1. Introduction2. Getting Started3. Manual Projects4. Automations (Autopilot)5. Audio Generator6. Billing & Credits

Getting Started with CinematicAI

To begin dominating the algorithm with your Faceless YouTube Channel, you need to properly configure your CinematicAI account. While our AI Video Generator is incredibly powerful out of the box, taking five minutes to correctly link your API keys and social media accounts will unlock its full potential, particularly the hands-free Autopilot feature.

This guide will walk you through the essential onboarding steps.

Step 1: Account Creation & Profile Setup

When you first log in to CinematicAI, head over to the Settings tab via the left-hand navigation menu. Here you will find your profile configurations.

  • Profile Details: Ensure your email is verified. This is crucial because CinematicAI will send you email notifications if an Autopilot render fails or if your API credits are running low.
  • Theme Preferences: Toggle between our beautiful Light and Dark modes depending on your workflow environment.

Step 2: Configuring API Keys (The Brain & The Voice)

CinematicAI acts as the orchestration layer for the world's most powerful AI models. To generate highly engaging, original scripts and human-like voiceovers, you must connect your own API keys. This "Bring Your Own Key" (BYOK) model ensures you pay the absolute lowest cost per video directly to the AI providers.

Connecting OpenAI (For Script Generation)

Your YouTube Automation journey starts with a good script. We utilize OpenAI's GPT-4 models to write retention-optimized scripts.

  1. Go to platform.openai.com.
  2. Create an account and navigate to the API Keys section.
  3. Generate a new secret key (name it "CinematicAI").
  4. Copy the key and paste it into the OpenAI API Key field in your CinematicAI Settings dashboard.

[!CAUTION] Never share your API keys publicly. If you suspect your key has been compromised, revoke it immediately in your OpenAI dashboard and generate a new one.

Connecting ElevenLabs (For AI Voiceovers)

A faceless channel lives and dies by audio quality. ElevenLabs provides the most realistic text-to-speech engine available today.

  1. Go to elevenlabs.io.
  2. Navigate to your Profile -> Settings to find your API key.
  3. Paste this key into the ElevenLabs API Key field in CinematicAI.
  4. Pro Tip: In ElevenLabs, spend some time exploring the Voice Library and adding voices you like to your VoiceLab. CinematicAI will automatically sync these voices!

Step 3: Connecting Social Media Accounts

If you plan to use our Autopilot feature to automatically publish videos, you must authorize CinematicAI to post on your behalf.

YouTube Integration

In the Settings tab, locate the "Integrations" section and click Connect YouTube.

  • You will be redirected to Google’s secure OAuth page.
  • Select the Google account associated with your YouTube Channel.
  • Grant permissions for CinematicAI to "Manage your YouTube videos."
  • We use this strictly to upload your generated videos and apply titles, descriptions, and tags.

[!TIP] Ensure your YouTube channel is fully verified (via phone number) in YouTube Studio. Unverified channels cannot upload custom thumbnails or videos longer than 15 minutes.

Instagram Integration

For those running Instagram Theme Pages:

  • Click Connect Instagram.
  • Note that your Instagram account must be a Professional or Creator Account and linked to a Facebook Page to use the official API for auto-publishing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Do I have to use OpenAI and ElevenLabs? Can I use other providers? A: Currently, CinematicAI is heavily optimized for OpenAI's script structuring and ElevenLabs' emotional voice pacing. These provide the highest success rate for YouTube retention metrics. We plan to integrate open-source alternatives in the future.

Q: Is it safe to connect my YouTube channel to CinematicAI? A: 100% safe. We use the official Google/YouTube API. We do not store your passwords. We only receive an OAuth token which allows us to upload videos. You can revoke this access at any time from your Google Account Security settings.

Q: How much does it cost to use my own API keys? A: It is incredibly cheap. Generating a 60-second YouTube Short script via OpenAI costs a fraction of a cent. An ElevenLabs voiceover for a Short typically consumes around 800-1000 characters, costing just a few cents depending on your ElevenLabs tier. This BYOK model saves you hundreds of dollars compared to competitors who mark up API costs.

Q: I connected my ElevenLabs key but I don't see my custom cloned voices. Why? A: Sometimes it takes a few minutes for the API to sync. Try refreshing the CinematicAI platform. Ensure that the voices are actively added to your "VoiceLab" in the ElevenLabs dashboard.