Camera Lab

Camera Lab is a local browser workspace for building ComfyUI-powered AI video shots. It combines prompt-driven video generation, Director-style timeline assembly, WAN/Bernini editing, Motion tools, and Casting voice preparation in one web UI.

It runs as a lightweight Python HTTP server, serves a static frontend, and submits patched workflow prompts to a local or Dockerized ComfyUI instance.

Start Here

Use the launcher:

python scripts/launch.py

The launcher checks your GPU, VRAM, ComfyUI connection, module readiness, and model visibility. It does not download models, install ComfyUI, or modify your existing ComfyUI installation.

Safe commands:

python scripts/launch.py --assess-only
python scripts/launch.py --dry-run

• --assess-only prints the hardware/module/model report.
• --dry-run prints the commands it would run without starting services.

Which Install Path Should I Choose?

Your situation	Recommended mode
You already have ComfyUI and want the simplest setup	no-docker
You already have ComfyUI but want Camera Lab isolated in Docker	cam-lab-only-docker
You do not have ComfyUI but want Camera Lab native	comfy-only-docker
You do not have ComfyUI and want everything isolated	full-docker

Beginner rule of thumb:

• Already use ComfyUI? Start with no-docker.
• Do not have ComfyUI? Start with full-docker.
• New to Docker? Install ComfyUI normally first, then use no-docker.

Full setup instructions are in the Installation Guide.

Windows Without Python

If Python is not installed, start from the repository root with:

.\setup_windows_python.ps1

This Windows bootstrap uses winget to install Python 3.12, then runs the Camera Lab dependency installer. For the main four-path launcher, use python scripts/launch.py after Python is available.

Quick Commands

Assess your machine:

python scripts/launch.py --assess-only

Preview a mode:

python scripts/launch.py --dry-run --mode no-docker
python scripts/launch.py --dry-run --mode full-docker

Start with an existing native ComfyUI:

python scripts/launch.py --mode no-docker

Start the full Docker stack:

python scripts/launch.py --mode full-docker

Stop native Camera Lab:

python scripts/stop_camera_lab.py

Stop Docker modes:

docker compose --env-file docker/compose.env down
docker compose -f docker-compose.comfy-only.yml --env-file docker/compose.comfy-only.env down
docker compose -f docker-compose.camera-lab-only.yml --env-file docker/compose.camera-lab-only.env down

Workspaces

• Camera Lab: standard LTX image/video generation workflows.
• Director: timeline assembly, audio cues, IC references, and retake workflows.
• Edit: WAN2.2 Bernini video editing and WAN VACE Inpaint.
• Motion: Text to Motion, SCAIL2, and browser-recorded 3D Motion guides.
• Casting: script lines, voice library, optional LLM analysis, and optional CosyVoice TTS.

More detail: Workspaces.

Documentation

• Installation Guide
• Architecture
• Workspaces
• Models and Workflows
• Director Reference
• Developer Guide

These files are stored in docs/wiki/ so they can be copied directly into the GitHub Wiki after Wiki is enabled for the repository.

Development

Repo-side setup:

python scripts/agent_setup.py
python scripts/install_workflows.py
python scripts/check_setup.py

Python tests:

python -m pytest -p no:cacheprovider -q

Browser E2E tests:

npm install
npx playwright install chromium
npm run test:e2e

More detail: Developer Guide.

Repository Layout

• server/: Python backend, local HTTP server, and ComfyUI bridge.
• frontend/: static browser UI.
• scripts/: setup, launch, workflow install, and utility scripts.
• scripts/camera_lab_setup/: hardware detection and module/model resolver.
• workflows/app/: checked-in workflows used by Camera Lab.
• workflows/experimental/: optional research workflow references.
• docs/wiki/: long-form documentation intended for GitHub Wiki.
• tests/: Python unit tests and Playwright smoke tests.
• tasks/: local-only generated runs, uploads, logs, and scratch data.

tasks/ is ignored by git. Do not put public docs, required workflows, or committable test assets there.