5 n8n Video Workflow Templates You Can Import Right Now
Ready-to-use n8n workflow templates for video compression, thumbnail generation, audio extraction, social media resize, and subtitle burning.
n8n video workflow templates are pre-built, importable workflow configurations for the n8n automation platform that handle common video processing tasks — compression, thumbnail generation, audio extraction, social media resizing, and subtitle burning — using ffpipe’s cloud video processing API. Each template takes 5–10 minutes to customize and deploy, requiring no FFmpeg knowledge or self-hosted infrastructure.
Key Takeaways
- 5 ready-to-import templates: compress, thumbnail, audio extract, social resize, subtitle burn
- All run on n8n Cloud — no self-hosting or FFmpeg installation needed
- Templates are modular and composable into multi-step pipelines
- Total cost for daily video processing: ~$3/month
Skip the setup: use ready-made templates
Building n8n workflows from scratch takes time. You need to understand the trigger, map inputs, configure API calls, handle errors. For video processing, you repeat this five times over.
Instead, start with a template. Copy the workflow, plug in your API keys, and it works. These five templates cover the most common video automation tasks.
All templates use ffpipe for video processing (no FFmpeg knowledge required) and are designed to run on n8n Cloud (no self-hosting).
Template 1: Video compression & file size reduction
What it does: Takes any video, compresses it aggressively, and saves the result.
When to use it: Your users upload 500 MB videos. You need to store them efficiently. Or you’re sending videos via email/Slack and need them under 100 MB.
How it works:
Trigger: File upload (Google Drive, Dropbox, or webhook)
→ ffpipe (compress video: CRF 28, bitrate 1 Mbps)
→ Save to output folder
→ Notify user: "Compressed to 45 MB"What you configure:
- Input folder/trigger (Google Drive, S3, webhook)
- Output destination
- Compression quality (higher CRF = smaller file, lower quality; lower CRF = larger file, higher quality)
Template link: Download from n8n templates
Template 2: Automatic thumbnail generation
What it does: Extract a frame from a video at a specific timestamp and save as a high-quality JPEG.
When to use it: You’re building a video library and want every video to have a thumbnail automatically. Or you’re uploading to YouTube and need consistent thumbnail sizes.
How it works:
Trigger: New video in S3
→ ffpipe (extract frame at 3 seconds, quality 5)
→ S3 upload (save as thumbnail.jpg)
→ Update database with thumbnail URLWhat you configure:
- Input video location
- Frame extraction time (seconds)
- Output thumbnail filename and location
Pro tip: Run this in parallel with compression (Template 1). One workflow triggers both operations simultaneously.
Template link: Download from n8n templates
Template 3: Extract audio as MP3
What it does: Remove audio from a video and save as MP3 (optionally with volume normalization).
When to use it: You’re publishing podcasts from recorded webinars. Or you’re creating audiobooks from video courses.
How it works:
Trigger: Zoom recording completed (webhook)
→ ffpipe (extract audio, normalize loudness)
→ Transistor/Buzzsprout upload (publish to podcast host)
→ Create Notion entry with episode metadata
→ Slack notification: "New episode ready"What you configure:
- Input video source (Zoom webhook, Google Drive, etc.)
- Audio bitrate (128 kbps is good for podcasts; 192 kbps for music)
- Output filename and destination
- Optional: podcast host API credentials
Template link: Download from n8n templates
Template 4: Resize for social media (TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts)
What it does: Convert one video into three formats optimized for different platforms.
When to use it: You’re a content creator publishing on multiple platforms. Doing this manually means three export sessions in your video editor.
How it works:
Trigger: New video in Google Drive
→ Split into parallel branches:
├─ ffpipe (resize for TikTok: 9:16, 60s max)
├─ ffpipe (resize for Instagram Reels: 4:5, 90s max)
└─ ffpipe (resize for YouTube Shorts: 9:16, 60s max)
→ Merge results
→ Create row in Airtable with three video URLs
→ Slack: Post preview linksWhat you configure:
- Input video
- Output folder (or upload directly to each platform via Buffer/Later API)
- Platform preferences (orientation, max duration, aspect ratio)
Cost-saving tip: Run all three in parallel. n8n processes them simultaneously, so it’s faster than doing them sequentially.
Template link: Download from n8n templates and preset details
Template 5: Burn subtitles into video
What it does: Add hardcoded subtitles to a video (useful when viewers don’t enable captions).
When to use it: You’re uploading educational content where captions matter. Or you’re creating videos without sound (silent clips for social media).
How it works:
Trigger: Airtable row created (status = "Ready for subtitles")
→ HTTP Request (fetch subtitle file from row)
→ ffpipe (burn subtitles into video)
→ Google Drive upload (save as separate "with captions" version)
→ Update Airtable: "Captions added"What you configure:
- Input video
- Subtitle file source (SRT format, or auto-generate via OpenAI Whisper)
- Font size, color, position
- Output filename
Advanced option: Combine with Template 3 to auto-generate subtitles from audio using OpenAI before burning them.
Template link: Download from n8n templates
How to import and customize a template
Step 1: Access the template
Visit n8n templates, find the template you want, click “Import Workflow.”
Step 2: Configure triggers and outputs
Replace the example Google Drive folder, S3 bucket, or webhook with your actual locations.
Step 3: Add your ffpipe API key
In the ffpipe node, paste your API key from ffpipe dashboard.
Step 4: Test with one file
Run the workflow manually with a test video. Check that:
- The trigger fires
- ffpipe processes the video
- Output is saved correctly
- Notifications arrive (if you added them)
Step 5: Deploy and monitor
Activate the trigger and let it run. Monitor the first few executions, then set an alert if anything fails.
Combining templates
These templates are modular. You can combine them:
Example: Complete video delivery pipeline
User uploads video
→ Compress (Template 1)
→ Generate thumbnail (Template 2)
→ Extract audio + normalize (Template 3)
→ Resize for social media (Template 4)
→ Burn subtitles (Template 5)
→ Save all outputs to client folder
→ Send client Dropbox link via emailOne workflow, five operations, all automatic. The entire process takes 5-15 minutes depending on video length.
Costs for typical usage
Using all five templates on one 10-minute video per day:
- ffpipe: ~10 minutes of processing (compression takes longest) = ~$0.10/day
- n8n: Free tier covers thousands of executions/month
- Storage: Google Drive free tier (15 GB) is usually enough
Total: ~$3/month for unlimited daily video processing (well within ffpipe Starter plan).
Scale to 10 videos per day and you’re still under $30/month.
Getting started
- Create a free ffpipe account
- Log into your n8n account (or create one free)
- Visit n8n templates
- Import your first template
- Configure with your API key and file locations
- Run a test
The first template takes 10 minutes to set up. After that, each new one takes 5 minutes.
Ready to automate video processing? Start free →
Frequently asked questions
Can I combine multiple templates into one workflow?
Yes. Templates are modular. You can chain them in a single n8n workflow: e.g., compress → generate thumbnail → extract audio → resize for social media → burn subtitles. n8n processes parallel branches simultaneously for faster execution.
Do these templates work on n8n Cloud?
Yes. All templates use ffpipe’s cloud API for video processing, so they work on both n8n Cloud and self-hosted n8n without any FFmpeg binary installation.
How much do these templates cost to run?
Using all five templates on one 10-minute video per day: approximately $0.10/day in ffpipe processing costs (~$3/month). n8n’s free tier covers the workflow executions. Scale to 10 videos/day and you’re still under $30/month.
How do I import a template into n8n?
Visit the n8n templates page, find the video processing template you want, and click “Import Workflow.” Then configure your triggers, API key, and file locations. The first setup takes ~10 minutes.
Glossary
- CRF (Constant Rate Factor): A video compression quality parameter. CRF 28 produces aggressive compression (small files); CRF 18 produces near-lossless quality (large files).
- Loudness normalization: Adjusting audio levels to a consistent standard (e.g., -16 LUFS for broadcast, -14 LUFS for streaming).
- SRT subtitle file: A text file format (.srt) containing timed captions with sequence numbers, timestamps, and subtitle text.
- Hardcoded subtitles: Subtitles rendered permanently into the video frames (“burned in”), visible regardless of player subtitle settings.
- Parallel branching: n8n’s ability to split a workflow into concurrent paths that execute simultaneously.