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Bannerbear Zapier integrationAutomate Bannerbear with Zapier.

The Bannerbear Zapier integration gives you 4 triggers, 18 actions and 2 searches. Every trigger is instant, so a finished image, animation or render starts your automation at once. Here is what each step does, what it costs and the waiting trap behind most broken first builds.

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Overview

What the Bannerbear Zapier integration actually does

Bannerbear turns design templates into finished visuals on demand: you build a template once, then feed it text and images to get as many variations as you need. On Zapier, it also edits videos. The integration lets your other tools order those visuals and pick up the results without anyone opening a design app.

Three results come up again and again. A social visual for every new item: a new blog post or product in another tool feeds Create Image, and New Image hands the finished file to the next step. A video that edits itself: a raw clip goes through Trim Video, Subtitle Video and Add Cover Art without a video editor. A narrated slideshow: Create Video Slideshow strings images together and Generate Voiceover writes the voice track from text.

What it does not do is worth knowing before you start. You cannot design or change a template from Zapier: templates and workflows are built in Bannerbear, and Zapier only uses them. Most actions want a full file address, not an upload. And renders take time, so a Zap that waits for one usually gives up first, which is why the triggers matter so much here.

Comparing platforms first? The Bannerbear Make integration and the Bannerbear n8n integration cover the same app on the other two tools.

Vocabulary

Zapier words in one minute

Eight terms come back throughout this page. Read them once and the rest goes faster.

Zap
The automation you build in Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time that trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts a Zap. Once the Zap is switched on, Zapier simply waits for it to happen.
Action
What the Zap does after it starts: the step that creates, sends or edits something for you inside an app.
Task
The unit Zapier bills. One action that completes successfully is one task, and your plan is a monthly count of those.
Polling vs instant
A polling trigger is checked by Zapier on a timer. An instant trigger is reported by the app itself the moment the event happens.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap continue only when what arrived matches the condition you set, and stops it there otherwise.
Search step
A step that finds something already sitting in an app, so the steps after it can reuse what it found.
Multi-step Zap
Anything beyond one trigger and one action. A second action, a filter or a search makes one, and it needs a paid plan.
Cost

What a Bannerbear Zap really costs

Bannerbear is not a premium app, so it works on the free plan. The trigger never costs a task. Each action that succeeds costs one, counted separately, and an action that fails costs nothing.

  • Free plan100 tasks a month, unlimited Zaps, two steps per Zap
  • TriggerNever billed
  • Each successful action1 task, counted on its own
  • Bannerbear triggers4 instant, 0 polling

The free plan stops at two steps, and video work rarely does. Trim, then subtitle, then add a cover and you have three actions, so a paid plan and three tasks per video. Since all four Bannerbear triggers are instant, the interval grid below never delays them; it only matters for polling triggers, and Bannerbear has none. Count your actions per run before you pick a plan, not your Zaps, and remember that an order Zap plus a collect Zap means two sets of actions.

Connect

Connect Bannerbear to Zapier in three steps

  1. 01

    Open your Zapier connections

    In Zapier, go to the Apps page and click + Add connection. You need a Bannerbear account first, plus read or write access to anything you do not own but want the Zap to use.

  2. 02

    Find Bannerbear and start the link

    Type Bannerbear in the search box of the dialog, pick it from the list, then click Add connection. A new browser tab opens on the Bannerbear side, where the rest happens.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Log in to Bannerbear in that tab and allow Zapier to reach your account. The connection is saved once, and every Bannerbear step you add later reuses it without asking again.

First Zap

Your first Bannerbear Zap: music on every finished animation

GoalEach animation Bannerbear finishes from your promo template gets a soundtrack mixed in automatically.

  1. 01

    Create the Zap

    Start a new Zap, pick Bannerbear as the app that starts it, and choose Animation Completed as the event. Select the Bannerbear connection you just made.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent animations of your account, so you map the next steps on a real render instead of a blank example.

  3. 03

    Add the filter

    Add a Filter step from the plus icon, then set the field to look at, the rule and the value. Only promo renders go through. This makes it a multi-step Zap, so it needs a paid plan.

  4. 04

    Add the action

    Add Bannerbear again and pick Add Audio. Map the finished animation into Video URL, paste the full address of your music track into Audio URL, and choose the mode.

  5. 05

    Test, then publish

    Test the action once and check the result in Bannerbear. Then click Publish: every promo animation now gets its soundtrack as soon as it is done.

Triggers

Bannerbear triggers on Zapier

4 events start a Zap when something happens in Bannerbear, and 4 of them are instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

Animation Completed

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when an animation has finished rendering.”

Starts the Zap once Bannerbear has finished rendering an animation, so the next step receives a file that is actually ready. It is the other half of Create Animation for any render that outlasts the wait of that action.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a marketing team orders animated promos in one Zap and wants a second Zap to post or edit each one when rendering is over.
Watch out
it reports every finished animation in the account, so add a filter if only one template matters.
2

New Image

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new image has been generated.”

Fires every time Bannerbear generates an image, whoever or whatever ordered it. The finished visual becomes something the next step can store, share or edit further.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
an online shop creates a product card for every new item and wants each one saved in a shared folder for the social media manager.
Watch out
a Zap that creates an image and also listens to New Image restarts itself. Keep ordering and collecting in separate Zaps with a filter.
3

Tool Job Completed

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a tool job finishes.”

Reacts when one of Bannerbear's tool jobs finishes. It is how you pick up a job that is still running when the step that started it has moved on.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a video editor sends raw interviews for subtitles and wants each finished cut dropped where the client can review it.
Watch out
keep the ID the tool action returned if you also need Find Tool Job to check a job later.
4

Workflow Run Completed

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a workflow run finishes.”

Runs once a Bannerbear workflow has finished. Bannerbear itself recommends this route, because most workflows last several minutes, far longer than any single Zap step will wait.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a content team chains several edits in one Bannerbear workflow and needs the final file delivered to the publishing tool.
Watch out
pair it with Run Workflow in another Zap, with waiting left off there.
Actions

Bannerbear actions on Zapier

Bannerbear gives you 18 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Add Audio

Action

In Zapier“Mixes an audio track over a video, or replaces the original.”

Mixes an audio track over a video, or swaps out the original sound entirely, depending on the mode you choose.

When to use it
silent product animations need background music, or a voiceover from Generate Voiceover must replace the raw sound.
2

Add Cover Art

Action

In Zapier“Embeds a still image as the video's poster thumbnail.”

Embeds a still image as the poster thumbnail of a video, the frame people see before pressing play.

When to use it
a branded cover made with Create Image should become the thumbnail of each new tutorial video.
Watch out
both fields want a full URL, one for the video and one for the poster image.
3

Apply Color Filter

Action

In Zapier“Applies a named colour-grade preset to a video.”

Gives a video a colour grade picked from a list of named presets, so a batch of clips shares the same look.

When to use it
user-submitted videos shot on different phones should look like one series on your channel.
4

Create Animation

Action

In Zapier“Renders an animation from an animation template.”

Renders an animation from an animation template. You can ask for a transparent background, which forces a MOV file because MP4 cannot carry transparency.

When to use it
a weekly promo needs a short motion version.
Watch out
waiting stops after 25 seconds; longer renders come back unfinished, so collect them with Animation Completed.
5

Create Image

Action

In Zapier“Generates a new image.”

Generates a new image from one of your Bannerbear templates. Only the template is required, so the template has to exist in Bannerbear first.

When to use it
every new article on your blog needs its own share image with the title written on it.
6

Create PDF

Action

In Zapier“Stitches multiple JPGs, PNGs, and PDFs into a single multi-page document.”

Stitches several JPG, PNG or PDF files into one multi-page document. Put one address per line; the pages keep that order.

When to use it
a set of generated certificates or product sheets should go out as a single file, not ten attachments.
7

Create Video Slideshow

Action

In Zapier“Turns a series of images into an MP4 slideshow with optional transitions.”

Turns a series of images into an MP4 slideshow, with transitions if you want them. List the image addresses one per line, in slide order.

When to use it
a real estate agent wants each new listing's photos turned into a short video.
Watch out
it needs at least two images.
8

Crop Video

Action

In Zapier“Crops a video to an explicit rectangle in pixels.”

Cuts a video down to a rectangle you define in pixels: left offset, top offset, width and height are all required.

When to use it
a landscape recording must lose its sidebars to fit a square feed.
Watch out
all four values are in pixels, so check them against the size of your source videos.
9

Generate Voiceover

Action

In Zapier“Turns text into spoken audio using a natural-sounding voice.”

Reads a text aloud in a natural voice and gives you the audio back. Pick a voice; Rachel and Adam are the safe defaults.

When to use it
a product description should become narration for a slideshow.
Watch out
the text stops at 2000 characters, so longer scripts need splitting.
10

Join Videos

Action

In Zapier“Joins two or more videos end-to-end into a single file.”

Puts two or more videos end to end into a single file. Enter one address per line, in play order.

When to use it
every client video should open with the same intro and close with the same outro, without manual editing.
11

Overlay Image

Action

In Zapier“Burns a logo, watermark, or badge onto a video.”

Burns a logo, watermark or badge onto a video at a position set in pixels from the left and top.

When to use it
clips shared by partners must carry your logo before they go public.
Watch out
X and Y are in pixels from the left and top, so the same values land differently on videos of different sizes.
12

Overlay Video

Action

In Zapier“Layers one video on top of another as picture-in-picture.”

Places one video over another as picture-in-picture. You give the base video, the one on top, and its offset from the left and top.

When to use it
a presenter's face cam should sit in the corner of a screen recording.
13

Remove Background

Action

In Zapier“Cuts the subject out of an image against a transparent background.”

Cuts the subject out of a PNG or JPG and leaves it on a transparent background, ready to drop into a template.

When to use it
supplier product photos arrive on cluttered backgrounds and should feed clean visuals in Create Image.
14

Resize Video

Action

In Zapier“Rescales a video to target dimensions, cover-crop or contain-letterbox.”

Rescales a video to the width and height you set, either filling the frame and cropping, or fitting it with bars.

When to use it
the same clip has to exist in several formats for different networks.
Watch out
cover-crop fills the frame and trims what overflows; contain keeps the whole picture and adds bars.
15

Run Workflow

Action

In Zapier“Runs a workflow and returns the run.”

Starts one of your Bannerbear workflows and returns the run. Waiting for the result is optional.

When to use it
a multi-step edit you already set up in Bannerbear should start whenever a new file arrives.
Watch out
waiting gives up after 25 seconds; leave it off and catch the result with Workflow Run Completed.
16

Soften Video

Action

In Zapier“Smooths skin and flat surfaces while keeping edges sharp.”

Smooths skin and flat surfaces while keeping edges sharp. You choose how strong the smoothing is.

When to use it
talking-head clips for a course need a light polish before publishing, with nobody opening an editor.
Watch out
Strength is required, so run the action on one clip and check the result before a whole batch.
17

Subtitle Video

Action

In Zapier“Transcribes the audio and burns styled subtitles onto the video.”

Transcribes what is said in a video and burns styled subtitles onto the picture. Only the video address is required.

When to use it
social clips get watched with the sound off, so each new one should carry captions from the start, with nobody typing them.
18

Trim Video

Action

In Zapier“Keeps a slice of a video by start and end time.”

Keeps only one slice of a video, between a start and an end you give in seconds. Everything outside is dropped.

When to use it
long webinar recordings should yield a short teaser from a known moment, cut the same way every time.
Searches

Bannerbear searches on Zapier

2 search steps look for data that already exists in Bannerbear, so a later step can use it.

A search step looks up something that already exists in Bannerbear and hands it to the next steps. In the editor, Bannerbear searches sit at the bottom of the Action event list, under SEARCH. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not the one you expected.

1

Find Tool Job

Search

In Zapier“Finds a tool job, or checks the status of one.”

Looks up a tool job from the ID a tool action returned, and tells you where it stands. That makes it a status check as much as a search.

When to use it
a trim or subtitle job was started earlier and a later step must know whether the file is ready before sending it on.
2

Find Workflow Run

Search

In Zapier“Finds a workflow run, or checks the status of one.”

Retrieves a workflow run from the ID that Run Workflow handed back, including whether it has finished yet.

When to use it
you stored the run ID in a spreadsheet and want to check its progress from another Zap.
Watch out
without the ID there is nothing to search on, so save it right after Run Workflow.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap there and the dependent steps are skipped. Switch it on and the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    This box turns a search into find-or-create. Neither Bannerbear search offers it: a missing job or run has to be started by an action.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out when several items match: keep the first one, which is the default, stop the Zap, or pass all of them on at once.
When it breaks

When your Bannerbear Zap breaks

Zapier attaches no help article to Bannerbear and lists no rate limit for it. What breaks comes from the general rules of every Zap and from the fields of the actions themselves.

If a Zap stops and the reason is not obvious, the Zapier troubleshooting guide walks through the checks in order.

  • The render comes back unfinished

    Create Animation and Run Workflow stop waiting after 25 seconds and return whatever state they reached. Catch the finished file with Animation Completed or Workflow Run Completed instead.

  • A Zap that sets itself off

    Create an image in a Zap that also listens to New Image, and each new image starts another round. That loop burns through your task count in no time.

  • Long scripts don't fit

    Generate Voiceover takes up to 2000 characters of text in one go. A full article or a long script has to be split across several steps first.

  • Past files are never picked up

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after you publish it. Images and videos made before that are ignored, so processing the backlog is a separate job.

  • A bulk batch gets held back

    When a trigger suddenly returns a huge batch, say after you generate a whole catalog at once, Zapier's flood protection can pause it before it runs everything.

  • One URL per line, or nothing

    Create PDF, Join Videos and Create Video Slideshow read one full address per line, and the last two need at least two. Put each address on its own line, in the order you want.
Need help

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FAQ

Bannerbear Zapier integration: your questions

01Is the Bannerbear Zapier integration free?
Yes, for two-step Zaps. Bannerbear is not a premium app, so it runs on Zapier's free plan, which includes 100 tasks a month and as many Zaps as you want. The limit is the shape of the Zap: one trigger, one action. Video work tends to need more, since trimming, subtitling and adding a cover are three separate actions, and the moment you add a second action, a filter or a search, Zapier asks for a paid plan.
02How many tasks does a Bannerbear Zap use?
One task for each action that succeeds, every time the Zap runs. The trigger is free and a failed action costs nothing. So a Zap that creates one image per new product uses one task per product, while a video pipeline with trim, subtitles and cover art uses three per video. If you split a long render into two Zaps, one that orders and one that collects, each action in either Zap counts on its own.
03Do Bannerbear triggers work in real time?
Yes. All four Bannerbear triggers are instant: Bannerbear tells Zapier the moment an image, an animation, a tool job or a workflow run is done, and the Zap starts straight away. The polling interval of your plan, 15 minutes on the free plan, does not apply. In the editor these Zaps show a lightning bolt. What takes time is the render itself, not the trigger, which is why the triggers are the reliable way to pick up finished files.
04What does it take to connect Bannerbear to Zapier?
A Bannerbear account and a Zapier account. Open the Apps page in Zapier, click + Add connection, pick Bannerbear, sign in on the tab that opens and grant access. Before building anything, prepare your Bannerbear account: Create Image needs a template, Create Animation an animation template and Run Workflow a workflow, and all three are built in Bannerbear. For the video tools, have a full URL ready for each file you send, since the fields ask for addresses.
05Why does Create Animation return an unfinished render?
Because the action stops waiting after 25 seconds. With Wait for Completion on, it holds for up to that long, then returns whatever state the render is in, finished or not. Longer animations are still rendering at that point. The fix is to split the job: one Zap orders the animation, and a second Zap starting from Animation Completed picks up the finished file. Run Workflow follows the same rule, with Workflow Run Completed as its partner.
06What if the Bannerbear action you need is not listed?
Then the job usually belongs inside Bannerbear itself. Building or editing templates, for instance, is not something Zapier can do: you design in Bannerbear and Zapier only uses the result. For a chain of edits with no matching action, build a workflow in Bannerbear and start it with Run Workflow. If that still falls short, check whether Make or n8n expose the operation you are after before you settle on a workaround.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Bannerbear?
Start from the operations. On Zapier, Bannerbear exposes 24: four triggers, all instant, 18 actions covering images, animations, PDFs and video edits, and two searches to check a job or a run. If your process fits in that list, Zapier does the job, with the two-Zap pattern for long renders. If it does not, compare what Make and n8n expose for Bannerbear, and weigh the tool your team already runs.
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