Welcome to the complete guide to Animoto! We’re going to get you set up for video success with some simple tips for getting started and a rundown of our features. Plus, we've included links to some of our most popular templates and blog posts full of video ideas to help you get creative with Animoto.
Getting started
Our goal is to make video creation quick and easy, so anyone can drag and drop their way to stunning videos.
If you’re brand new to Animoto, we want to make it as easy as possible for you to start making videos right away. Head to our beginner’s guide for a quick rundown of how it all works, or check out the intro video below.
To recap:
- Step 1: Select a template or start from scratch. Be sure to choose an aspect ratio that will work for the platform you plan to share your video on.
- Step 2: Add images and video clips, either by uploading your own, collecting them from your team or community, or browsing our Getty Images stock library.
- Step 3: Customize your video. We’ll get into the features you can use to make your video your own in the next section.
- Step 4: Share away. You can download your video and share it anywhere you like, or create a custom landing page to host it on.
Use this video as a guide as you jump in and start making your first few videos. Click the button below to start creating now!
Step 1: Choose a template
Animoto has over 700 templates and counting. Each is professionally designed with animations, media, text, elements, music, and video best practices already in place. You can use them as a starting place for your video, or start from scratch if you have a specific vision in mind.
Head over to the template selector to see a special selection picked just for you, or browse our categories for:
- Promos & ads
- Holidays
- Platform-specific templates
- Real estate
- Nonprofit
- Workplace
- Travel
- And more
Step 2: Add your media
There are lots of ways to get media into your project. Here's a quick recap:
- From your device: Just drag and drop or select files from your computer.
- From the cloud: Connect Animoto with your cloud storage platform like Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box.
- From your phone: Click on the phone icon, scan the QR code, select your photos and clips, and upload them with a tap.
- From others: Share a private upload link and invite your colleagues, clients, friends, and family to upload media directly to your project.
Step 3: Customizing
Now that we’ve covered the basic steps to starting your video project, let’s take a look at all of the editing features available in Animoto. Note that some features are only available on a paid plan. You can learn more about all of our current subscription plans right here.
We’re going to cover a lot in this section, so if you’re interested in learning about a specific feature, click to jump right to it from the following list:
- Your workspace
- Blocks
- Saved Templates
- Design Settings
- Video Settings
- Audio Settings
- Screen and webcam recording
- Media Library
- Timeline and Grid View
- Collecting feedback with Commenting
- Team Management
- Account Management
- Copying and Editing Projects
- Sharing your Video
Your workspace
First and foremost, let’s take a look at your workspace or workspaces. This is where you can create videos with the features listed below.
However, in addition to an individual workspace, Professional Plus users have access to a shared Team Workspace. The Team Workspace is where you can create, review, and share videos with other users on your team. Any video you create here can be viewed and edited by your team, whereas videos created in your individual workspace can only be seen by you.
Aspect ratio switching
Click on the Ratio button to switch between vertical, square, and landscape. If you want to use the same video more than once across different platforms, you can make a copy of your entire video on your project page, then change the aspect ratio on the copy.
Undo and redo
Edit with confidence with our undo and redo options. You can find both buttons at the top of your workspace. If you change your mind about an edit you’ve made to your video, just click Undo to remove it. If you remove something you wish you’d kept, click Redo to bring it right back.
Blocks
Animoto videos are created by mixing and matching blocks. You can easily add, remove, or drag and drop to reposition blocks within any video project, whether you’re using one of our video templates or starting from scratch.
To add a block, simply click on the Add a Block button, the plus sign button at the bottom of your screen next to the blue play button. Once you’ve opened the Add a Block screen, click on the type of block you’d like to add.
Here's a quick guide to the types of Blocks you'll find in your workspace:
- Flexible layouts: Creative layouts made with movable and scalable frames for your media. Use the drop-down in the upper-right corner to change the style and shape of the frames in these layouts:
- Media-only layouts
- Media and text layouts
- Picture-in-picture: Showcase two photos or video clips in one layout.
- Lower thirds: Introduce speakers and provide key information with a title and subtitle.
- Collages: Create a dynamic slideshow with layouts that unfold over time.
- Backgrounds: Add subtle variety with stylish, eye-catching backdrops.
- Layouts: Fixed frames and arrangements for your media.
- Media-only layouts
- Text-only layouts
- Media and text layouts
- Picture-in-picture layouts
- Special:
Layouts
There are two different types of layouts: Classic and flexible. Both allow you to combine media placeholders and text in a single block, but flexible layouts allow you to customize the placement, size, and shape of your media frames.
Layouts can change depending on the aspect ratio or video style you choose. If you’d like to change your selected block’s layout, click on the top icon on the left-hand side of the block. You’ll see all the available layouts with a preview of your images and videos to help you picture what it’ll look like.
You can customize layouts as well.
- For classic layouts:
- Click on a frame and click the trash icon to delete any placeholder.
- Add text to a block or remove text from a Media + Text block to achieve the exact look you want.
- For flexible layouts:
- Drag, drop, rotate, opacity, and scale your frames
- Click on any frame and then select the "Change frame" button to seamless browse and change the shape of your media
Media frames
Want to get even more creative with your design? Try media frames!
Media frames come in a variety of shapes and styles. Unlike layouts, you can drag, drop, and scale these frames to display your videos and photos wherever you want. Then, you can use your timeline to control when they appear and disappear.
Pro tip: To instantly add media to your video, just drag it from your media library into your canvas and select the shape of your frame.
Check out this article to get inspired and discover all the creative possibilities at your fingertips.
Burst blocks
With a burst block, you can add a quick sequence of up to 15 photos to your video, like the ones shown in the Seasonal Sale template below.
You can add a Burst block by clicking on the plus icon on the bottom of your screen again, bringing you back to the Add a Block screen. Choose Burst under the header Special, and you’ll be given several options for how you’d like your block to animate.
Fill your Burst by dragging and dropping images directly into the block. You can change the scale of images, position, and speed of your photo burst. You can also delete any part of the burst you’d like or move images within the burst around.
Adding your logo
Animoto videos offer a few different ways to integrate your logo and get brand recognition with every view. You can add your logo in two ways:
- Add a Logo block. Upload your logo and add a Logo block by clicking on the plus icon on the bottom of your screen, bringing you back to the Add a Block screen. Then, choose Logo under the header Special. Place your logo at the end of your video, the beginning of your video, or anywhere between. If you’d like, you can also add text to a Logo block or include an image or clip in the background.
- Add a corner watermark. If you have a paid subscription to Animoto, you’ll see an option to add a corner watermark to your videos. A watermark will display persistently throughout your entire video, except for any Logo blocks. Upload a watermark in the Design tab, which we’ll discuss a little later on, then select the size, position, and transparency you’d like.
- Use media frames. Add a media frame to place your logo wherever you want and control when your logo appears.
Editing your blocks
There are several options for editing your blocks in Animoto. Here’s what each editing tool does and where to find it.
- Change color: Right under the icon for changing your layout is the Change Color icon. Click on this to choose your block's background color. You can also edit the colors of your entire video all at once in the Design tab.
- Change layout: You can find the Change Layout icon in the top-left corner of the block you want to change. Click to see a list of all available layouts and backgrounds for the block you’re currently editing. To remove a media placeholder within your block, just select it and click on the trash can icon. Empty placeholders will not appear in your final video.
- Add media frames: Want to make your own layouts? Get creative and place your media wherever it fits best with media frames! First, select the "Add a media frame" button right below the text button. Then, browse through the variety of categories to find the ones that best suit your video. To experiment with different frames, click on the "Change frame" button to try different shapes. The creative possibilities are endless! Check some of them out here.
- Add text: If you’d like to add text to your block, click the Add Text icon. You can edit the words in the text box that appears, then drag it around to fit your media. You can also add multiple text boxes with multiple fonts.
- Add elements: Elements are animated video “stickers” that bring your videos to life. You can add multiple elements to emphasize text, create custom layouts, and make your videos pop.
- Play block: Click on the black play button in the bottom-left-hand corner of your block to preview your progress. If you’re ready to preview all of your blocks together, click the blue play button on the bottom left of your workspace.
- Mute: For blocks featuring video clips that include audio, you’ll see the option to mute the clip.
- Scale: Click on an image or video clip you’d like to adjust and you’ll see a new set of controls, including one for scale. Click on the Scale button, and a slider bar will appear. This tool lets you zoom in or out on your selected media.
- Rotate: Click on the Rotate icon to make your image or video clip shift 90 degrees clockwise. Keep clicking to return it to its original position, or click the Undo button to go back one position at a time.
- Delete: Click on an image, clip, or text box you’d like to remove, then click the Trash icon.
- Trim clip: If your block includes a video clip, click the scissors icon on and drag the blue bumpers to where you’d like the clip to start and stop, then click Apply.
- Shorter & Longer: If your block features images and text without a video clip, you can use the Block Duration Controls on the bottom-right side of your block to adjust how long it appears in your video.
Text and element timing
Want to fine-tune the timing of your video? It's simple.
Just click on any text box, element, or media frame, then select the "Adjust layer time" button to open the timeline.
Here, you'll see each text box and element in timeline view. To make changes, just drag and drop the bumpers on either side of your text, frame, or element to control when it appears or disappears.
You can sync them with your music, voice-over audio, on-screen highlights, and more to say exactly what you want to say, exactly when you want to say it.
Saved Templates
Saved Templates are made from your custom videos. They help save you time by having your message and brand already in place and ready to go. They’re a great option for a video series, seasonal campaigns, announcements, promos, and more.
Professional users can create three Saved Templates, and Professional Plus users can create 25 Saved Templates. To learn how to turn your videos into custom saved templates, visit this complete guide.
Design Settings
To access the design tools, click on the Design button at the top of your workspace. Whenever you change any design element in your video, you’ll see an instant preview so you can see your choices in action.
Here’s what you’ll find in the Design tab:
Themes
The first features you’ll see in the Design tab are themes–professionally curated sets of colors, fonts, style combos, and filters. Simply hover over each theme to get a quick preview of how it can transform your video, then click to apply it to all of your blocks in an instant.
Choosing a theme doesn’t lock you into those design choices; you can still adjust any individual settings however you’d like or click the Undo button to get your previous look back.
To learn more, check out our complete guide to using themes.
Saved Brands
If you’re on a Professional or Professional Plus plan in Animoto, your next design option will be Saved Brands. A Saved Brand is your shortcut to apply your brand colors, font, and logo to your videos with a single click. Professional users can create one Saved Brand, and Professional Plus users can create up to ten.
To learn more about Saved Brands, from who has access to them to how to create and apply them to your videos, check out our complete guide to Saved Brands.
Text Settings
Below themes, you’ll find several other design options, starting with Text Settings.
- Fonts: First, choose a primary font for your video. You can always switch the font of individual text boxes and even add multiple fonts to a single block.
- Pro tip: Professional Plus users can upload their own custom font.
- Colors and sizes: Select the text color and size of your titles and subtitles throughout your entire video.
- Text Styles: Text Styles are preset animations and visual treatments for your text that can be applied throughout your video.
- Pro tip: You can also make edits to your text on an individual block level using the following tools:
- Bold and italics: Highlight any word and add a bold or italic text effect to add emphasis, improve clarity, or showcase your unique style.
- Text rotation: Unlock the ability to create visual variety while complementing your layouts.
- Manual text justification: Establish balance in your video and complement the composition of your images and clips.
Video Settings
In the Video Settings tab within the Design tab, you’ll find:
- Colors: Click on the Background button to select your overall background color. Depending on the video style you’ve chosen, you may also see an option for an accent color. These settings will change the colors throughout your whole project.
- Video styles: A video style is a set of preset transitions and visual treatments for your images and video clips. Click on any video style to see a preview of what it’ll look like in your video.
- Filters: Filters are applied to all of the assets in your video. Filters can help give all of your photos and video clips a unified look and help your text stand out.
Watermark
As we mentioned in the Logo section above, you can add your logo in the corner of your video for greater brand recognition. We recommend using a PNG file, allowing you to create a transparent background for your logo. For best results, we recommend using an image that’s at least 800 pixels on its longest edge.
Once you upload your watermark, you can choose the corner where it’ll appear, whether it’ll be slightly transparent or solid, and how large it will be in your video.
Audio Settings
Audio is an easy yet powerful way to draw more attention to your video, and with Animoto, you can use music and voice-over to captivate your audience.
Music
Your subscription to Animoto comes with a commercially licensed song library filled with music tracks you can use in your videos.
A Professional or Professional Plus subscription includes access to over 3,000 tracks, while Free and Basic users have access to 50 licensed songs. Professional or Professional Plus users can also add up to eight songs to their videos rather than just one.
Finding a song
To access our music library, click on the Audio tab at the top of your workspace. Once the music library pops up, there are several ways to find a song for your video.
- Search: If you know the name of a song, artist, or a specific keyword you’d like to use in your video, enter it into the search bar at the top of the Music Library.
- Mood: Use moods to filter based on the feeling you’d like to create in your video. You’ll see a few of the most popular moods listed when you open the Music Library, but you can click View All Moods to see the complete list. If you want to capture multiple moods in a single video, upgrade to a paid plan to add multiple songs.
- Genre: The Music Library lists a view of our top music genres. If those don’t fit your project, click View All Genres to see a list of all of our genres.
- Your Music: Click on this tab to find the music you’ve already chosen as a Favorite, or to upload your own licensed music tracks in your videos.
Favoriting songs
If you discover a song you love, you can save it for later in your Favorites. Just click on the small heart icon next to the song you like, and we’ll add it to your Favorites list. Then, the next time you need a song for a video, head to the Your Music tab to browse the songs you’ve saved.
Uploading songs
If you want to upload another licensed music track, you can do that too! When you click into the Your Music tab, you’ll see an Upload button. Click that, and you’ll be able to upload your own song into Animoto.
Pro tip: Make sure you have a license to use the music you plan to upload, or it may be taken down by social media sites.
Trimming songs
You can change the start and end times of your selected song using the music trim tool at the bottom of your workspace. The song trim tool shows you a visual waveform of your song to help you decide on the best start and stop points.
Once you’ve trimmed a song, click the blue play button to preview it along with your video. In addition, you can add a fade-out effect to the end of your background song by trimming the endpoint of your selected track.
Trimming also allows you to add multiple songs to your videos. Just make room and select another song to add it to your music timeline. Then, trim and adjust as usual.
Volume control
Adjust the levels of a song by clicking on the Volume icon. If your video features someone speaking or other important audio, it might make sense to lower the volume. It’ll make the audio easier to hear but still allow your audience to appreciate the soundtrack you’ve chosen.
If you’d prefer to have a video with no music, click the Trash icon to the right of the volume. It’ll delete your song, so your video will play without any background music.
Looping songs
You can loop your song choice by clicking the repeat icon to the left of the volume control.
Voice-over
When you want to add more context or walk your audience through your video step by step? Check out voice-over. Available to Professional and Professional Plus users, voice-over lets you record and upload audio tracks using your voice.
There are two ways to add voice-overs to your videos. You can record your tracks right from your video workspace, or if you already have a voice-over file, you can upload it directly.
You can add up to eight voice-overs per video. If you hit the limit or want to swap out a track, you can delete your track by navigating to the “YOUR AUDIO” tab and clicking the trash can icon.
For an in-depth guide to adding voice-overs to your video, check out this complete guide or watch the video below!
Screen and webcam recording
Basic users have access to screen and webcam recording in Animoto. This allows users to capture exactly what’s on their screen or record messages via webcam. However, Professional and Professional Plus users are able to do both simultaneously. This enables video creators to create in-depth instructional videos, demos, sales videos, and more.
Read through this complete guide to screen recording to learn how to use this feature to strengthen your communications and make personal connections.
Media library
Your Media Library is where you can find and store images and video clips for your project. Let’s take a tour.
Uploading your media
You can upload your own images or video clips under the Project tab. This is where all of the media you add to your project will show up, including any media you upload and any stock images and clips you add from our Getty Images library.
To add media from Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Box, click on the “Import from…” button in the media tab, select the drive location, log in, and select the media you’d like to import.
Add from your phone
You can also import media directly from your phone! Just scan a QR code, pick your photos or videos, and watch them appear in your media library.
Shareable upload links
Send a private link to friends, family, clients, and colleagues so they can add media directly to your project! Or, add their email addresses and they'll receive a private invitation link in their inboxes. Hit refresh and their photos and videos will appear in your media library instantly.
Learn more about collecting media here:
Adding stock images and video clips
Under the Stock tab, you can access our library of over 100 million high-quality stock photos and video clips from Getty Images. Search for stock using the search tool at the top of the tab.
Professional users have access to 1 millton+ assets, and Professional Plus users can access over 100 million.
Not on a paid plan? No problem! Simply uncheck the paid plan boxes to only see results available to you on your current plan. You can also narrow down your search by selecting the aspect ratio or media type that you’re looking for.
Saving favorite images and video clips
If you have certain media you use again and again, save them in your Favorites. Just as you can favorite songs in our Music Library, click the heart icon to choose favorite images or video clips in the Project tab. You can favorite your own images or favorite stock images you’d like to keep on hand.
Additional buttons within the Media Library
- Enlarge button: In the upper-left-hand corner of an image in the Media Library, you’ll see a small magnifying glass. Click it to enlarge your image and see it in more detail.
- Play button: Instead of a magnifying glass, video clips have a play button. Click it to preview a video clip before you add it to your project.
- Delete button: If you’d like to remove an item from your Project tab, click the Trash icon on the lower-left corner to delete it.
Timeline and grid view
Animoto makes it easy to edit different parts of your video quickly by offering two different ways to view your entire project at once: Timeline and Grid View. You can use these views to delete, copy, or move blocks around within your video.
Looking to learn more about text and element timing? Check it out here!
- Video Timeline: This is the area at the bottom of your workspace, to the right of the Preview and Add a Block icons. If your project has more blocks than you can see all at once, you can use the bar along the bottom to scroll and view any off-screen blocks.
- Grid View: If you have a longer project that you’d like to view all at once, click on the Grid View button directly above the Timeline on the left-hand side. Here, you can view and edit, copy, or delete all of your blocks at once.
Collecting feedback with Commenting
Commenting makes it easy to collect and implement video feedback all within your Animoto workspace. As the project owner, you can invite clients and colleagues to comment on your video by sending them an email invitation.
To invite reviewers, first click the “Share” icon in the top right corner and select the “Send a link for feedback” option. From here, you can type in email addresses (separated by a comma) and press the blue SEND INVITE button. The recipient will receive an email that prompts them to create an account and start reviewing your video.
After sending your email invitations, you can also press the COPY LINK button to share a private feedback link. This allows you to share your project link via email, slack, hangouts, and more as an extra nudge.
Once you’ve collected your video feedback, you can reply to others’ comments, sort, and resolve them in one place.
Check out this Complete Guide to Commenting to learn how Professional Plus users can use Commenting to speed up the video review process.
Team management
The Professional Plus plan comes with three user seats for you and your team. Each user will be assigned one of two roles: admin and producer. In addition to creating and editing videos, admins can add users, manage user roles, and manage billing. Producers can create videos with all the top-tier features included in their plan.
Admins can change user roles from their Professional Plus plan, controlling the amount of access each team member has. You can always grow your team by purchasing additional seats at this link.
Account management
Unlike our other plans, the Professional Plus plan comes with a dedicated account manager. Your manager will meet with you and your team to provide onboarding support and trainings so you can make the most out of your plan.
Copying and editing projects
You can always go back and edit your older projects or make a copy to save the original version and make changes to a new version instead.
Copying your projects allows you to easily swap out photos or video clips or change the text to make multiple versions of a similar video. You can even repurpose one video for different platforms, making a horizontal version for YouTube, a square one for your Facebook and Instagram Feeds, and a vertical one for Stories.
Step 4: Sharing your video
Creating your videos is just the first step. Let’s dive into how you can share your Animoto videos.
Click on the share icon from any finished video project to choose where or how you'd like to share it. You’ll have the option to share your video directly to your Facebook page, Facebook profile, YouTube, Instagram Business, Instagram, LinkedIn page, and Twitter.
You’ll also have the option to email your video, create a direct link to your video, get a link to embed it, or create a custom video landing page.
Custom video landing pages
Professional and Professional Plus users can host their videos on our custom video landing pages.
Once your video is finished, click “Share” then “Publish and share” and you’ll be taken to your share page. From here, click on the link button, then “Edit” next to the custom play page section.
From this page, you can:
- Apply background font colors
- Add titles descriptions
- Upload a custom video thumbnail
- Add a custom CTA button
Learn more about creating and editing your ad and distraction landing pages here.
Video downloading
The default video quality that is available to all users on any Animoto plan is 780p. Customers on a paid plan will also see their videos upgraded to HD 1080p. To learn more, visit our pricing page.
Resell licenses
If you’re on our Professional plan, you’re licensed to resell videos you create to your own customers. An example of this would be a photographer selling slideshow videos to clients.
If you’re on our Professional Plus plan, you can resell your videos to other businesses. An example of this would be a marketing consultant creating marketing videos for one of their business clients.
Video creation tips
Want to learn to create better videos? You’ve come to the right place. In this section, we’ll share links to articles with video creation tips.
Video shooting tips
Interested in learning more about shooting better videos? Check out our Video Creation Basics: Shooting Video guide.
PRO TIP: You can create videos without shooting any new photos or video clips. Check out how you can make the most of the stock library you already have access to in Animoto.
Lighting tips
Looking for more tips for improving the lighting in your videos? Look no further than our Video Creation Basics: Lighting guide.
Audio tips
To learn more about audio, check out our Video Creation Basics: Audio guide.
Time to start creating!
You’re all set to start creating stunning videos in Animoto! Keep an eye on the blog for even more video tips and ideas along the way.
Happy video making!
