See every step on screen, from install to the finished MP4
Watch on YouTubeThose little cartoon story videos on Shorts and Reels look simple: a few characters, one voice telling a story, a bit of music. But if you've ever tried to make one, you know the real problem. Drawing, animating, syncing the voice, adding sound effects, exporting. It eats an entire weekend.
So I built a shortcut. I worked with Claude to put together a full cartoon engine, packed it into a Claude skill, and tested it from the first idea all the way to a finished video. You give it a story and record your own voice. It handles the rest and hands you a vertical MP4 that's ready to upload.
One thing to understand first: this is not an AI video generator. Nothing here is a random clip made from a prompt. Every character, background and sound is drawn and generated by code, so your characters look the same in every shot and you stay in control of the story. The flip side is honest too: the video will only be as good as the story you feed it.
The skill is free. Below you'll find the download, the exact steps I follow, and a few things I wish I'd known earlier.
What the Skill Actually Does
Download the Free Skill
Grab the file from the box below. It's a single ZIP. Please don't extract it. Claude needs the ZIP exactly as it is.
📦 Cartoon Short Skill for Claude
⬇ Download SkillGoogle Drive will open in a new tab. Click the download icon at the top of that page to save the ZIP. If Drive says it can't preview the file, that's normal.
⬇ Download the ZIP (Free)Step-by-Step: From Idea to Finished Video
Step 1: Add the Skill to Claude
Open Claude in your browser or the app and go to Customize, then Skills.
- Click the + button, then Create skill, then Upload a skill.
- Choose the ZIP you just downloaded.
- When it shows up in your list (it's called arin-cartoon-short), make sure the toggle next to it is ON.
You only do this once. Skills work on the free plan too.
Step 2: Start a New Chat and Tell Claude What You Want
Open a fresh chat and type something simple. You don't need a clever prompt. Here's one you can copy and tweak:
📝 Starter Prompt
Make a cartoon short about a farmer who wants to climb a huge mountain and learns that small steps beat big jumps. Keep it around 30 to 40 seconds.
Claude will ask how you want to begin. You can bring your own story, give it a topic and let it write, or ask for ideas. If you pick ideas, you'll get a short list, each with a hook and a lesson. Choose a number and move on.
Step 3: Read the Script and Approve It
Claude writes the script as numbered lines. Every line becomes one shot in the video, so you'll usually see somewhere between 8 and 14 lines for a 30 to 45 second short.
- Make sure the first line grabs attention. A question or a surprise works best.
- Make sure the last line gives the viewer something to take away.
- If a line feels clumsy to say out loud, ask Claude to rewrite it. Fixing it now is much easier than re-recording later.
Once it sounds right, tell Claude it's good. It then builds the storyboard (characters, scenes, camera moves) in the background.
Step 4: Record Your Voiceover
This is the part that makes the video yours. Use your phone's voice recorder, sit somewhere quiet, and read the script line by line.
- Pause for about half a second between lines. This matters more than anything else. The skill uses those gaps to decide where each scene changes.
- Speak at a natural pace. Don't rush to save time.
- MP3, M4A, WAV and OGG files all work.
Drag the audio file into the chat. Claude checks it, matches every line to the right moment and shows you a small timing table. If the pauses were unclear, it will tell you, and you can decide whether to re-record or carry on.
Step 5: Check the Preview
Before the long render starts, Claude shows a contact sheet with one still image from every shot, with the line written above it. Look at the characters, outfits and backgrounds. If something is off, say so now. For example: "make the second character wear a blue kurta" or "change shot 4 to night". Only the parts you changed get rebuilt later.
Step 6: Let It Render
Say OK and the rendering begins. It works in small pieces, and each run lasts a few minutes before it pauses. When it does, Claude simply runs it again. If it ever stops, just type continue.
- A short video at full quality usually takes a handful of minutes in total, but your time will depend on how busy Claude is and how long the video is.
- If you want it faster, ask Claude to render in 720p. It's noticeably quicker.
Step 7: Download Your Video
After the video is rendered, the skill adds the music and sound effects, mixes everything with your voice and exports the final file. You get a vertical 1080 x 1920 MP4, which is the right size for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and Facebook Reels. Download it, check it once from start to finish, and upload.
Want a different mood or a small change? Tell Claude. Changing only the music, for example, doesn't mean rendering the whole video again.
What If Your Claude Limit Runs Out?
This is the question I get asked the most, and it's the reason the skill saves its progress. Every stage is stored as it goes, and the render is built in short pieces.
When you're close to your limit, Claude gives you a project backup ZIP. Keep it safe. When your limit resets:
- Open a new chat with the skill still turned on.
- Upload the backup ZIP.
- Type: continue my cartoon short.
It picks up from the exact part where it stopped. Pieces that are already finished aren't redone. Claude doesn't remember old chats, so that ZIP is your save file. Don't delete it until you have the final video.
Free plan reality check: you can use the whole workflow for free, but your daily limit will usually allow only one or two videos. A paid plan simply gives you more room per day.
Tips That Will Save You Time
- Keep the cast small. Two or three characters is plenty for a 40 second story. Give each one a different color so viewers can tell them apart instantly.
- One idea per line. Short sentences are easier to say and easier to cut cleanly.
- Check your facts. If you tell a real story or a piece of history, verify the names, dates and numbers yourself. One wrong detail in the comments can hurt a whole video.
- Don't copy others. Avoid copyrighted characters, brand logos or songs. Create your own characters instead.
- Read the platform rules. YouTube and Instagram have policies on repetitive content and on AI or synthetic material, and they change over time. Take five minutes to read the current ones before you start posting daily.
- Test, don't guess. Make a few videos, then look at which hooks and lengths people actually watch to the end.
No tool can promise views. What this skill does is remove the production work, so you can spend your time on the part that really decides the result: the story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know how to code?
No. You only talk to Claude and answer a few questions. The skill does all the technical work behind the scenes.
Can I make videos in Hindi or another language?
Yes. The narration is simply your own recording, so you can speak in any language you like. Claude can write the script in that language too.
Can I use an AI voice instead of my own?
You can use any audio file. Just check the disclosure rules of the platform you upload to if you use a synthetic voice.
I can't see the Skills option. What should I do?
Update the Claude app or refresh the page first. If it still doesn't show, check your account settings for the code execution option and make sure it is turned on.
Can I change something after the video is done?
Yes. Tell Claude which shot or sound you want to change. Only the affected parts are rendered again.
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