Resize, crop, or export any image or video into platform-ready social media assets using Adobe Creative Cloud tools. Use this skill when a user wants to prepare a photo, image, or video for one or more social platforms — Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, Threads, or X/Twitter. Triggers on: "prepare my image for Instagram", "resize for TikTok", "get this ready to post", "make versions for all platforms", "social media sizes", "crop for stories", "export for LinkedIn", "resize my video for social", "make social media assets", or any request to adapt a photo or video for specific platforms. Handles subject-aware cropping, AI canvas expansion, test previews before full runs, and same-ratio video resizing.
Instrucciones de origen · Vista previa de solo lectura
name
adobe-create-social-variations
description
Resize, crop, or export any image or video into platform-ready social media assets using Adobe Creative Cloud tools. Use this skill when a user wants to prepare a photo, image, or video for one or more social platforms — Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, Threads, or X/Twitter. Triggers on: "prepare my image for Instagram", "resize for TikTok", "get this ready to post", "make versions for all platforms", "social media sizes", "crop for stories", "export for LinkedIn", "resize my video for social", "make social media assets", or any request to adapt a photo or video for specific platforms. Handles subject-aware cropping, AI canvas expansion, test previews before full runs, and same-ratio video resizing.
license
Apache-2.0
compatibility
Runs on both widget-capable surfaces (e.g. Claude Cowork, which supports the asset_add_file picker and asset_preview_file preview widgets) and non-UI agents (e.g. Codex, where those widgets are unavailable). The default flow uses the widgets; each widget step has a text-only fallback. Raw local paths are never passed to image or video tools.
Produces platform-ready images and videos from a single source file. Uses AI canvas expansion and subject-aware cropping to keep the subject in focus across all aspect ratios. Shows a lightweight 3-crop preview before a full-set run so framing issues are caught early — those crops are then reused in the final output.
Surface note: The default flow below uses Adobe's MCP App widgets — the asset_add_file file picker and the asset_preview_file preview. Follow it as written. Only if a widget tool is not available on this surface (e.g. Codex) use the No-widget fallback attached to that step. Likewise, present AskUserQuestion prompts as plain-text labeled options wherever no question widget exists.
Supported Input Types
Input
Supported
Notes
JPG / PNG
✅ Full workflow
Firefly-generated image
✅ Full workflow
For .ffgenimg assets, pass the presignedRenditionUrl field, not presignedAssetUrl
Express file
⚠️ Partial
Must be exported to JPG/PNG first — tell user before proceeding
PSD / AI (Illustrator)
⚠️ Partial
Flatten first (see Error Handling if this fails)
Video (MP4/MOV)
⚠️ Partial
Resize only — no smart reframe. See VIDEO WORKFLOW
Unsupported (DOCX, PDF, etc.)
❌
Inform user; list accepted formats
Step 0 - prereq: Initialize Adobe Tools
Call adobe_mandatory_init first. This returns file handling rules and tool routing guidance required for the rest of the workflow.
Now that adobe_mandatory_init confirmed that the "Adobe for creativity" connector is live, check which tools are available through the connector and set capability flags.
Image Workflow — Core Tools (required)
All of these must be present for the skill to run at all. If any are missing from the connector, output this message exactly and stop — make no further tool calls:
"To access this skill, please disconnect and reconnect to the "Adobe for creativity" Connector to sign in using an Adobe account, or sign up."
Tool
Purpose
asset_initialize_file_upload
First call in two-step upload — stages a local file to CC
asset_finalize_file_upload
Second call in two-step upload
asset_inline_preview
Determines focus strategy before cropping
image_crop_and_resize
Per-platform, per-format cropping
Widget Tools (used when available; graceful fallback)
Tool
Flag
If missing
asset_add_file
pickerWidget = true/false
File picker — the default ingest on widget surfaces (e.g. Claude). If unavailable (e.g. Codex), stage local files programmatically via asset_initialize_file_upload → asset_finalize_file_upload (see the No-widget fallback in each Get-the-Source-File step).
asset_preview_file
previewWidget = true/false
Side-by-side/grid preview. If unavailable (e.g. Codex), present output URLs directly in the message instead — UI clients still render them inline; non-UI agents download each via curl.
Use image_crop_and_resize with fit: "reframe" from sourceURI instead. Do NOT mention "AI canvas expansion" to the user. Note in delivery summary: "Smart reframe was used for aspect ratio adaptation."
Video Workflow — Required Tools (optional workflow, all-or-nothing)
Only offer the video workflow if both tools below are available. If either is missing, set videoCapable = false — do NOT mention video resizing capabilities to the user at any point.
Tool
Purpose
video_resize
Same-ratio resize only
resizeVideoPoll
Deferred tool — load before calling
If videoCapable = false and the user explicitly asks about video resizing, avoid verbosity and output this message exactly:
"Video resizing isn't available with your current setup. Please disconnect and reconnect to the "Adobe for creativity" Connector to sign in using an Adobe account, or sign up. In the meantime, I can help with image crops and social media variants though."
Two-step upload — stage a local file to CC when the picker is unavailable
Inspect source image
asset_inline_preview
Determines focus strategy before cropping
Expand canvas
image_generative_expand
Creates tall (9:16/4:5) and wide (~2:1/16:9) variants
Crop to platform dimensions
image_crop_and_resize
Per-platform, per-format; also 403 fallback for expand
Preview test crops or full set
asset_preview_file
Before full run (test) and at delivery (no-widget fallback: present the URLs directly)
Resize video
video_resize
Same-ratio resize only
Poll video resize job
resizeVideoPoll
Deferred tool — load before calling
IMAGE WORKFLOW
Step 0 — Get the Source File
How you get the file depends on where it is:
Source
Action
File uploaded in chat (/mnt/user-data/uploads/…)
Check egress status from adobe_mandatory_init (Step 0). If egress is enabled, upload programmatically: get file size and MIME type via bash, call asset_initialize_file_upload, PUT the chunk(s), then asset_finalize_file_upload. If egress is disabled, use asset_add_file() (the picker) instead.
No file provided yet
Call asset_add_file() immediately — no need to ask first.
File already in Creative Cloud
Call asset_add_file() so the user can select it from their CC storage.
No-widget fallback(only if asset_add_file is unavailable on this surface, e.g. Codex) — don't ask the user to pick. Stage any local file programmatically (asset_initialize_file_upload → PUT → asset_finalize_file_upload) and use the returned presigned CC URL; for a file already in Creative Cloud, reference it directly by its CC URI. Staging requires egress — check egress status from adobe_mandatory_init first; if egress is disabled and no picker is available on this surface, tell the user staging isn't possible here and ask them to run the workflow on a surface with the asset_add_file picker.
After the file is available, detect image vs. video from mediaType. For images, proceed to Step 1.
Step 1 — Ask: Which Platforms?
Ask in a single question using AskUserQuestion with multi-select:
Full set / Instagram / TikTok / LinkedIn / Facebook / YouTube / Snapchat / X/Twitter / Pinterest / Threads
Set the test flag based on the user's answer:
If "Full set" is selected → runTestPreview = true. Use all platforms. A 3-crop test preview will be shown before the full set is generated (see Step 4).
If any specific platform(s) are selected → runTestPreview = false. Use only the selected platforms. Skip the test preview and go directly from Step 3 to Step 5.
The test preview is a useful safety net for large cross-platform batches, but unnecessary friction for a targeted 1–2 platform run.
Step 2 — Inspect Image & Set Focus Strategy
Inspect the image first using asset_inline_preview on the source file. Visual inspection produces far better focus decisions than guessing from the filename — and usually means you won't need to ask the user anything at all.
After inspecting, tell the user what you see and what focus strategy you're using, and invite a correction:
"I can see this is a [e.g. 'product shot of a tote bag on a neutral background']. I'll use [focus strategy] to keep [subject] centred across all crops. Does that sound right, or would you like me to focus on something else?"
Only ask a follow-up question if the image is genuinely ambiguous (multiple equally prominent subjects, or a scene with no clear focal point).
Image type
Focus strategy
Rationale
Portrait / headshot / person in scene
"face"
Most reliable for people — facial detection anchors to the face even in tight crops
Upper body / chest-up portrait
"upper_body"
Use when face + torso context matters (outfit, gesture, expression)
Product on clean background
{ prompt: "description of product" }
Name the product explicitly for clean isolation (e.g. { prompt: "tote bag" })
Non-human subject with busy background
{ prompt: "description of subject" }
More precise than generic "subject"
Aerial / flat lay / no clear subject
{ x: 0.5, y: 0.5 }
Centre crop is safest when nothing to detect
User specifies a subject
{ prompt: "user's description" }
Pass their words directly
For images containing people, use "face" — prompt-based focus drifts to bodies rather than faces. Reserve { prompt: "..." } for non-human subjects.
⚠️ If the source image is significantly wider than it is tall (landscape), use 2000px top & bottom for the tall expand (not the default 960px) — this gives the portrait crop enough canvas to reframe around the subject.
⚠️ For the same landscape sources, also use 1500px left & right for the wide expand (not the default 960px) — 960px doesn't give the reframe enough room to pull the subject into centre for the ~2:1 landscape crop.
If the user corrects your assessment, update the focus strategy and confirm before proceeding.
Step 3 — Generative Expand (directly from source — no padding)
Expand the original image directly. Do not pad to square first — the AI produces better results extending real scene content than bridging across blank bars.
Run both expands before any crops:
// GROUP A — tall canvas (for 9:16 and 4:5 targets)
image_generative_expand(sourceURI, { top: 960, bottom: 960 }) → tallURI
// use 2000 top & bottom if source is significantly landscape
// GROUP B — wide canvas (for ~2:1 and 16:9 targets)
image_generative_expand(sourceURI, { left: 960, right: 960 }) → wideURI
// use 1500 left & right if source is significantly landscape
Square targets (1:1) crop directly from the source — no expand needed.
Expands originate from the original sourceURI — chained expands degrade output.
⚠️ If image_generative_expand returns 403 (entitlement), fall back to image_crop_and_resize with fit: "reframe" from sourceURI for all variants in that group. Note the fallback in the delivery summary.
Step 4 — Test Preview (Full set only — skip if runTestPreview = false)
If runTestPreview = false (specific platforms selected): skip this step and go directly to Step 5.
If runTestPreview = true (Full set): produce 3 representative test crops — one per aspect ratio family — before generating the full set.
Instagram portrait, Threads — bellwether for 9:16 quality
Test 3 — Landscape
wideURI
1200×627
~2:1
LinkedIn landscape, Facebook landscape, X/Twitter
Show all 3 via asset_preview_file and ask:
"Here are 3 test crops covering the main aspect ratios. Do the framing and expansion look good? I'll generate the full set once you approve."
No-widget fallback(only if asset_preview_file is unavailable, e.g. Codex) — present all 3 URLs directly in the message and ask the same question; UI clients render them inline, and in Codex or other non-UI agents, download each to the workspace and reference the local paths.
These crops are reused in the final output — only the 9:16 story/reel crop needs to be generated after approval.
Step 5 — Generate All Platform Variants
If runTestPreview = true: proceed only after user approves test crops in Step 4.
If runTestPreview = false: proceed immediately after Step 3.
Generate every variant in the Platform Specs table for each selected platform. Reuse test crop URIs only when dimensions are an exact match — for any different dimensions, run a fresh image_crop_and_resize.
Call asset_preview_file with all successfully generated URLs — including partial sets when some variants failed.
No-widget fallback(only if asset_preview_file is unavailable, e.g. Codex) — list all successfully generated URLs directly in the message (including partial sets when some variants failed). UI clients render them inline; in Codex or other non-UI agents, download each to the workspace and reference the local paths.
Step 7 — Delivery Summary
Present a clean summary table. Note any fallbacks or skipped steps clearly.
✅ Social media set complete!
| Platform | Format | Dimensions | Status |
| --------- | -------------- | ---------- | ------------- |
| Instagram | Feed Square | 1080×1080 | ✅ (from test) |
| Instagram | Feed Portrait | 1080×1350 | ✅ (from test) |
| Instagram | Story / Reel | 1080×1920 | ✅ |
| TikTok | Video / Post | 1080×1920 | ✅ |
| LinkedIn | Post Landscape | 1200×627 | ✅ (from test) |
| LinkedIn | Post Square | 1080×1080 | ✅ (from test) |
If generative expand fell back to reframe:
⚠️ AI canvas expansion is not included in your current Adobe plan — smart reframe was used instead.
Platform Specs (Image)
#
Platform
Format
Dimensions
Ratio
Quality
Source Canvas
1
Instagram
Feed Square
1080×1080
1:1
7
sourceURI
2
Instagram
Feed Portrait
1080×1350
4:5
7
tallURI
3
Instagram
Story / Reel
1080×1920
9:16
7
tallURI
4
TikTok
Video / Post
1080×1920
9:16
7
tallURI
5
LinkedIn
Post Landscape
1200×627
~2:1
6
wideURI
6
LinkedIn
Post Square
1080×1080
1:1
6
sourceURI
7
Facebook
Feed Landscape
1200×630
~2:1
7
wideURI
8
Facebook
Feed Square
1080×1080
1:1
7
sourceURI
9
Facebook
Story
1080×1920
9:16
7
tallURI
10
X/Twitter
In-stream
1200×675
16:9
6
wideURI
11
X/Twitter
Square post
1080×1080
1:1
6
sourceURI
12
YouTube
Thumbnail
1280×720
16:9
5
wideURI
13
Snapchat
Snap/Story
1080×1920
9:16
2
tallURI
14
Pinterest
Standard Pin
1000×1500
2:3
7
tallURI
15
Threads
Feed Portrait
1080×1350
4:5
7
tallURI
⚠️ Snapchat's 250 KB limit requires quality: 2 — warn the user upfront when Snapchat is selected.
Video tools require an assetId — not a URL. How you get it depends on where the file is:
Source
Action
File uploaded in chat (/mnt/user-data/uploads/…)
Check egress status from adobe_mandatory_init (Step 0). If egress is enabled, upload programmatically: get file size and MIME type via bash, call asset_initialize_file_upload, PUT the chunk(s), then asset_finalize_file_upload. The returned assetId is what video tools need. If egress is disabled, use asset_add_file() (the picker) instead.
No file provided yet
Call asset_add_file() immediately.
File already in Creative Cloud
Call asset_add_file() so the user can select it.
If egress is disabled and the user has already dropped a video into chat, explain why it can't be used directly: "To resize your video I'll need you to select it via the file picker — this gives Adobe the asset ID it needs. I'll open it now."
No-widget fallback(only if asset_add_file is unavailable, e.g. Codex) — stage the local video programmatically (asset_initialize_file_upload → PUT → asset_finalize_file_upload) and use the returned assetId; for a video already in Creative Cloud, reference it by its assetId. Staging requires egress — check egress status from adobe_mandatory_init first; if egress is disabled and no picker is available on this surface, tell the user staging isn't possible here and ask them to run the workflow on a surface with the asset_add_file picker.
Step 1 — Determine Video Type
If the user has already described or implied the video orientation (e.g. "I shot this on my phone in portrait" → clearly 9:16), skip this question and proceed. Otherwise ask:
"To suggest the best output sizes, it helps to know what kind of video this is. What type is it?"
Use AskUserQuestion with single-select:
Option
Aspect Ratio
Common use
Phone video — portrait
9:16
Shot on phone, vertical
Phone video — square
1:1
Shot in square mode
Screen recording
16:9
Desktop or laptop capture
Camera / DSLR
16:9
Professional or mirrorless camera
Other / not sure
—
Default to 1:1 (safest cross-platform)
Step 2 — Suggest Safe Output Sizes
Only suggest same-ratio resizes. Cross-ratio resizes (e.g. 16:9 → 9:16) produce black bars and are algorithmically penalised on TikTok and Instagram Reels. If a user asks for a cross-ratio resize, explain the limitation and offer same-ratio alternatives instead.
Source ratio
Safe output sizes
9:16 (portrait)
1080×1920, 720×1280, 540×960
1:1 (square)
1080×1080, 720×720
16:9 (landscape)
1920×1080, 1280×720, 854×480
Present these as options with AskUserQuestion (multi-select).
Step 3 — Resize
⚠️ resizeVideoPoll is a deferred tool — load it first before attempting to poll.
Direct calls without loading will fail with "not loaded" error.
For each selected size, call video_resize with the asset ID:
Poll with resizeVideoPoll until complete. Poll 3–4 times with brief pauses before reporting slow progress to the user.
Step 4 — Preview
Call asset_preview_file with all completed outputs.
No-widget fallback(only if asset_preview_file is unavailable, e.g. Codex) — list all completed output URLs directly in the message. UI clients render them inline; in Codex or other non-UI agents, download each to the workspace and reference the local paths.
Note: Video resizing does not apply intelligent reframing — cross-ratio reformatting is out of scope for this skill.
Error Handling
Situation
Action
Egress upload fails (chunk PUT 5xx after retry)
Stop upload. Fall back to asset_add_file() and tell the user: "Direct upload didn't work — I'll open the picker so you can select the file." (No-widget surface: report the failure and ask the user to re-provide the file.)
image_generative_expand returns 403 (entitlement)
Fall back to image_crop_and_resize with fit: "reframe" from sourceURI. Note in delivery summary: "AI canvas expansion is not included in your current Adobe plan — smart reframe was used instead." Retrying does not resolve a 403 entitlement — continue per the fallback rule.
image_crop_and_resize returns 403 (entitlement)
Stop workflow. Tell the user: "Image cropping isn't available on your current Adobe plan — I can't complete this request here."
PSD/AI flattening returns 403
Stop workflow. Tell the user: "Flattening this file type isn't available on your current Adobe plan — export as JPG or PNG first, then try again."
.ffgenimg file type fails expand
Retry using presignedRenditionUrl instead of presignedAssetUrl
401 not authenticated
Ask user to re-authenticate via Adobe OAuth
Image too large after crop
Re-run with lower quality setting
Express file uploaded
Ask user to export as JPG/PNG first
PSD / AI file uploaded
Flatten first (JPEG, 300 DPI). On 403, see entitlement row above.
Never pass a raw local filesystem path to any image_* or video tool. Local files must reach Creative Cloud first — selected via the asset_add_file picker, or (no-widget fallback) staged via asset_initialize_file_upload → PUT → asset_finalize_file_upload; only the resulting presigned CC URI (for images) or assetId (for video tools) is valid.
