What It Does (and What I Used to Do)
I used to spend 20-30 minutes making each carousel. Now I type one sentence and get branded, ready-to-post slides in about two minutes.
Open Canva. Pick a template. Write the copy. Paste it in slide by slide. Adjust the text so it fits. Export. Upload to Instagram. Write a caption. Post.
20-30 minutes per carousel.
Type "carousel: [topic]" in Claude Code. Approve the content. Done. Branded images ready, caption written, and you can even auto-schedule to Instagram.
About 2 minutes. Mostly hands-free.
I didn't write any code to make this happen. I told Claude Code what I wanted, showed it my brand colours and fonts, and asked it to build me a system. It created the slide designs, the tool that turns them into images, and the skill that ties it all together.
This guide walks you through doing exactly what I did. You don't need to know how to code. You just need to know what your brand looks like and be able to describe what you want.
A Claude Code skill is just a text file that tells Claude how to do a specific task. When you say "carousel," Claude reads that file and follows the instructions. Think of it like writing down a process for a new hire -- you explain it once, and they follow the steps every time.
What You Need Before You Start
- 1Claude Code ($20/month Max plan). This is Anthropic's tool that runs in your terminal -- that's the text-based window on your computer where you type commands. If you don't have it yet, I have a separate setup guide at reallyusefulai.co/guides.
- 2Your brand details. Your colours (the hex codes, those # codes like #32251f that represent exact colours), your fonts, your Instagram handle, and an example of a carousel you like the look of. A screenshot is fine.
- 3About 30 minutes for the first-time setup. After that, each carousel takes about 2 minutes.
No problem. Just tell Claude "my brand colours are dark brown, cream, and olive green" and it will pick hex codes for you. Or paste a screenshot of your website or existing posts and say "match these colours." It works it out.
That's fine too. Tell Claude the vibe you want: "warm and editorial," "dark and bold," "clean and minimal." It will design something for you. You can always refine it later.
Step 1: Set Up Your Project
Create a folder on your computer and open Claude Code inside it. That's it.
- 1Create a new folder on your computer. Call it whatever you like. I called mine claude-workspace.
- 2Open your terminal (on Mac, search for "Terminal" in Spotlight; on Windows, search for "Command Prompt" or "PowerShell"). Then type: cd ~/claude-workspace and press Enter. This tells your computer to go into that folder.
- 3Type claude to start Claude Code in that folder.
That's it. Claude Code is now running inside your project folder. Everything it creates will live here.
Claude Code works best when it has a "home base." When you open it inside a folder, it can create files, remember your preferences, and build things up over time. Your carousel skill, your brand settings, and your finished images all live here.
Step 2: Tell Claude to Build It
This is the part that surprises people. You don't build anything yourself. You describe what you want and Claude builds it for you.
Paste this prompt into Claude Code. Replace the parts in [brackets] with your own details:
Press Enter. Claude will start building. It usually takes 3-5 minutes the first time. You'll see it creating files, installing tools, and setting everything up. It might ask you to approve some steps along the way -- just say yes.
Claude creates three things: a design file with your slide layouts (your colours, fonts, spacing), a script that turns those designs into images, and a skill file that tells Claude how to use them together. You don't need to understand how any of it works. You just need to know it does.
Step 3: Test and Refine
Run it once. Look at the output. Tell Claude what to change. Repeat until it's right.
Once Claude finishes building, test it straight away:
Claude will write the slide content and show it to you first. If you like it, say "looks good" and it will create the images. If you want changes, just say so: "make the headline punchier" or "slide 3 is too long."
Once the images are created, open them and check the design. This is where you refine. Here are some common things you might want to adjust:
- 1"The text is too big on the cover slide." Just tell Claude. It will adjust the font size and remake the images.
- 2"I want the accent colour to be olive green, not this shade." Give Claude the hex code or just say "more muted olive" and it will update.
- 3"Can the CTA slide have a different background?" Yep. Tell it what colour or vibe you want.
- 4"I want my handle bigger at the top." Done. Claude adjusts the template.
Think of it like giving feedback to a designer. You say "I don't like that, try this instead" and it makes the changes in seconds. Keep going until the slides look right. Once the template is dialled in, every future carousel uses that same design automatically.
For mine, it took about four rounds of feedback to get the design where I wanted it. After that, I haven't touched the template in weeks. Every carousel comes out looking consistent.
If you have an existing carousel you love (yours or someone else's), screenshot it and paste it into Claude Code. Say "make my slides look more like this." Visual references are faster than written descriptions.
Here's what the process looks like once it's all working:
"carousel: [topic]"
slide content
"looks good"
branded images
Using Your Skill Every Day
The setup is a one-time thing. From now on, making a carousel is one sentence.
Open Claude Code in your project folder and type:
Claude writes the content, shows you for approval, creates the images, and saves everything. Same process every time.
Making Your Content Sound Like You
The skill file controls how Claude writes. You can (and should) add your voice rules. Here's what I told Claude to add to mine:
Once you add these rules, every carousel follows them. You train it once, it remembers forever. If the tone drifts, just tell Claude: "that's too corporate, more casual" and it adjusts.
Optional: Auto-Post to Instagram
I took it further. My skill also schedules the carousel to Instagram using a tool called Blotato (a social media scheduling app). If you want this, tell Claude:
Now the whole thing, from "I have a content idea" to "it's scheduled on Instagram," happens without you opening Instagram, Canva, or any other app.
Where to Go from Here
Once you've built one skill, you'll want to build more. That's the point.
The carousel skill is just the start. The same pattern works for any task you do over and over: describe what you want, let Claude build it, then refine with feedback.
Skills are how you stop doing the same tasks by hand. Every time you catch yourself repeating a process, ask: "Could Claude do this if I described the steps?" Usually, yes. The carousel was my first skill. I've since built skills for video scripts, research, meeting notes, and more. Each one saves me hours every week.
Quick Recap
- 1Set up a project folder and open Claude Code in it.
- 2Paste the build prompt with your brand details. Claude creates the design, the image maker, and the skill.
- 3Test it with a real topic. Refine the design until it matches your brand.
- 4Use it by typing "carousel: [topic]" whenever you need a post.
You set it up once. After that, every carousel takes about two minutes.
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