Guides / Automation and AI
Automate Reels and Shorts: Build Your Own Reels Machine
A step by step guide to automating Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Facebook, Threads and LinkedIn posting with free tools, with the real cost of every part printed next to it.
The short answer
You can automate Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts with free tools: Python, ffmpeg, stock footage, no attribution music and captions on your own computer cost nothing. What is not free: a computer that stays on, platform approvals that take weeks, and an optional AI assistant to help you build it (Claude Pro is $20 a month). Running the finished machine uses no AI and has no per-video fee. This guide tags every cost before you start.
What is inside
- An 18 page A4 PDF that shows how a small program makes short vertical videos and posts them to YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and LinkedIn on a schedule.
- A cost table that tags every tool Free, Free with a condition, Paid, Optional paid or Costs time, with the date each price was checked.
- Eight steps: your words, scenes and captions, stock footage, voice and music, rendering, captions from speech, posting to each platform, and scheduling with alerts.
- A plain page on where AI helps (building the code) and where it is not used (making each video).
- A troubleshooting table, a first-week plan, and a four file starter kit: a scene planner script, a scene file, a cost worksheet and a platform checklist.
What it really costs
We state the paid parts up front, so you are never surprised after you start. Prices checked on 26 October 2026; check each source before you pay.
- FreePython, ffmpeg, stock footage, music marked no attribution, captions on your own computer. No fee.
- Free, with a conditionRemotion animated graphics (optional). Free for individuals and for-profit companies of up to 3 employees; larger companies need a licence.
- Costs timeInstagram and Facebook publishing approvals. No fee found; approvals can take weeks.
- Optional paidAn AI assistant to help you build it. Claude Pro is $20 a month (about R360), checked 26 October 2026. Running the finished machine uses no AI.
- PaidA computer that stays on at posting time, and internet. You probably have both already.
Questions people ask
Can I automate Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts for free?
The software side can be free: Python, ffmpeg, stock footage, no attribution music and captions on your own computer cost nothing. You still need a computer that stays on, and Instagram and Facebook approvals take time. The guide tags every tool so you can see the real cost before you start.
Do I need a paid AI subscription to run the reels machine?
No. Running it makes each video with plain code and free tools, with no AI call and no per-video fee. A paid AI assistant such as Claude Pro ($20 a month) is optional and only helps while you build it. You can type the code yourself instead.
Is Remotion free for automated video?
Remotion is free for individuals and for-profit companies of up to 3 employees, and for non-profits. Larger companies need a paid licence. Remotion is optional in this guide; the basic machine works without it.
How long does it take to set up?
Plan a weekend to render your first three pilot videos and one to three more weeks for platform approvals, which run on the platforms own schedule, not yours.
What do I get when I buy?
An instant download: the 18 page PDF guide and the four file starter kit. The links are on your receipt page and in your confirmation email.
Does the guide promise views or income?
No. A machine can post for you. It cannot make people watch, and nobody can promise reach or income. The guide says so plainly.
Who wrote it?
Legacy Solutions Architecture, a Cape Town technology advisory firm. The guide describes the method we use ourselves to post our own short videos.
Want this built for your business instead of doing it yourself? See our automation service or technology advisory, or send us a message.
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