Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to your questions about Animoto for Business

The Basics

What is Animoto?

Animoto produces TV & film-quality music videos using your photos in just minutes.

Simply upload your images & video clips, then choose a song as the soundtrack to your video. Animoto will then analyze every nuance of the song, producing a totally unique video each time. No two videos are ever the same.

Videos can then be e-mailed, downloaded, exported to YouTube, burned to DVD, and placed on your website, blog or MySpace.

Animoto's founders have produced shows for MTV, Comedy Central & ABC, studied classical music in London, played in rock bands in Seattle and developed software in Japan. They have developed a patent-pending, Cinematic Artificial Intelligence that thinks like an actual editor and director.

What features do I get with Animoto for Business?

Animoto for Business was designed to support the unique needs of businesses. It's loaded with features that allow you to showcase your business or product in a captivating, memorable and professional way.

All videos contain the type of top-notch motion design normally seen in film & on TV.

View a full list of features.

What are some specific examples of how a business may use Animoto?

This is left up to your imagination! Our Case Studies provide an overview of how a few businesses are using Animoto for Business today. Other uses of Animoto for Business videos include:

  • A sports team showing photo highlights on the JumboTron in real-time.
  • A winery playing an Animoto DVD in tasting room to provide a recap of a harvest.
  • A service business posting a promotional video to YouTube to increase exposure.
  • A product business creating a video ad to advertise through Google Video.
  • An Ebay/Craigslist seller adding video to posting.
  • A daycare facility or summer camp providing a weekly recap video for parents and kids.
  • A wedding planner or photographer selling DVDs to their clients.
  • A travel agent highlighting destination packages using video.
  • Landlords showcasing listings using video.
  • A sports bar showing videos on TVs.
  • Conference organizers showing videos to kick-off day, spice-up dead time between presenters, or recap day/conference.
  • A trade show booth playing video on booth TV to stand out.
  • Presenters grabbing the attention of an audience with a video.
  • Using video to pitch ideas to your boss or customers/clients.
  • Creating compelling video content for your website.
How can I use Animoto to help grow my business?

There are many ways to grow your business with Animoto. In addition to the ideas below, check out our Case Studies to see how other businesses are using Animoto to increase sales and enhance their business.

Is it really that easy to create Animoto videos?

Without a doubt, Animoto for Business is the fastest, easiest way to produce professional quality video from your photos. Creating a video is a simple as uploading your photos, choosing your music, and hitting go. Animoto does all the heavy lifting, returning you a stunning video in only minutes. If you'd like to see for yourself, you can demo Animoto for free by registering at animoto.com.

Are there any limits to how I can use my videos once they've been created?

If you're choosing music from our library of 500+ commercially licensed tracks in 10 genres, you can distribute your videos in almost any way you like. Animoto makes it easy to distribute your video online, share via email, or simply download and burn straight to DVD with no licensing hurdles to jump through.

While there are seemingly endless ways for you to use your Animoto videos, we don't currently allow for use of commercial videos for broadcast (i.e. TV commercials), theatrical (i.e. as part of a play or before movies), or in public performance.

Can I try Animoto out for free before buying a package?

Register at animoto.com and make as many free Animoto Shorts as you like. The process of making a Short and making a commercial video is the same, so you'll definitely get a feeling for our site and how it can let you make captivating & professional videos using your own photos in just minutes!

Do videos have an Animoto logo?

The Animoto Professional package includes a White Label feature, which lets you opt out of having Animoto-branding in your videos. Our commercial offering is the only package available at our site that is devoid of our logo.

Who are you guys anyway?

The founders of Animoto are veterans of the entertainment industry and include former producers from ABC, MTV, VH1, & Comedy Central.

They created Animoto to make the kind of high-end motion design normally found only on TV & in film, available to you in just minutes.

Making Money & Marketing My Business

Can I resell Animoto Videos?

The Terms of Service allow for you to re-sell videos to individuals, but not to other businesses.

Each business using Animoto commercially must have their own Animoto for Business account. However, feel free to re-sell videos to individual people (for example, a videographer selling a video to a couple who just had a wedding).

Can I add a link to my website within the Animoto video?

Yes, you definitely can. While prepping your video, you get the option to include a "Call to Action" Button that will show up at the conclusion of your video. There you can name the button (i.e. the name of your business, current rates/specials that you're promoting, etc) & link to the website that you'd like to show up at the video's very end. This will ensure that all videos you make and post to the web through Animoto's "Post this video feature" will work hard to increase your brand awareness and drive potential customer/clients directly to your site with a single click.

There are so many ways that you can use this functionality. Link people to:

  • a contact/feedback area on your site
  • a promotion you are running
  • your business blog
  • glowing reviews of your work from past customers
  • your business' photo gallery

Note: This "Call to Action" Button works only with our link/Embed code. If you download the video or post it to YouTube, the link will no longer work.

Can you help market my business on sites like MySpace?

Making an Animoto video for a product page on MySpace can be a great way to engage potential customer/clients - especially young, hard-to-reach consumers.

Share the video's embed code and let loyal customer/clients and fans post your video to their MySpace page.

I have a YouTube channel. Can I put these videos up on YouTube?

Yes, you can. Beneath each video is an Export to YouTube option.

However, now that YouTube offers HD capabilities, you might want to upload your DVD-quality downloads to YouTube in lieu of the direct export option. This will ensure that your video looks as crisp as possible.

Vimeo is another awesome option as well. Their HD option allows for our DVD-quality downloads to be displayed in an extremely crisp show.

Please note that the "Call to Action" button works only with the Animoto embed code. It won't appear in downloaded videos, and won't link to your site if you export a video to YouTube.

Can I get videos on my customers'/clients' iPods & iPhones?

Absolutely, you may download an MPEG4 file which is perfect to be played on an iPhone & iPod. Carry this powerful marketing tool with you wherever you go.

PPA's 2008 award for best Multi-Media Marketing campaign went to Beth Forester, a professional photographer who used Animoto to produce video podcasts that her clients could easily place on their video iPods and share with friends. Learn how to do this with your Animoto videos by downloading her instructions.

How can I share the video with customers/clients?

Beneath each video are a number of sharing buttons. From sharing via email to posting to social networking sites, to uploading to YouTube or sending the video link to an iPhone, there are many ways to share an Animoto video. With our Post Online button Animoto makes it easy to post your new video to many popular social-networking sites.

Can I let my customers post my video to their Facebook profile?

While MySpace and many other sites permit Embed codes to be pasted into profiles, Facebook doesn't. We do offer a Post to Facebook option when you click the Post Online button beneath your video, you just need to have the log-in info of the Facebook account where you're posting the video.

If you give your client the downloaded MP4-formatted file of their video, they can upload it to Facebook, where it can be viewed via Facebook's "Video application."

I speak at conferences & workshops. Do you have a program for me to promote Animoto?

Yes, we have an affiliate program. Albeit, the affiliate program is more web-site friendly (i.e. you promoting us on your site), we would still be happy to hear from you if you are speaking at any upcoming seminars and would like to promote our service there. Write to theteam@animoto.com to see if we can work something out.

Pricing

How much is an Animoto license for Commercial Use?

An Animoto for Business Commercial Account is $99 for 3 months and $249 for 12 months and includes unlimited video creation, streaming, viewing, and downloading for the duration of the subscription.

Please see the Terms of Service.

Are Unlimited DVD-quality Downloads included in the cost of the Animoto Commercial Account?

Yes, download as many DVD-quality videos as you'd like. (Consumer account holders pay $5 per DVD-quality download).

However, standard pricing still applies when you would like to order DVDs. We charge $20 USD plus shipping & handling costs.

I have an All-Access Pass. Can that be credited against an Animoto Commercial Account?

Unfortunately we cannot credit your Animoto Commercial Account, but we would be happy to transfer your existing pass or credits to a personal email address for your continued use. We can also apply the balance to a friend if you want to make someone's day.

Functionality

How do embed my video into my website?

Embed your video by clicking on Post Online button that is beneath your video. Then click the Embed Code button. Copy the Embed Code that appears in the bottom left corner of the Playback screen and paste it into the HTML code of your website.

Is there a way to link from my video back to my website?

With our custom "Call to Action" Button, you have the ability to create a button at the end of your video that links wherever you like. We've seen: "schedule an appointment" buttons that link to contact information, or "purchase now" that link to an online store, or "get more information" that link to a complete product website.

Can I edit videos once they've been created?

Yes, you can! Beneath your video is a row of button. The one all the way to the left is the Remix button. Click it and opt for the Editing Remix option. You'll be able to tweak your video without re-uploading your media. Add/delete images, switch the soundtrack or change the video's description & cover image before sending it back to our system's engines.

Are there time limitations on Animoto videos?

Yes, there is a 10 minute time limit on videos.

To get your video to the length you'd like, also note that videos end either when the music runs out or when there is no more imagery left to display &emdash; whichever comes first. 24-40 items (text, images, video clips) get displayed per minute depending on the tempo of the song. So, make sure that your song is long enough to display all your imagery and that there are enough images and video clips to sustain your song.

How many photos can I include in each video?

We have a 300 image limit on videos. You are allowed one song per video, and the song must be less than 10 MB in size/10 minutes in length.

24-40 items (text, images, video clips) are displayed per minute (depending on the song's tempo). Videos stop either when the music runs out or there are no more images left to display. So essentially the number of photos you can use is limited by the song chosen.

Can I set the length of the videos?

While you can't set the length of the videos, you can upload enough images to see your chosen song until its end, and conversely, choose a song that is long enough to show all your images. 24-40 items (text, images, video clips) get displayed per minute, depending on the song's tempo.

Can I incorporate text into Animoto videos?

Absolutely! With Animoto you can easily incorporate marketing messaging, product info, or anything else directly into your video. And best of all, we're not talking stale, slide-show text, but text the way you'd see it in TV and movies.

Can I control the speed at which my video goes?

Yes, you can.

In the Finalize section, while prepping your video, you can choose your video's speed.

Videos can be made half as slow as the speed at which they'd normally render. On the flip side, they can also be rendered at twice as fast as they normally would be as well. Utilizing this feature is your best bet in slowing videos down.

Also, The Spotlight feature is a button beneath your images after you upload/retrieve them. It's the button with the star on it. This feature lets you tell the engine which images are particularly important, thus giving them more screen time. This too can make your video slower.

Lastly, choosing a slow, mellow song does wonders as well to slow the video down, as the tempo of the song determines how quickly the images will get displayed.

DVD-Quality Downloads

Can I resell videos to clients?

If you are selling to an individual (i.e. photographer selling a video after a photo-session to a client), then feel free to! Some photographers have re-sold videos for upwards of $300. Others use them as a nice "thank you" gift to a client afterward.

However, we don't allow videos to be re-sold in a B2B context (i.e. a web designer making videos for a business's website and re-selling the video).

How much better quality are these DVD-quality Downloads?

They are double the quality our standard downloads, resulting in a crisp video.

Can I burn more than one video to DVD?

Yes, we recommend a programed called DVD Flick that lets you burn more than one video to a disc.

What DVD-burning programs do you recommend for PCs?

If you don't already have a DVD-burner incorporated in your computer, or if you are having trouble burning Animoto videos to DVD on a Windows platform, we have identified free burners that are Animoto-compatible.

We recommend Active Burner for Windows XP users and ISO Recorder for Windows Vista Users.

Fine Print

Can I use my own copyrighted music?

If you do indeed have music that is cleared legally for you to use commercially, then by all means! If not, use Animoto's library of tunes. It's updated regularly, so you don't have to keep using the same tracks (unless you want to).

Are photos that are uploaded to your servers safe?

Yes, they are. Our servers are 100% secured to ensure that your studio's copyrighted and proprietary images will be kept safe.

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Tell us how we can improve our product.

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Case Studies