Featuring Video With Animoto
If you’re thinking of featuring video on your website, Animoto may be the perfect tool to use. Animoto allows you to create professional quality videos for free. Users can make a video with a maximum length of thirty seconds with the free version.
Making the ‘standard’ information videos is not what Animoto produces. Animoto ‘creatively’ rotates and intercuts photos and synchronized the changes to music that you choose. The videos provide limited space for text. But, the text is rotated in and out with the photos making for uniquely creative videos. Artists use Animoto to do their new song video in different formats. The videos are very simple to produce.
Free vs. Paid
Animoto allows users to produce videos with a maximum length of 30 seconds for free. To make longer videos require a paid account. Their accounts range from $30 a year to $249. The best buy is the $249 package. Especially if you regularly submit videos to the online video directories.
How To Use Free Option
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Go to Animoto.com
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Sign up for free account
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Select to produce a short thirty second (you must use their paid version for longer videos)
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Choose to upload photos from your computer (they also will download images from online directories such as Flickr, Picasa, etc.)
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Upload images: this process takes a few minutes
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Next, select music from their collection or upload your own
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Finally, complete your video with a title and description and click to produce video
Animoto then ‘goes to work.’ Once complete, the free version allows you to upload your uniquely created video to your YouTube account. (The paid versions lets you download your video; upload it to YouTube; copy the embed code; download DVD quality versions; etc. The paid version is the best buy.)
You have the option of choosing to remove the music credit and the “created using animoto” screen from being on the end of the video. Some free version users download the YouTube video to their computers and edit the Animoto branding out.
The process is 1-2-3 easy to do! It will surprise you how easy it is. You’ll be even more surprised at how uniquely creative the videos that you produce will be. Featuring video on your website or blog is now push-button easy for you.
Paid Version
Without a doubt, the paid version is the best choice. As mentioned, the paid version includes: letting you to download your video; upload it to YouTube; copy the embed code; download DVD quality versions; remix videos at the click of a button; etc.
Also, the paid version allows you to embed a website link at the end of the video which allows the video viewer to click through. A business could use this feature to send the viewer to their sales page or their email form. Models could use this feature to send viewers of their portfolio to their contact page. Any website featuring video by Animoto can add perceived value to their websites with creative and unique videos.
Want to see another unique video? No problem. Simply click the ‘remix’ button. Presto! You’ve got another creative and unique video. Here’s a tip that even regular Animoto users don’t know! The images in the videos change in synchronization with the music. So, the tempo of the music that you choose, determines the pace of image rotation. For example, love songs have slower, smoother transitions. And rock songs have a higher paced transition. Most options look outstanding, in my opinion.
