Full AI YouTube Automation Explained:

The Automation tab is your command center for mass content creation and intelligent scheduling. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the process:

1. Topic Input & Generation:
   • Provide a list of video ideas, one per line, in the "Topics to Process" area.
   • Alternatively, enter a general theme (e.g., "Space Exploration Facts") in the "Topic Generation Prompt" box and click "Generate Topics". StoryLLM will use your selected LLM API (OpenAI, Ollama, or Gemini) to brainstorm and populate the list with relevant video titles.
2. Core Content Configuration:
   • Set the desired Video Duration (in minutes) for the main videos. StoryLLM aims for this length when generating scripts.
   • Specify the Narration Language (e.g., English, Turkish, German).
   • (Optional) Provide Additional Narration Guidance to give the script-generating AI more specific instructions on tone, style, or key points to include.
   • Select your target YouTube Account for uploads.
   • Choose your preferred TTS Engine, Image Model, API Choice, and other generation settings using the global selectors or the specific overrides within the Automation tab's accordions.
3. Optional Add-ons Configuration:
   • Tick "Also Generate YouTube Shorts Video" to automatically create a vertical, short-form video (under 60 seconds) alongside the main video for each topic. You can provide separate Additional Shorts Guidance for the script AI.
   • Tick "Generate Thumbnails Automatically" and specify the Number of Thumbnails (e.g., 3). StoryLLM will use the Thumbnail Generator feature (explained below) to create multiple options for each topic and automatically upload the first one generated with the main video.
4. Smart Scheduling Setup:
   • StoryLLM displays the Last Scheduled Time specifically for the selected YouTube account (retrieved from a local file).
   • The system automatically calculates the Next Schedule slot based on your preferred upload frequency (e.g., one video every morning, one every evening). It intelligently determines the next available morning (e.g., 09:00) or evening (e.g., 20:00) slot in the *target timezone* configured in your `config.json`, ensuring it's at least 15-20 minutes in the future from the *current time*.
   • This enables consistent, automated uploads without manual date/time selection for each video in the batch. The schedule automatically progresses for each successful upload.
5. Execution and Monitoring:
   • Click "START AUTOMATION".
   • StoryLLM checks if a video for the current topic has already been successfully uploaded to that channel (by checking saved job results) and skips duplicates.
   • It creates a unique folder for the topic (e.g., `...\automation_jobs\YourChannelID\20240727_103000_Top5PythonTips`).
   • The entire generation pipeline runs: Script -> Audio -> Prompts -> Images -> Main Video Assembly -> (Optional Shorts Generation) -> (Optional Thumbnail Generation) -> Metadata Generation -> YouTube Upload & Scheduling.
   • You can monitor the detailed progress in the Automation Status box.
   • If a YouTube upload limit error occurs, the entire batch stops to prevent further issues.
   • Upon successful upload, the scheduled time is saved for the channel, and the process moves to the next topic after the specified delay (if any), until the maximum number of videos for the run is reached.
6. Managing Output:
   • Use the "Open Current/Base Folder" button. If automation is running, it opens the folder for the topic currently being processed. If not running, it opens the main `automation_jobs` directory.

This powerful YouTube automation feature significantly reduces manual work, allowing you to focus on topic ideation while StoryLLM handles the production and consistent scheduling.