reels/Shorts
4k	3840×2160	Ultra HD

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🚨 Troubleshooting

"Node does not have any credentials set"

Create a Remotion Render API - mimnets credential with Server URL http://remotion:3000.

ffmpeg concat fails (Batch Render)

Ensure ffmpeg is installed in the n8n container. See your project's n8n/Dockerfile.

Render fails or times out

• Check server: curl http://remotion:3000/health
• Check logs: docker compose logs remotion
• Ensure all image/audio URLs are publicly accessible

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🏗 Development

cd n8n-nodes-remotion-render
npm install
npm run build          # TypeScript → dist/
npm run dev            # Watch mode
npm version patch      # Bump version
npm publish

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📄 License

MIT — use it freely. Built for the n8n-qdrant-starter — a self-hosted AI video automation stack.