A regular Animoto account has monthly fees but as a teacher, you can register for a free Animoto Plus account to use with your students.
Click here to learn about and apply for an Education account.
- Once you have registered, you can click on the ‘CREATE’ button to begin making your first slideshow. Select a style which will include the background image and layout of the photos. There are many categories to choose from and when you click on each you will see a video example of what they will look like.
2. Once you have selected the layout you would like, click Create Video.
3. Click on the square with the + sign, to add photos and videos. You will have the option to upload your photos from your computer or other social media sites.
4. Once your photos have uploaded, you can choose to change the song.
5. Again, there are many categories and songs to choose from, and you can listen to each of them to find the one you prefer. Select your choice by clicking on SELECT at the bottom.
6. You can make changes to your photos by clicking on the gear icon below each photo.
7. The image will appear and you may add a caption on the line above the star. If you click on the star icon, you will ‘spotlight’ that image, which will make it stand out a little more from the rest during the slideshow, because it will automatically get a little extra screen time. You can also use the rotate icon to rotate your picture, if necessary.
8. When you are finished, any images that have a spotlight will be outlined in yellow. Click Preview Video to watch a low resolution preview of your video. The final product will be of higher quality.
9. You may choose to continue editing of click on Produce. One great thing about Animoto is that even after you have produced your video, you can still go back and edit it again later.
10. For the final steps you can name your video by giving it a title. The name you registered with will show up in the Producer Name section. This name will appear in the email version you may send to others. If you do not want your full name to appear, you can use a less identifiable name such as Class3B. You may also change the cover image by clicking on the thumbnail and choosing a different image. When you are ready, click Finish.
11. Your video will begin ‘finalizing’ and when it is complete, you can use the buttons on the right to save the video or share it with others.
