# Automating social media images: 4 real paths
> Four real paths to automate your image sizes with SocialCutter: REST API, MCP server, no-code tools and CMS or ERP pipelines. What it does and does not do.
- URL: https://socialcutter.theboomer.dev/en/guides/automatizar-imagenes-redes-sociales/
- Idioma: en
- Familia: seo
- Actualizado: 2026-09-24
- Palabras clave: automate social media images, image API, MCP server, n8n, Zapier, WordPress, SocialCutter
## The boundary: we generate the sizes, we do not publish

It is worth stating up front because it saves integration time: **SocialCutter generates images, it does not post to social networks.** It takes an image, crops it with a centered crop to the exact size of each destination and returns one URL per output. Whatever happens next — scheduling a post, uploading the media to a CMS, attaching it to a product record — belongs to the caller.

That boundary is exactly what lets the API fit so many different setups without specific integrations: it is an HTTP call, and all four paths below can make it.

Nor does it decide the framing: the image content is not analysed, so the crop is centered and predictable.

## The 4 real paths

### 1. Direct REST API

The base path. A `POST` to `https://api.socialcutter.theboomer.dev/api/v1/images/process` with the `X-API-Key` header and a body carrying `source` and `destinations`. Everything else is a variation of this.

- **When:** you have a backend, a script or a cron job and want full control of the flow.
- **Start here:** [Process images with the API from the terminal (curl)](/en/guides/curl/).

### 2. MCP server for LLMs and agents

The MCP server exposes the same API as **28 tools**. Instead of writing HTTP you describe what you want and the model calls `process_image` or `process_upload_file` with the parameters. There is a remote mode (a URL, no install) and a local one (`npx`).

- **When:** you work in Claude, Cursor, VS Code or Windsurf and want to generate sizes inside the conversation.
- **Start here:** [Use SocialCutter from your LLM or editor with MCP](/en/guides/mcp/).

### 3. No-code automation

n8n, Zapier or Make. A trigger detects a new image and an HTTP node calls the API; then the outputs are routed. There is no official SocialCutter node in any of the three, and you do not need one: the generic HTTP node is enough.

- **When:** you do not code, or you want the flow running within an afternoon.
- **Start here:** [Automate image resizing with n8n](/en/guides/n8n/), [Automate image resizing with Zapier](/en/guides/zapier/) or [Automate image resizing with Make](/en/guides/make/).

### 4. CMS and ERP

Here the source is usually the catalogue or the website: a product record, a post, a blog entry. The API is called from a plugin, a theme, a function or a module of the system itself, and the resulting file is uploaded to its media library.

- **When:** the images live in your CMS or ERP and you want them to come out already correctly sized.
- **Start here:** the guide for your system in the table below.

## When each path fits

| Your situation | Recommended path | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I have a backend and want control of the flow | REST API | Full control of destinations, errors and retries from your code |
| I work with an LLM or an agent | MCP | The model calls the tools; you write no HTTP |
| I do not code, or I want it fast | No-code (n8n, Zapier, Make) | Ready-made triggers and a generic HTTP node |
| I publish on WordPress or WooCommerce | CMS | The plugin uploads the result to the media library |
| I manage a catalogue on Shopify | CMS | Generated per product and attached to the record |
| I design and publish on Webflow | CMS | Media API upload and use it in the design |
| I write on Ghost | CMS | Featured image and social cards at the right size |
| I run a catalogue on Odoo or ERPNext | ERP | Normalises product images on the item record |
| I process large batches | REST API or `process_batch` | A batch endpoint avoids hundreds of separate calls |
| First steps or a quick test | MCP or the web dashboard | You can try the 0 EUR plan with no setup |

## Comparing the paths

| Criterion | REST API | MCP | No-code | CMS / ERP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical level | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
| Language | Any | Natural language | Visual flow | Plugin, theme or module |
| Setup speed | Medium | Fast | Fast | Medium |
| Per-destination and error control | Full | The model | Medium | Medium |
| Handles batches | Yes (`/images/batch`) | Yes | Depends on the flow | Depends on the module |
| Where the key lives | Your server | MCP client config | Automation credential | CMS or ERP config |
| Ideal for | Backends and scripts | LLMs and agents | Marketing and ops | Catalogue and website |
| Starting guide | [curl](/en/guides/curl/) | [mcp](/en/guides/mcp/) | [n8n](/en/guides/n8n/) | [wordpress](/en/guides/wordpress/) |

Whichever path you take, the flow has the same shape: **a trigger, a call to the API and a routing of the outputs.**

## Every guide by language and by system

| Path | File | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal | Bash and curl | [Process images with the API from the terminal (curl)](/en/guides/curl/) |
| LLMs and editors | MCP | [Use SocialCutter from your LLM or editor with MCP](/en/guides/mcp/) |
| Python | Python | [Process images with the SocialCutter API from Python](/en/guides/python/) |
| JavaScript | Node.js | [Process images with the SocialCutter API from Node.js](/en/guides/node/) |
| PHP | PHP | [Process images with the SocialCutter API from PHP](/en/guides/php/) |
| No-code | n8n | [Automate image resizing with n8n](/en/guides/n8n/) |
| No-code | Zapier | [Automate image resizing with Zapier](/en/guides/zapier/) |
| No-code | Make | [Automate image resizing with Make](/en/guides/make/) |
| CMS | WordPress and WooCommerce | [Integrate SocialCutter with WordPress and WooCommerce](/en/guides/wordpress/) |
| CMS | WooCommerce | [Attach catalogue images to WooCommerce with SocialCutter](/en/guides/woocommerce/) |
| CMS | Shopify | [Integrate SocialCutter with the Shopify Admin API](/en/guides/shopify/) |
| CMS | PrestaShop | [PrestaShop product images over the Webservice API](/en/guides/prestashop/) |
| CMS | Magento 2 | [Product images in Magento 2 through the REST API](/en/guides/magento/) |
| CMS | Strapi | [Upload images to the Strapi media library with SocialCutter](/en/guides/strapi/) |
| CMS | Webflow | [Upload images to Webflow and use SocialCutter](/en/guides/webflow/) |
| CMS | Ghost | [Upload images to Ghost and publish the right post](/en/guides/ghost/) |
| ERP | Odoo | [Normalize catalogue images in Odoo](/en/guides/odoo/) |
| ERP | ERPNext | [Normalize catalogue images in ERPNext](/en/guides/erpnext/) |
| Reference | Sizes | [Social media image sizes: dimensions and ratios](/en/guides/medidas-redes-sociales/) |

## Cost and limits

| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost per processing job | 1 use per destination (platform and format) |
| Duplicate destinations in one request | Not charged twice |
| Failed processing jobs | Refunded |
| Maximum upload size | 5 MB per file |
| Plans | 0, 3, 9 and 29 EUR |
| API and MCP server | Included in every plan |
| Delivery | One URL per destination; publishing is not included |

## Next steps

- Full size table: [Social media image sizes: dimensions and ratios](/en/guides/medidas-redes-sociales/)
- API reference: https://docs.socialcutter.theboomer.dev
- Dashboard: https://dash.socialcutter.theboomer.dev