--- title: "Short-Form Video Creation - IMG.LY" description: "Embed Stories and Reels creation in your mobile app — recording, timeline editing, audio overlays, templates, and AI-assisted tools for iOS and Android." url: "https://img.ly/use-cases/story-reels-short-video-creation/" type: "page" --- > This is the markdown version of [Short-Form Video Creation - IMG.LY](https://img.ly/use-cases/story-reels-short-video-creation/). For all pages in one file, see [llms-full.txt](https://img.ly/llms-full.txt). For an index of all available pages, see [llms.txt](https://img.ly/llms.txt). --- # Short-Form Video Creation: Give your users a short-form video creation experience that feels native to your app An embeddable mobile video creation SDK that lets users record, edit, and publish short-form content inside your app, without building or maintaining the editing layer yourself. **Available for:** - **Mobile:** [iOS](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/ios/get-started/overview-e18f40.md), [Android](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/android/get-started/overview-e18f40.md), [React Native](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/react-native/get-started/overview-e18f40.md), [Flutter](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/flutter/get-started/overview-e18f40.md) [Get in Touch](https://img.ly/forms/contact-sales.md) [Open demo](https://img.ly/demos/video-ui/ios/) ## Trusted by 100+ industry leaders **Trusted by:** Digitas, Omneky, The Print Bar, Brandwatch, Planoly, HP, Shopify, Reuters, Hootsuite, Semrush, Shutterfly, one.com, Sprout Social, Constant Contact, Spread Group > "Integrating IMG.LY’s editor meant we didn’t have to build or maintain a complex editing layer ourselves. That kept our team focused on our core AI ad engine and saved us countless development hours — while still giving our customers the ability to polish and customize creatives at scale." -- Hikari Senju, CEO, Omneky > "With IMG.LY we built a central creative portal that now powers over 140 dealer campaigns across multiple automotive brands. Before this, asset creation was slow and inconsistent." -- Martin Röhr, Product Owner, Digitas > "By embedding IMG.LY’s editor we were able to hit key RFP requirements and deliver a template-based creative experience that now serves 1,000+ customers. It helped us win more deals and exceed enterprise expectations without needing to hire dedicated design teams." -- Rob Driscoll, Director of PM, Optimizely > "Since integrating IMG.LY’s editor, we now deliver 30,000+ ad creatives per month, dramatically shorten time-to-launch, and help our clients cut design spend by up to $10,000 per month." -- Logan Welbaum, Founder, Plai > "Our customers create over a million personalized postcards each year choosing from over hundreds of templates with IMG.LY’s SDK. It’s the only solution that allows us to build our own specialized, on-brand UI that integrates seamlessly with our platform." -- Jeanine Zaalberg, Product Manager, SwissPost > "From a developer’s perspective, the most powerful feature of the photo editor is the integration process. It was completely flawless, quick, and easy to integrate." -- Stefano Fornari, CTO, Funambol > "We compared IMG.LY SDK with other solutions and found that it would be the best fit for us since it provides all the features that are crucial for our use case." -- Carem Pereira, SCRUM Manager, HP [Reviews on G2](https://www.g2.com/products/img-ly/reviews) ## Built for apps that need short-form video creation without the engineering overhead ### Give users an experience they already understand Recording, trimming, audio overlays, stickers, and timeline editing all work the way users expect from modern Stories and Reels creation. ### Configure the experience around your product Enable only the features your use case needs, whether that is Stories, Reels, recording tools, templates, or branded content creation. ### Launch faster with production-ready mobile UIs Start with prebuilt editing experiences for iOS and Android and customise them to match your product, without maintaining a video editor yourself. ## Key capabilities ### For your users #### Create videos with tools that feel familiar. Record, trim, edit, and publish using workflows that match the patterns users already know from social platforms. [Learn more](https://img.ly/demos/video-ui/ios/) #### Add personality with audio and effects. Voiceovers, music, stickers, overlays, filters, and creative assets. Users make content feel personal and expressive, without needing advanced editing skills. [Learn more](https://img.ly/demos.md?tags=assets) #### Finish videos in a single session. Recording, editing, audio, and composition all happen inside one workflow, without switching between apps or losing context. [Learn more](https://img.ly/demos/video-ui/ios/) ### For your platform #### Configure every part of the creation experience. Enable or disable camera modes, templates, editing tools, and timeline features based on your product requirements. Users only see what your app exposes. [Learn more](https://img.ly/demos/placeholders-video.md) #### Maintain consistent branding across user content. Templates and locked design elements keep logos, layouts, and format constraints intact across all user-generated video content. [Learn more](https://img.ly/demos.md?tags=video-editing) #### Control the creative asset ecosystem. Provide your own stickers, overlays, audio tracks, filters, and visual assets. Every asset users see is one you have curated, not a generic library. [Learn more](https://img.ly/demos.md?tags=assets) #### Extend video creation with AI workflows. Connect AI models for captions, scripts, voiceovers, and automated video generation through model-agnostic plugin integrations. All outputs land as editable layers. [Learn more](https://img.ly/use-cases/ai-editor.md) ## How to enable short-form video creation in your app Four steps from embedding the editor to short-form video ready to post. ### Step 01: Embed the editor The video starter kit gets a working editor into your app in a day. Replace the toolbar, swap in your own assets, or restyle the whole UI. Everything is customizable on the same engine. [Open Editor Demo](https://img.ly/demos/theming.md) ### Step 02: Templates for short-form video Design any number of Reels and Stories templates with placeholder zones, locked branding, and reusable format presets. Users pick a structured starting point instead of staring at a blank timeline. [Open Placeholder Demo](https://img.ly/demos/placeholders.md) ### Step 03: Edit with effects and assets in real time Timeline editing, audio overlays, voiceovers, stickers, filters, and layered composition all run inside the same session. Users assemble polished short-form video without switching between apps or losing context. [Open Editing Demo](https://img.ly/demos.md) ### Step 04: Export at platform-ready aspect ratios Aspect-ratio validation runs in the editor. 9:16 for TikTok and Reels, 16:9 for YouTube. The export matches whichever target the user picked. [Open Validation Demo](https://img.ly/demos/design-validation.md) ## One creative engine across every mobile platform and video format Users create content across devices and formats. They record Stories on one platform, edit Reels on another, and expect the experience to feel consistent throughout. IMG.LY runs one shared creative engine across iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter. Recording, editing, templates, and assets behave the same everywhere. **Available for:** - **Mobile:** [iOS](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/ios/get-started/overview-e18f40.md), [Android](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/android/get-started/overview-e18f40.md), [React Native](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/react-native/get-started/overview-e18f40.md), [Flutter](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/flutter/get-started/overview-e18f40.md) ### Consistent video creation across iOS and Android The same recording tools, timeline editing, and rendering behaviour across both platforms. No per-platform feature gaps, no visual drift. ### One template system for every short-form format Stories, Reels, and other vertical video formats all use the same template infrastructure. Branded structures defined once, reused everywhere. ### Support both user creation and automation The same engine powers user-facing editors and automated server-side video generation. One integration, two delivery modes. Success story How Planoly Unified Planning, Editing, and Publishing in One Workflow -------- [Planoly video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qy2uXeS-AA) **5+** channels supported (IG, FB, TikTok, Pinterest…) | **0** context switches to outside tools like Canva | **Web + Mobile** editor embedded in both apps [Planoly](https://www.planoly.com/) is a multi-channel social media planning platform serving creators and small business owners who need to plan, create, and publish content across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and more. > "Canva breaks the workflow. IMG.LY exists everywhere that Planoly exists." -- Planoly Team, , Planoly #### Challenge Planoly needed to enable photo and video editing across multiple platforms without disrupting the planning workflow or forcing users out to external tools like Canva. #### Solution Integrated CE.SDK directly into web and mobile apps — embedding photo and video editing inside the same planning and scheduling experience users already know. - Creators edit content without leaving Planoly for an external tool. - Same editing experience across web and mobile apps. - Planning, editing, and publishing happen in one unified workflow. [Read the case study](https://img.ly/case-studies/planoly.md) ## Why short-form video teams trust IMG.LY ### Built around mobile-first creation patterns The SDK is designed around the workflows users already expect from Stories and Reels, recording, trimming, audio overlay, and stickers that behave the way users already know. ### One solution across every mobile platform The same creative infrastructure across iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter, without maintaining separate implementations or accepting feature gaps between platforms. ### Full control over the editing experience Every camera mode, editing tool, and asset library is configurable. Users access what your app exposes, nothing more. ### Supports both creators and platform automation Individual user creation and automated branded video generation on the same infrastructure. One engine, one set of templates, two delivery modes. ## More from IMG.LY ### AI Editor Drop-in AI image, video, and text generation for any creative workflow. [Explore](https://img.ly/use-cases/ai-editor.md) ### Server-Side Video Rendering Render personalized video at scale on your backend. [Explore](https://img.ly/use-cases/server-side-video-rendering.md) ### Creative Automation Scale ad and content production with template-driven creative pipelines. [Explore](https://img.ly/use-cases/creative-automation.md) ### Web-to-Print Design Tool Embedded print design editor for safe customer self-service. [Explore](https://img.ly/use-cases/web-to-print-design-tool.md) ### Social Media In-app editing for social media platforms and creator tools. [Explore](https://img.ly/industries/social-media.md) ### Brands & Agencies Embedded creative tools for brand and agency content teams. [Explore](https://img.ly/industries/brands-agencies.md) ### Marketing Tech Embed creative production inside marketing platforms. [Explore](https://img.ly/industries/marketing-tech.md) ### E-Commerce Product personalization and creative for e-commerce platforms. [Explore](https://img.ly/industries/e-commerce.md) ## Short-form video creation is now part of the core app experience Users increasingly expect to create Stories and Reels directly inside the apps they use. IMG.LY helps you deliver that experience with recording tools, timeline editing, templates, creative assets, and AI-assisted workflows across iOS and Android. [Explore demos](https://img.ly/demos/video-ui/ios/) ## Short-Form Video Creation FAQs ### Short-Form Video Creation **Q: Can I create Instagram Stories or TikTok-like video creation experiences using this SDK?** A: Yes — the SDK is designed specifically to support Stories, Reels, and short-form video creation patterns. Dual camera recording, timeline editing, audio overlay, timed stickers, and video merging are all included. The UI can be styled to match your product and configured to expose only the features relevant to your use case. **Q: Which mobile platforms and frameworks are supported?** A: The SDK supports iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter. The same creative engine runs across all of them — no per-platform feature gaps or rendering differences. Dedicated getting started guides are available for each framework in the documentation. **Q: Can I control which video features are available to users?** A: Yes — every feature can be enabled, disabled, or locked by default. Camera modes, editing tools, timeline options, and asset library content are all configurable. You can scope the feature set to Stories-only, Reels-only, or a custom combination, and users only see what your product exposes. **Q: Can I integrate my own audio tracks, stickers, and overlays?** A: Yes — the SDK supports custom asset libraries including audio tracks, stickers, filters, frames, and overlays. Users see the assets you provide. Refer to the documentation for guidance on integrating assets from remote sources. **Q: Can I build templates that enforce brand elements across user-generated videos?** A: Yes — video templates support lockable designs and placeholders. You can lock logo placements, colour zones, format constraints, and specific design elements while leaving the personalisation zones open for users. Brand consistency is enforced structurally, not through instructions. **Q: Does the SDK support server-side video generation for automation use cases?** A: Yes — the CreativeEngine runs in a Node.js environment and can be used to generate video content programmatically at scale. This is useful for platforms that produce branded video content as campaign assets, personalised video, automated subtitles — rather than only enabling individual user creation. **Q: Do you offer integration support?** A: Yes. IMG.LY's solutions team provides different levels of support based on your licence type. Contact the team to discuss your specific short-form video use case and mobile integration requirements. --- ## More Resources - **[IMG.LY Website](https://img.ly/index.md)** - Creative editing SDKs for photo, video, and design - **[Documentation](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/)** - CE.SDK developer documentation - **[Contact Sales](https://img.ly/forms/contact-sales.md)** - Get a custom quote. 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