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GCS Storage Guide

Google Cloud Storage integration for video generation.

Why Use GCS?

Benefit Description
Video Extension Required for extending videos reliably
Larger Files No base64 size limits
Faster Processing Direct GCS-to-API transfer
Persistent Storage Keep generated videos in cloud

Setup

1. Create a GCS Bucket

# Install gcloud CLI if needed
# https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install

# Create bucket
gsutil mb gs://your-bucket-name

# Set location (optional)
gsutil mb -l us-central1 gs://your-bucket-name

2. Set Permissions

For Vertex AI to access your bucket:

# Grant access to Vertex AI service account
gsutil iam ch serviceAccount:service-PROJECT_NUMBER@gcp-sa-aiplatform.iam.gserviceaccount.com:objectViewer gs://your-bucket-name

Usage

With video_gen.py

# Generate video and store in GCS
python video_gen.py "A sunset" --storage-uri gs://your-bucket/videos

# Extend video (auto-uploads local file to GCS)
python video_gen.py "Continue scene" \
  --extend-video local_video.mp4 \
  --storage-uri gs://your-bucket/videos

With Config File

Add to config.json:

{
  "main_projects": {
    "default": {
      "api_key": "AIzaSy...",
      "gcs_bucket": "gs://your-bucket/videos"
    }
  }
}

Then use automatically:

python video_gen.py "A sunset"  # Uses config GCS bucket

Storage URI Format

gs://BUCKET_NAME/PATH/

Examples:
gs://my-videos/
gs://my-videos/generated/
gs://my-project-bucket/ai-videos/2026/

Auto-Upload Feature

When you provide --storage-uri:

  1. Local files are uploaded to GCS before API call
  2. Generated videos are stored in GCS
  3. Videos are also downloaded locally
Local file → Upload to GCS → API uses gcsUri → Generated in GCS → Download local

Checking Your Bucket

# List contents
gsutil ls gs://your-bucket/

# Check file details
gsutil ls -l gs://your-bucket/video.mp4

# Download file
gsutil cp gs://your-bucket/video.mp4 ./local_copy.mp4

Cost Considerations

Service Cost
Storage ~$0.02/GB/month
Upload Free
Download ~$0.12/GB
Operations Minimal

Auto-Delete Old Files

Set up lifecycle rules to auto-delete old files

# Create lifecycle rule (delete after 30 days)
gsutil lifecycle set lifecycle.json gs://your-bucket

Troubleshooting

"Permission denied"

# Check bucket permissions
gsutil iam get gs://your-bucket

# Add yourself as owner
gsutil iam ch user:your@email.com:objectAdmin gs://your-bucket

"Bucket not found"

# Verify bucket exists
gsutil ls gs://your-bucket

# Create if missing
gsutil mb gs://your-bucket

"gsutil not found"

# Install Google Cloud SDK
curl https://sdk.cloud.google.com | bash

# Or use pip
pip install google-cloud-storage

Alternative: REST API

If gsutil isn't available, the script can use REST API:

# Handled automatically in video_gen.py
# Uses google-cloud-storage library

Learn More