# Salon Reel Video Pipeline Skill

**When to use this skill:**
You are producing short vertical Reels (9:16) for Phoenix Salon & Spa social media. The goal is fast, high-quality clips that educate, engage, and drive bookings. Typical length: 15-30 seconds.

**Core Principles (from OpenMontage patterns):**
- Break every video into clear stages with quality gates.
- Prefer real client footage + tasteful enhancements over heavy AI generation.
- Human approval is required before final render and before posting.
- Use HyperFrames for polished subtitles/overlays when possible; fall back to FFmpeg for speed.

**Pipeline Stages**

1. **Intake & Planning**
   - Understand the goal of the Reel (educational tip, service highlight, promotion, behind-the-scenes).
   - Identify key moments in raw footage or script.
   - Decide on music mood, text overlays, and CTA.

2. **Clipping & Trimming**
   - Extract the strongest 8-25 second segment(s).
   - Use FFmpeg for fast, precise cuts:
     ```bash
     ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -ss 00:00:05 -t 15 -c copy clip.mp4
     ```
   - Keep multiple options if unsure.

3. **Transcription & Subtitling**
   - Transcribe spoken content.
   - Create big, readable, timed subtitles (karaoke or highlight style preferred for Reels).
   - Use HyperFrames when high visual polish is needed.
   - Burn subtitles with FFmpeg when speed matters:
     ```bash
     ffmpeg -i clip.mp4 -vf "subtitles=subs.srt:force_style='Fontsize=24,PrimaryColour=&H00FFFFFF'" -c:a copy output.mp4
     ```

4. **Visual Enhancement & Branding**
   - Add Phoenix Salon logo (lower third or corner).
   - Color grade lightly for warm, relaxing spa feel.
   - Add subtle transitions and motion graphics via HyperFrames if time allows.
   - Ensure vertical 1080x1920 output.

5. **Audio Polish**
   - Normalize audio levels.
   - Add royalty-free background music that matches the mood (calm for education, upbeat for promotions).
   - Duck music under voice.

6. **Quality Gate (Self-Review)**
   - Watch the full clip.
   - Check: readability of text, brand consistency, pacing, audio clarity, no spelling errors.
   - Flag anything that feels off-brand or low quality.

7. **Human Approval Gate**
   - Present the rendered Reel + description of changes to the human.
   - Only proceed to export/finalize after explicit approval.

**Output Requirements**
- Final file must be vertical (1080x1920), under 30 seconds, H.264, good compression for social.
- Include caption text ready for Postiz.
- Log what worked well for future learning.

**Tools to Use**
- Terminal skill for FFmpeg commands
- HyperFrames skill for advanced composition and subtitles
- Browser or file tools for assets (logo, music)

**Pitfalls to Avoid**
- Over-editing (keep it natural and authentic for a salon).
- Tiny unreadable text on mobile.
- Forgetting the CTA at the end.
- Posting without human review on brand-sensitive content.