Automate image resizing with Make

Why automate resizing in Make

A master image feeds Instagram, LinkedIn, X and the blog hero, and every slot asks for a different ratio. Doing it by hand does not scale when you publish daily or the catalogue has hundreds of products.

Make fits because it already watches where new images show up and because its HTTP and JSON modules let you talk to any REST API without code. SocialCutter crops the image centered to the exact dimensions of each destination and returns one URL per output; the Make scenario moves that URL to the right place. The framing is centered and predictable.

How the API works

The REST API lives at https://api.socialcutter.theboomer.dev and authentication goes in the X-API-Key header (Authorization: Bearer sc_your_key also works).

• POST /api/v1/images/process — takes an image and returns one output per destination.
• POST /api/v1/images/upload — accepts the image as a base64 string in the JSON body.
• POST /api/v1/images/process/upload — multipart with the file in file and destinations as a form field.
• POST /api/v1/images/batch — several images in one call.
• GET /api/v1/history, GET /api/v1/wallet, GET /api/v1/platforms — history, quota and the real destination catalogue.

The full reference is at https://docs.socialcutter.theboomer.dev.

Make and binary data: the multipart difference

The HTTP → Make a request module can send multipart/form-data, but it needs the file as a real binary from a previous module (for example Google Drive → Download a file) plus the destinations field as a JSON string. That depends on two fragile things: that the binary arrives intact and that the JSON string is escaped correctly. The path that always works is not sending binary:

1. Send the file’s public URL in the source field of the JSON body. It is the recommended path and the one this guide uses.
2. Use base64 with POST /api/v1/images/upload, when the origin exposes no reachable URL.

If you really need to upload the file, use POST /api/v1/images/process/upload with body type multipart/form-data, the file field fed by the source module’s binary and destinations as a JSON string. Test that path on its own before putting it in production.

Create the API key

Open https://dash.socialcutter.theboomer.dev, go to Profile → API keys, create a key with a recognisable name (for example make-prod) and copy it: it starts with sc_ and is shown only once. In Make, store it as a scenario environment variable or a connection, not pasted into a module’s text.

Building the body with Create JSON

The real request body looks like this:

{
  "source": { "type": "url", "value": "https://example.com/photo.jpg" },
  "destinations": [
    { "platform": "instagram", "format": "post" },
    { "platform": "linkedin", "format": "post" },
    { "platform": "twitter", "format": "post" }
  ],
  "options": { "fit_mode": "cover" }
}

In Make, the JSON → Create JSON module saves you typing the text and escapes quotes: add source (object with type and value) and destinations (array with one object platform + format per destination). If you prefer to paste the JSON, use body type Raw in the HTTP module with Content-Type: application/json, but check the quotes: one unescaped quote returns 422.

source accepts url or base64 and destinations is the list of platform and format. fit_mode: cover scales and crops the overflow with a centered crop (the default); to fit the whole image, use contain with background_color.

Destinations the API accepts

Platform	Format	Dimensions	Ratio
instagram	post	1080x1080	1:1
instagram	story	1080x1920	9:16
instagram	landscape	1080x566	1.91:1
facebook	post	1200x630	1.91:1
facebook	story	1080x1920	9:16
facebook	cover	820x312	2.63:1
twitter	post	1200x675	16:9
twitter	header	1500x500	3:1
linkedin	post	1200x627	1.91:1
linkedin	cover	1128x191	5.9:1
youtube	thumbnail	1280x720	16:9
youtube	banner	2560x1440	16:9
tiktok	cover	1080x1920	9:16

These come from GET /api/v1/platforms, which is public. The catalogue has no 4:5 format.

The call with the HTTP module

In the HTTP → Make a request module:

• URL: https://api.socialcutter.theboomer.dev/api/v1/images/process
• Method: POST
• Headers: X-API-Key = sc_your_key, and Content-Type = application/json if you send the JSON as Raw. Add Idempotency-Key with a stable file id so a retry does not duplicate work.
• Body type: Raw (or application/json), with the JSON from the Create JSON module. With multipart/form-data, the file field carries the binary and destinations goes as text.

Check the raw response before building the scenario:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.socialcutter.theboomer.dev/api/v1/images/process" \
  -H "X-API-Key: sc_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"source":{"type":"url","value":"https://example.com/photo.jpg"},"destinations":[{"platform":"instagram","format":"post"}]}' \
  | jq '.image_id, (.outputs[] | {url, platform, format, width, height})'

Reading the response and using it later

The response carries image_id and an outputs array, one entry per destination, with the URL, the platform, the format and the dimensions. To use it later:

1. JSON → Parse JSON over the response body turns image_id and outputs into mappable fields.
2. Flow Control → Iterator over outputs walks one output per cycle.
3. In each cycle, an HTTP → Get a file downloads the URL if you need the binary, or you pass the URL straight to the destination module.

Chaining to a CMS or storage

• WordPress: push the output to the media library (POST /wp-json/wp/v2/media) and set the attachment id on the post’s featured_media.
• Shopify: use the product image field with the output URL.
• Storage: the upload module needs binary; download the output first with an HTTP GET step, then upload. If it rejects binary, let the CMS download the URL instead.

Plan limits

• 5 MB max per image; above that the API answers 413.
• 1 use per destination (platform and format) per request. Repeated destinations are not charged twice and failed items are refunded.
• Daily quota per plan: Free (€0) 3 uses/day, Basic (€3) 10/day, Pro (€9) 30/day, Agency (€29) 100/day. All include API and MCP.
• In Make, every module spends one operation from your plan: an Iterator spends one per item.

Common errors

Code	Meaning
401	The X-API-Key header is missing or the key is wrong
429	Quota exhausted: you passed the daily uses of your plan
413	The image is over 5 MB
422	Validation error: source or destinations are malformed, or the JSON is broken
400	Invalid payload: unknown platform or format

Cost per request

1 use per destination. A scenario asking for Instagram post, LinkedIn post and X post costs 3 uses per image. If the trigger gets bursts, group them before calling or use POST /api/v1/images/batch. Check GET /api/v1/wallet for the daily quota.

Next steps

• n8n guide: Automate image resizing with n8n
• API guide with curl: Process images from the terminal
• Python guide: Automate SocialCutter with Python
• WordPress guide: Integrate SocialCutter with WordPress and WooCommerce
• API documentation: https://docs.socialcutter.theboomer.dev