Snapchat Spotlight no longer recommends wholly AI-generated videos

Snapchat Spotlight does not recommend wholly AI-generated videos from July 31, 2026. Snap says content enhanced or edited with Snapchat's own AI tools stays eligible and carries transparency indicators. The stated aim is to reward authentic creativity from real people. Details are from Snap's newsroom, read 2026-10-01.

What exactly did Snap change for Spotlight?

Does a Sume-generated video count as wholly AI-generated?

Snap's page describes the rule in those two categories and does not publish a test for where a mixed clip falls. Sume's docs cannot answer that either. A clip made entirely by a model from POST /v1/videos is, on its face, a generated video. Treat it as ineligible for Spotlight recommendation, and read Snap's current page before you rely on any other reading.

The practical route is footage you filmed yourself, with AI used for parts of the edit. That is a call for you and Snap, not a claim this post can make for you.

How do I build a Spotlight clip from my own footage with Sume?

Spotlight is a vertical feed, and Timeline 1.0 defaults to 1080x1920 MP4 output. Use Video trim to cut the range you want from a long recording (start plus exactly one of end or duration, source up to 1800 seconds, $0.02 per job), then sequence the cuts.

Timeline 1.0 (POST /v1/timeline-1.0/render) takes output.width and output.height as even integers from 256 to 2160 and output.fps of 24, 25, 30 or 60, or omits fps to match the sources. It needs an Idempotency-Key, accepts only media.sume.com sources, and returns one MP4 at $0.10 per output minute, rounded up. The unbilled POST /v1/timeline-1.0/plan previews the cost first.

curl -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/timeline-1.0/render \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: snap-spotlight-001" \
  -d '{
    "audio": { "mode": "silence", "duration_seconds": 20 },
    "output": { "width": 1080, "height": 1920, "fps": 30 },
    "video": [
      { "source_url": "https://media.sume.com/artifacts/artf_demo/shot.mp4",
        "start": 0, "duration": 20, "fit": "cover" }
    ]
  }'

Can captions go on a Spotlight clip?

Yes. Video captions burns captions onto a public HTTPS video URL for $0.20 per video up to 60 seconds. It needs audible speech; a silent clip fails as caption_no_speech, and for those you pass your own cues instead.

curl -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/video-captions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: snap-captions-001" \
  -d '{
    "video_url": "https://media.sume.com/artifacts/example/clean.mp4",
    "style": "punch",
    "language": "en"
  }'

What should I check before I post?

Probe the finished file with Video inspect 1.0. With frames: false it is a probe only, it is unbilled, and it reports width, height, container, fps and duration_seconds. It does not report file size, codec or bitrate, so check those with a local tool before you upload.

Then read Snap's page again. It is the only source for how the rule is applied, and Sume's docs say nothing about Snapchat.