I sit down with Cova, a creator known for racking up millions of views on Instagram Reels through her signature AI-enhanced visual style. She has worked with brands like NVIDIA and Adobe, and for the first time ever, she walks us through her entire creative workflow. I watch her use Manus AI to reverse-engineer viral video styles, FreePik’s Nanobanana Pro model to transform plain talking-head shots into cinematic scenes, and AI video generators like SeaDance to create impossible transition shots. She also reveals how she plans and scales her content pipeline using Obsidian paired with Claude Code.
Cova’s Content Creation Stack:
Video Editing: Premiere Pro, After Effects (for visual effects)
Image Generation: Freepik (Nanabanana Pro her preferred model)
Video Generation: Seedance (her current go-to), Kling (especially Kling 3)
AI Research & Planning: Manus AI (for analyzing existing videos, creating style breakdowns, and building replication plans)
Project Planning & Organization: Obsidian (for storing scripts, storyboard templates, style guides, and project files), Poke (for daily task management and scheduling)
AI Coding / File Automation: Claude Code and Cursor (used alongside Obsidian to convert scripts into storyboards, restructure project folders, and execute on templates automatically)
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
02:59 – Using Manus AI to Analyze Creator Videos
09:41 – Video Breakdown and Replication Plan
20:57 – Using FreePik to Transform Static Shots
28:46 – Using Seedance for AI-Powered Transitions
33:44 – The Importance of Differentiation
34:31 – Full Tool Stack Rundown
35:44 – Obsidian & Claude Code for Content Planning & Scaling Systems
39:23 – Closing Thoughts
Key Points
– Manus AI can watch a creator’s video, break down the style and story structure, and produce a full replication plan with aesthetic keywords, script transcription, and step-by-step filming guidance.
– FreePik’s Nanobanana Pro model lets creators transform bare or average-looking rooms into visually rich, cinematic sets by generating and masking in new background elements — all from a single still frame.
– AI video generators like Seedance create short transition clips (three to four seconds) from a start frame and a prompt, enabling "impossible shots" that hook viewers in the first seconds.
– When prompting video generation models, use positive terminology and describe what the camera is doing rather than what it is avoiding. Models respond better to affirmative descriptions.
– Pairing Obsidian with Claude Code (or Cursor) lets creators automate repetitive planning tasks — turning scripts into storyboards, restructuring project folders, and enforcing personal style guides across every edit.
– Creator differentiation increasingly depends on smart tool use; Cova credits AI-driven artistry as the factor that made her content stand out and grow.
Numbered Section Summaries
1. Reverse-Engineering Viral Videos with Manus AI
I watch Cova prompt Manus AI to analyze one of her own Instagram Reels. Manus runs scripts to download, transcribe, and visually parse the video frame by frame. It returns a detailed breakdown of style keywords, typography categories, and story sections — a process that would normally require hours of manual note-taking. Cova is visibly surprised by how accurately it captures her creative process.
2. The Full Creator Tool Stack
Cova breaks down her daily toolkit: Adobe Premiere and After Effects for editing and VFX, Nanobanana Pro on FreePik for image generation, Seedance (and Kling 3) for video generation, Manus for video research and analysis, and Obsidian with Claude Code for project planning. She also mentions Poke for daily task management. Each tool serves a specific role in a system designed for repeatable, scalable content creation.
3. Scaling Content with Obsidian, Templates, and Claude Code
Cova opens her Obsidian vault and shows her storyboard template, editor handoff template, and project folders. She demonstrates using Claude Code to instantly convert a script file into a formatted storyboard table using her own style guide. Her core message: creators who build documented systems and let AI execute the repetitive parts can scale their output while maintaining creative quality.
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