HOW TO USE ANIMOTO
GETTING STARTED:__________________________________________________________
1. Create an account. Go to animoto.com.
2. Look at the top right-hand corner of the page. There you should find a green sign up
button-- click on it. You could also click on the green get started button in the middle of
the screen.
3. Fill out the required information. To make longer than 30 second videos, you’ll need to
enter this promo code in the specified box: a4e8a87d4
BASIC DIRECTIONS:__________________________________________________________
TEMPLATE
4. Choose a template. The template is a type of background for your video. If you ever want
to make a new video, just click on the blue create button at the top right.
5. After clicking on your
chosen template (e.g. New York
theme, party theme, etc.), click
the blue create video button.
Now you can start to add music,
pictures, and video clips.
ADDING MUSIC
6. Start by choosing a song that matches the message of your pictures. Decide what kind of
mood you want to set: Will your ad be energetic? Solemn? Serious? Historical? Based on
what you decide, choose a song from the menu provided by Animoto:
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ADDING MUSIC
Just click on the song already listed, in this example “Again” by Secrets in Stereo, and a
whole menu of songs will appear. When you find a song you like, click the blue add song
button at the bottom of the menu.
7. If you want to add your own song, click upload songs at the bottom of the music menu.
Go to the correct file on your computer where your song is saved, click on it, and then
choose the open button. You may need to download your song, from iTunes, for
example.
FINDING, UPLOADING & ORGANIZING PICTURES/VIDEOS
8. Think about what you want to show in your Animoto slideshow. Start to look for pictures
online, or in your computer picture folder.
9. When you find a picture on google images that you like, click on it to get a bigger view.
Next, right click on the picture to get a menu. Click on Save Image As… option. From
there, you will need to choose the file on your computer where you want to save that
picture for later. Usually, we save pictures in the picture file.
10. To put the picture into your Animoto slideshow, you’ll need to upload it. Click on the
empty box you see with a “+” sign in the middle. Choose the option on the left. This
button looks like two boxes, one with a “+” sign in it:
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HOW TO USE ANIMOTO
FINDING, UPLOADING, AND ORGANIZING PICTURES/VIDEOS
Another way to access the upload pictures/videos option is to look on the menu on the left. Click
Add Pics & Vids option.
VIDEO CLIPS
11. To add video clips, you can search on Youtube. To download a clip you like, save it to
your computer, and upload it to Animoto, you’ll need to download the free program
iLivid found at ilivid.com. If you need another format of the clip (e.g. mp4, mov, etc.) ,
you can use the free online converter Zamzar found at zamzar.com.
12. Remember the clips must be short! If you need to shorten the clip you download, you can
upload it to Windows Movie Maker on your computer. There, you can cut the original
version and save it as a new file.
ORGANIZING
13. To organize your pictures and video clips in the order you want, simply right click on the
picture you want to move and drag it to the right spot.
ADDING TEXT
By now you’ve added the photos/video clips you want in your show. Now, you need to describe
what you’re showing with words.
14. Adding an empty slide with just words-Click on an empty slide box. This time, do not
choose the pics/video clip upload option. Click on the “T” on the right. A screen will
appear asking you to type in a title and subtitle. When you’re done that, click the blue
save button.
15. Adding words to go along with a picture/video clip- Click on the picture you want to add words
to. Now click on the caption… option. From there, fill in your caption. Click done to finish.
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HOW TO USE ANIMOTO
PREVIEWING YOUR VIDEO
16. To see how your video looks so far, click on the blue Preview Video button at the bottom
left side.
PUBLISHING (MAKING A FINAL COPY)
17. If you’re satisfied with your video as it is, then go to preview it. When the video starts to
play, you’ll see a blue Produce button. Click it.
18. After you’ve made the video, you can e-mail it to friends; save it to your computer;
upload it to Youtube; etc.
ADVANCED STUFF:________________________________________________________
TO MAKE A PICTURE STAND OUT AS MORE IMPORTANT
19. If there’s a picture in your slide show you really want to show off, spotlight it. This
means the screen will show this picture a little longer than the rest. Click on the picture
you want to spotlight, and then go to the left hand menu. Click spotlight.
TO ROTATE A PICTURE
20. Click on the picture, and then click rotate.
TO MAKE TWO COPIES OF THE SAME PICTURE
21. Click on the picture, and then click duplicate.
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HOW TO USE ANIMOTO
TO SPEED UP/SLOW DOWN THE SLIDESHOW
22. If you want to make your pictures appear faster or slower, look at the top right corner of
your screen. There, you’ll find a grey circular button. Click on it.
23. Move the notch on the scale provided to your desired speed and click the blue save button.
TO START THE MUSIC AT A MID-POINT IN THE SONG
24. Suppose you don’t like the beginning of your song—can you just skip it and get to the good
stuff? Yes. When you click on the grey circular button (as above) you’ll be offered a chance to
change the starting point. Just slide the notch to the exact time in your song you’d like it to start.
GOOD LUCK!
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