Getting Started

Everything you need to create beautiful carousel posts, in the app or on Telegram.

Overview

KodaPost turns your photos into polished, ready-to-post social media carousels. You bring the photos and the story; the app handles the layout, text overlays, captions, and formatting.

There are two ways to create:

• In the app Use the five-step builder to configure everything visually: Upload, Craft, Design, Review, and Publish.
• On Telegram Message @kodacontentbot and create carousels through a guided conversation. The Production Assistant walks you through each step.

Both methods follow the same flow and produce the same results.

Quick Start Guide

New to KodaPost? The Quick Start Guide walks you through each step with visual mockups so you can follow along. Create your first carousel in about 5 minutes.

Create in the App

The builder walks you through five steps. Each step has its own screen with controls tailored to that part of the process.

1. Upload Drag and drop photos into the upload area, or tap to browse. Supports JPEG, PNG, WebP, and HEIC (HEIC files convert to JPEG automatically). You can upload 1 to 10 photos and reorder them by dragging thumbnails.
2. Craft Describe your carousel theme (the story or concept), choose a camera emulation filter (Kodak Gold, Fuji Velvia, Polaroid, and more), and add vibe keywords like "relatable" or "nostalgic" to shape the tone. Koda generates text overlays and a caption from these inputs.
3. Design Fine-tune each slide visually. Edit text overlays directly on the preview, change fonts, adjust text position and color, and toggle text on or off per slide. Open the Stylize panel to apply a style template to all slides at once, or pick different templates per slide. Navigate slides using the thumbnail strip at the bottom.
4. Review Preview all your slides in a carousel grid. Switch between platform tabs (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.) to see format differences. Add an audio track from the Music Library, upload your own audio file, or record a voice narration for video-format exports.
5. Publish Select connected social media platforms and tap Post Now to publish, or export a ZIP for manual posting. Toggle Creator Provenance to embed a cryptographic signature and optional watermark in each exported image.

Create on Telegram

The Production Assistant lives on Telegram. Create carousels entirely from your phone without opening the app. Just message @kodacontentbot and follow the guided conversation.

Getting Started on Telegram

1. Open Telegram and search for @kodacontentbot, or tap this link.
2. Tap Start to begin.
3. Send your photos. Drop 1 to 10 images into the chat.
4. Tell your story. The bot will ask what the post is about. Just type naturally.
5. Pick vibes. Type a vibe like "relatable" or "inspirational", or say "skip" to use defaults.
6. Review caption. The bot generates a caption. You can approve it, type a new one, or say "rewrite" for a fresh take.
7. Generate. Say "generate" and the bot will build your carousel and send you a preview link.

The preview link lets you view all your slides, copy the caption, and download the images, all from your phone.

The Flow

Whether you're in the app or on Telegram, the creation flow follows the same five steps:

Style Templates

Style templates let you apply a complete text look to your slides in one tap. Each template sets the font, size, weight, text color, background color, and shadow together so everything looks coordinated.

Available Templates

How to Use Templates

1. In the Design step, open the Stylize panel.
2. Browse the template grid. Each one shows a live preview with sample text so you can see the look before applying it.
3. Tap a template to apply it to your current slide. The text overlay updates instantly with the new font, color, and background.
4. To apply the same template to all slides at once, use the Apply to All option. You can also mix templates across slides for variety.

Templates set defaults that you can fine-tune afterward. Change the font size, text position, or color on any slide without losing the template's base style.

Audio and Music

Add a soundtrack or voice narration to your carousel for video-format exports (Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts). Audio is configured in the Review step using the Audio panel.

Three Ways to Add Audio

• Music Library Search and browse licensed tracks from Jamendo and Audius. Preview tracks in the browser, then select one to add to your project. Attribution information is included automatically.
• Upload Audio Upload your own audio file. Supported formats include MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, WebM, and AAC. Max file size is 50 MB, max duration is 10 minutes.
• Record Voice Record a voice narration directly in the browser using your microphone. A live waveform shows your recording in progress. You can preview the recording and re-record if needed before applying it.

Goldilocks Auto-Trim

When you add an audio track that is longer than your carousel needs, KodaPost automatically trims it to fit. The recommended duration is calculated at about 4.5 seconds per slide. For example, a 6-slide carousel would auto-trim to roughly 27 seconds.

The auto-trim always starts from the beginning of the track. You can override this by dragging the trim handles to select a different section of the audio.

Trim Handles

Tap Trim Clip to reveal the trim handles on the audio waveform. Drag the start and end handles to select the exact portion of audio you want to use. The trimmed region is highlighted on the waveform so you can see your selection at a glance.

Applying Audio

After selecting or recording audio, tap Apply to Storyboard to attach it to your carousel. The track is staged first so you can preview it, adjust trimming, and confirm before it takes effect. You can change or remove the track at any time before publishing.

Settings

App settings are organized under the menu. Open Menu > Settings to find three tabs:

• General Toggle the Telegram Production Assistant and other app-wide preferences.
• Accounts Connect and manage your social media accounts for direct publishing. Use the Setup Wizard for guided onboarding.
• Brand Upload your brand logo, set your brand name, and configure default watermark settings (mode, position, opacity, and scale). These defaults are loaded automatically in the Publish step and can be overridden per export.

Tips for Great Posts

• Use 3 to 6 photos for the best carousel experience. Too few feels sparse, too many can overwhelm.
• Write a specific story rather than something generic. "Sunrise hike at Joshua Tree last weekend" produces better results than "nature photos."
• Mix your shots include a wide shot, a close-up, and a detail shot for visual variety across slides.
• Try a style template to set a consistent look across all your slides, then fine-tune individual slides as needed.
• Edit the caption before posting. The generated caption is a starting point. Your voice makes it authentic.
• Try different vibes on the same story to see how the tone changes. "Relatable" and "inspirational" produce very different captions from the same source material.

Creator Provenance

Every image you export from KodaPost carries proof that you made it. Creator Provenance combines three layers of protection: Ed25519 cryptographic signing, perceptual hashing for recompression-proof matching, and C2PA Content Credentials recognized by Adobe, Google, and Microsoft. No external service or crypto wallet required.

Proof of Real

When you export with Creator Provenance enabled, each image receives a "Proof of Real" badge. This badge displays a short verification code (the first 6 characters of the image's SHA-256 fingerprint) that links directly to a public verification page.

The Proof of Real badge appears in the provenance dialog after export. Tap it to open the verification page, or copy the verification URL to share with anyone who wants to confirm your image is authentic.

How It Works

1. When you export with Creator Provenance enabled, KodaPost computes a SHA-256 fingerprint (hash) of each image.
2. A perceptual hash (dHash) is also computed. This visual fingerprint survives platform recompression, resizing, and format conversion, so your image can still be identified after posting to social media.
3. The image hashes, your creator name, and a timestamp are combined into a provenance claim.
4. KodaPost signs the claim with its Ed25519 private key. The resulting signature is stored alongside your provenance record.
5. A C2PA Content Credentials manifest is embedded directly into the image file, making it verifiable by any C2PA-compliant tool.
6. Anyone can verify the signature using the app's public key, the public verification page, or any C2PA reader, confirming that the images were created by you at the recorded time.

What Gets Embedded

When you export with Creator Provenance enabled, KodaPost writes the following into each image:

• EXIF Artist Your creator or brand name.
• EXIF Copyright "Made with [your name]".
• Image fingerprint A unique SHA-256 hash and perceptual hash, recorded in the ImageDescription field alongside the creation timestamp.
• C2PA manifest An industry-standard Content Credentials manifest containing the creator name, creation action, and provenance hashes. Readable by Adobe Content Authenticity, Google, Microsoft, and other C2PA-compliant tools.

Public Verification Page

Every signed image gets a unique verification URL at kodapost.com/v/[code], where [code] is the first 6 or more characters of the image's SHA-256 hash. Share this link with anyone to let them verify your image is authentic.

The verification page displays the creator name, creation date, publishing platform, image hashes, and Ed25519 signature. It also confirms whether the cryptographic signature is valid.

You can also verify programmatically using the API endpoint /api/provenance/verify with a hash or phash query parameter.

Perceptual Hashing

Social media platforms recompress and resize images when you upload them. This changes the file's SHA-256 hash, which would normally break verification. Perceptual hashing solves this.

KodaPost computes a 64-bit difference hash (dHash) that captures the visual structure of each image. Even after Instagram or TikTok recompresses your photo, the perceptual hash stays the same or very close to the original.

When someone checks a recompressed image, the verification system compares perceptual hashes using Hamming distance (the number of bits that differ). A distance of 0 is a perfect match. Anything under 10 out of 64 bits is considered a visual match.

C2PA Content Credentials

C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) is an open standard backed by Adobe, Google, Microsoft, and others. It embeds a tamper-evident manifest directly inside the image file.

KodaPost embeds a C2PA manifest into every image exported with Creator Provenance. The manifest includes a "c2pa.created" action attributed to KodaPost, your creator name as the author, and the image's SHA-256 and perceptual hashes.

You can verify C2PA credentials using Adobe's Content Authenticity site (contentauthenticity.org/verify), or any other C2PA-compatible reader. The credentials travel with the image file, so they work even when the image is downloaded and re-shared.

Cryptographic Verification

The provenance verification endpoint is public. Anyone with a SHA-256 image hash can check whether that image has been registered and see the creator name, creation date, and cryptographic signature. The app's Ed25519 public key is available for independent verification.

You can also check the embedded EXIF metadata using any photo viewer. On macOS, right-click an image and select "Get Info." On Windows, right-click and choose "Properties > Details." Online tools like exifdata.com also work.

Watermark Modes

In the Publish step, choose how your watermark appears on exported images. There are four modes:

• Visible Text A small semi-transparent line reading "Made with [your name]" in the bottom-right corner.
• Brand Logo Your uploaded PNG logo, composited at a configurable position, opacity, and scale. See the Brand Logo Watermark section below for setup details.
• Hidden Only No visible watermark. EXIF metadata, C2PA manifest, and cryptographic signature are still embedded for provenance tracking.
• Logo + Hidden Combines the visible logo watermark with full metadata and C2PA embedding.

Availability

Creator Provenance (including Proof of Real, perceptual hashing, and C2PA Content Credentials) is available on the Creator Mode ($19/mo) and Monster Mode ($39/mo) plans.

Brand Logo Watermark

Brands and creators can upload a custom logo to use as a visible watermark on every exported carousel slide. The logo is composited directly onto the image at export time, so it appears on the final file regardless of where it is shared.

Setting Up Your Brand Logo

1. Open Menu > Settings and select the Brand tab.
2. Enter your Brand Name. This is used in text watermarks and EXIF metadata. It defaults to your account name.
3. Click the upload area under Brand Logo and select a PNG file. The image should have a transparent background for best results. Requirements: 64 to 512 pixels wide, max 500 KB.
4. Choose your preferred defaults for Watermark Mode, Position, Opacity, and Scale.
5. Click Save Settings. Your logo and defaults are stored locally and loaded automatically each time you export.

Using the Logo at Export Time

In the Publish step, the Creator Provenance section shows your configured watermark mode. If you have a logo uploaded, the "Brand Logo" and "Logo + Hidden" modes become available.

You can override the defaults per export. Adjust position, opacity, and scale using the controls that appear when a logo mode is selected. You can also upload a logo directly from the Publish step if you have not set one up in Settings yet.

Logo Guidelines

• Format PNG with transparency. Other formats are not supported.
• Dimensions Between 64 and 512 pixels wide. The height adjusts proportionally.
• File size 500 KB maximum.
• Design tip Use a white or light-colored logo for best visibility on photo backgrounds. Avoid overly complex artwork that becomes illegible at small sizes.

Position Options

Opacity and Scale

Opacity controls how transparent the logo appears. The range is 10% to 80%. A value around 30% is subtle but readable. Higher values make the watermark more prominent.

Scale controls the logo width as a percentage of the image width. The range is 5% to 30%. At 15% (the default), a logo on a 1080px-wide image renders at about 162px wide.

Platform Notes

Each social platform has its own format requirements and limits. KodaPost handles formatting automatically, but here are some details to keep in mind.

If any part of the export encounters an issue (for example, a watermark or metadata step fails), KodaPost completes the export with warnings rather than blocking the entire process. You will see a notification about what was skipped so you can retry if needed.

Commands Reference

Telegram Bot Commands

Ready to try it? Start creating in the app or message @kodacontentbot on Telegram.