claudegoodies
Skill

ascii-video

From NousResearch

ASCII video: convert video/audio to colored ASCII MP4/GIF.

Converts video, audio, or generative input into colored ASCII art rendered as MP4/GIF via a Python/ffmpeg pipeline.

Use it when

  • User asks for ASCII/text-art video or terminal-style animation
  • Building an audio-reactive ASCII music visualizer
  • Adding lyrics/text overlays or TTS-narrated typed-text videos
  • Generating procedural ASCII animation without source video

Skip it if

  • Needs GPU-accelerated or real-time rendering (this is CPU/ffmpeg batch pipeline)
  • Only want plain ASCII conversion without creative/artistic direction overhead
  • TTS narration requires an ElevenLabs API key

Facts

Repository
NousResearch/hermes-agent
Status
Actively maintained
Last commit
Source file
skills/creative/ascii-video/SKILL.md

Source preview

The instructions Claude Code reads when this skill runs.

# ASCII Video Production Pipeline

## When to use

Use when users request: ASCII video, text art video, terminal-style video, character art animation, retro text visualization, audio visualizer in ASCII, converting video to ASCII art, matrix-style effects, or any animated ASCII output.

## What's inside

Production pipeline for ASCII art video — any format. Converts video/audio/images/generative input into colored ASCII character video output (MP4, GIF, image sequence). Covers: video-to-ASCII conversion, audio-reactive music visualizers, generative ASCII art animations, hybrid video+audio reactive, text/lyrics overlays, real-time terminal rendering.

## Creative Standard

This is visual art. ASCII characters are the medium; cinema is the standard.

**Before writing a single line of code**, articulate the creative concept. What is the mood? What visual story does this tell? What makes THIS project different from every other ASCII video? The user's prompt is a starting point — interpret it with creative ambition, not literal transcription.

**First-render excellence is non-negotiable.** The output must be visually striking without requiring revision rounds. If something looks generic, flat, or like "AI-generated ASCII art," it is wrong — rethink the creative concept before shipping.

**Go beyond the reference vocabulary.** The effect catalogs, shader presets, and palette librarie
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