Viral Visual Lab
Complete guide

Viral Visual Lab — how to use it

Create on-brand memes and commentary graphics with Grok Imagine, formats, and one-click X posting — v0.2. Free helper app — you bring your xAI key.

📹 Video tutorials coming soon — follow this written guide for now.
Free helper, not a Grok subscription

Viral Visual Lab is a free desktop helper from Recon6 Studios. It connects Grok Imagine (via your xAI API key), local formats, Vault, ffmpeg editing, and X posting in one place. You can do the same work in Grok’s website and other tools — this app saves time and keeps your style consistent. You pay xAI for image/video generation; the app itself is free.

1. Install & open the app

Viral Visual Lab is a desktop app for Mac and Windows. You need macOS or Windows, an internet connection, an xAI API key, and optionally an X Developer account to post.

  1. Download for Mac (Apple Silicon) or Windows.
  2. Mac: open the .dmg → drag to Applications. Windows: run the .exe installer.
  3. Open the app — onboarding on first launch. Sidebar: Create, Vault, Editor, Help, Settings.
Tip: Open the in-app Help tab for a short checklist. This page has the full details.

2. API keys & X account

xAI API key (required for images & video)

  1. Go to console.x.ai and sign in.
  2. Create an API key (starts with xai-...).
  3. In Settings, paste under xAI API Key and Save.

X Developer app (required to post tweets)

  1. Go to developer.x.com and create a project/app.
  2. Enable OAuth 2.0 with PKCE; callback http://127.0.0.1.
  3. Scopes: tweet.read, tweet.write, users.read, media.write, offline.access.
  4. Paste the OAuth 2.0 Client ID into Settings and click Connect X Account.
Beginner note: Generate images and videos without X — use Download or the Vault. Connect X when ready to post.

3. Brand Kit (v0.2)

Set your look once — every Format export uses these defaults automatically.

  1. Open Settings → Brand Kit.
  2. Enter your brand / channel name (shown on Brand Bar and Split Label formats).
  3. Set primary and accent colors (hex, e.g. #1e3a8a).
  4. Optional: upload a watermark PNG and enable Show watermark.
  5. Click Save brand kit.
Why it matters: Grok generates the visual; Viral Visual Lab composites your fonts, bars, and watermark so every post matches your channel.

4. Formats & on-brand images (v0.2)

In Create → Image mode, pick a format before you generate. Fill the text fields, write your prompt, then Generate Variations (up to 12).

FormatBest forText fields
Impact MemeClassic top/bottom memeTop text, bottom text
Quote CardCommentary quotesQuote, attribution
Vertical Headline9:16 X / Reels-styleHeadline, footer
Split LabelBefore/after, series labelsBar label
Brand BarBranded commentary graphicHeadline, footer

Recommended workflow

  1. Pick format → set aspect ratio (formats auto-suggest 9:16 or 1:1).
  2. Fill overlay text (meme lines, headline, quote).
  3. Write a visual prompt for Grok (subject + style — text is added by the app).
  4. Generate 4–8 variations → pick the best thumbnail → caption → post.
Tip: Leave None selected for raw Grok images with no overlay.

5. AI images (advanced)

Images use Grok Imagine. Open Create, select Image mode, write a prompt, pick aspect ratio and variations, then Generate Variations. Use Improve prompt to expand short ideas. Select a thumbnail to download or post.

For edits: select an image, use Grok Imagine edit, describe one change, and apply. For captions: Generate caption with optional voice, then edit before posting.

6. How to create AI video

Videos use Grok Imagine Video. Start with 10s or 15s, 9:16 for vertical X content, 720p default. Keep the app open while generating.

Image-to-video: select a still, switch to Video, check Animate selected image, describe motion, generate.

Longer clips (30s–2 min) extend by stitching segments — more API calls and time. For 2+ minutes, generate short clips and combine in the Editor.

7. Audio, trimming & captions (Editor)

Trim clips, stitch multiple Vault videos, use waveforms for precise cuts, and Caption burn-in for meme-style on-screen text.

  1. Open Editor → + Add vault clips to the timeline.
  2. Set In/Out with waveform or sliders → Preview trim.
  3. Enable caption burn-in if needed → Export to Vault.

8. Using the Vault

All generations save automatically. Search, favorite, download, or send videos to the Editor.

Remix with locked format (v0.2)

Click Remix on a vaulted image that used a Format. The app reloads your prompt and locks the same format + overlay text — change the prompt, generate again, keep your on-brand look.

Vault backup (Settings)

Settings → Vault backup → Export ZIP (database, media, thumbnails, brand kit). Import on a new machine to restore everything.

9. Posting to X

  1. Connect X in Settings.
  2. Select media in Create, write or generate caption.
  3. Post to X (⌘/Ctrl + P). Videos wait for X processing automatically.

10. Costs & tips

ActionTypical costTip
Image~$0.02Start with 4 variations
Video (short)~$0.15+15s while learning
Caption~$0.001Use freely

11. Related xAI voice tools (not in this app)

xAI offers Voice Agent Builder for phone/browser agents and custom voices / TTS for narration. Viral Visual Lab focuses on visuals; voiceover in Editor may come later.

12. Troubleshooting

Format overlay failed

  • Requires ffmpeg (bundled in release builds; brew install ffmpeg in dev).
  • Keep overlay text short — one or two lines per field.
  • Try None format to confirm Grok generation works, then re-apply a format.

Video generation failed

  • Try shorter duration (10–15s).
  • Keep app open until export finishes.
  • On "expired", generate again — auto-retry runs once.

Can't post video to X

  • Reconnect X; confirm media.write scope.
  • Try shorter/smaller Editor export.

More help: Support or email recon_6@icloud.com.