The app is free to download, and it gives you access to all the basic editing tools you will need. However, for a one-time fee of $20, (and no monthly subscription charges), you can unlock everything that this app has to offer. To help you see what you can get for your money, the following tutorial is based on features you have access to with a Full Pro license.
Starting a New Video Project
Learning a new video editor always takes some time, but with Animotica you can get up and running in just a few clicks. Here’s how to get started: Once added, the clips you chose will appear on the horizontal timeline at the bottom of the screen. To rearrange your media, simply drag and drop the thumbnail images into the order you need. Animotica was built to meet the needs of modern video users and this means that you can choose the aspect ratio of your project. All you need to do is click the Video Aspect Ratio button, and choose the size you want. 16:9 is the default ratio and the one that most people will want to use for YouTube or sharing online, but if you are making a video for Instagram or another platform, there are plenty of other options to choose from.
Trim and Split Video Clips
Next up is the ability to edit your video clips. Here’s what you need to know: Jonathan Wylie If you want to trim the beginning and the end at the same time, select the video and then click Trim. Then, choose the Trim Slider. This opens a new window where you can drag the orange bars at the beginning and end of the video to set your beginning and end points. Once your are done, click Go Back to return to the timeline editor. You can use the Split tool to divide a video into two or more parts. To do this, select the video by clicking on it, and then move the orange playhead to the point where you want to split the video, then click the Split button on the toolbar. To change the duration of a photo, click the time stamp underneath the photo, or click on the photo and then select Duration from the toolbar. Photos can be set to appear for up to ten seconds at a time.
Using Video Filters
You can add filters to photos or videos in your timeline in just a few quick clicks. This can be a great way to add some mood to your video or inject some additional artistic flair. Here’s how you do it. Jonathan Wylie
Adding Text Effects
Titles can be an important way to help tell the story of your video. Thankfully, there are lots of options in this free video editor. Here is how to add text to your video. You can customize your text by using the toolbar at the bottom of the screen. You can change the font, the font size, the style, and any motion effects you would like to use. Once you are done, click Go Back in the bottom left-hand corner to return to the timeline editor.
Video Overlays for Picture-in-Picture
Text is just one of the overlays you can use in Animotica. You can also create a picture-in-picture effect by adding another photo or video on top of an existing clip.
Video Overlays for Green Screen Effects
Another great use of overlays is the ability to create green screen video using Animotica’s built-in Chroma key effect. Before you start, you need to make sure that you have the background photo or video in your timeline. Once you have that taken care of, you can add your green screen footage as an overlay. Here’s how.
Adding Music and Voiceovers
No video project would be complete without a killer soundtrack. Animotica has included some royalty free tracks that you can use in your projects, but for more variety, you might prefer to take a look at the YouTube Audio Library. You can add music by following the directions below. Jonathan Wylie Voiceovers can be added in the same way. A voiceover can be a great way to help tell the story of your video and can be added in addition to a music track. Here’s how to add a voice recording to your video. If you decide to add a music track and a voiceover, be sure to adjust the volume of the music track so that your voiceover can be heard more clearly.
Additional Features in the Animotica Editor
The features above will probably cover 90% of your project needs. However, if you want to dig a little deeper, there are more hidden gems just waiting to be discovered. These include: Jonathan Wylie
Speed: Make your video clip 4x slower, or 4x faster Rotate: Rotate a video 90 degrees at a time until you get the right orientation Flip: Create a mirror image of a video clip with the Flip feature Transform: Re-frame your video by zooming in or fixing a wonky horizon line Background: Choose a background for portrait video to hide the black bars Motion: Use a variety of Ken Burns style effects on your videos Adjust Color Settings: Boost the brightness, saturation, shadows and more Take Snapshot: Capture a still frame from a video as an image
Share and Export Your Video
When you are done, it’s time to save and export your video project so that you can share it with others. Follow the steps below. Animotica saves your project as you are working. If you are not ready to export your video, simply click the menu button in the top left-hand corner of the screen, and choose Back Home. If you are prompted to save your work, you can do that now. When you next relaunch the app, you can click on your project to open it and pick up where you left off. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. © 2020 Jonathan Wylie
Comments
Jonathan Wylie (author) from Iowa, USA on September 16, 2020: I’m glad it was useful Dale! Dale Anderson from The High Seas on September 15, 2020: I had never heard of this so thanks for taking the time to share it with us. Jonathan Wylie (author) from Iowa, USA on September 04, 2020: Simple to use and has powerful results. Definitely worth a look if you have not tried it before! Victoria Greywing from Limassol, Cyprus on September 04, 2020: Didn’t know about this program. It looks pretty and simple. Thank you!
