Parents' Guide to

Animoto

By Conny Coon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Creative, easy-to-use tool for making and sharing videos.

Website http://animoto.com/
Animoto Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Aafia K.
Aafia K. Adult
May 1, 2023
age 12+

Thoughts on Animoto

I think the overall concept for this website is interesting. There are options to explore the creative ability of students as they use the knowledge they learnt in class to create a slideshow. The means through which they can present to the classroom about the knowledge they gained are great, but teachers would definitely need to be involved with the process so the overall designing experience does not get too overwhelming for students. It can be hard to stay caught up with all the features involved.

This title has:

Educational value
Susanto W.
Susanto W. Adult
March 21, 2017
age 18+

Seems Great, but...

I think what they are doing with photo slideshow is OK. But what turn me off is them using AUTO-RENEWAL to trap their customers into renewing their subscription automatically and (this is the catch) with no confirmation/reminder email before the subscription is about to renew. I just find this to be really un-elegant way of doing business. Its a shame really.
See all 3 parent reviews

What’s It About?

No need to buy software to make home movies when there's Anitmoto.com, a clever online tool that makes video creation fun for all ages. Its simple format and easy-to-follow instructions lets users combine photos, video, graphics, text and music to make customized videos. The free version, called \"Lite,\" allows for limited 30-second videos using limited designs and music tracks. A paid upgrade offers unlimited full-length videos, more than 600 music track options and video downloads to your computer and/or DVD.
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Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (2):

Thanks to social media networks, YouTube, and ever-present cell phones with digital cameras, creating and sharing videos has evolved from the occasional occurrence to commonplace. Tweens and teens store vast amounts of photos and video content on their phones, iPods and tablets, and Animoto.com makes it easy to stitch it all together to create cool videos to store and share. Just follow the simple instructions to select photos and video clips from Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Instagram, and other social media networks. Or, upload your own. Then, pick a style, add a music track and write your own words. The site does the rest, combining the elements into a seamless, high-quality video that's ready to save, email or share through social media. Although Animoto is handy for creating short videos, the free version is severely limiting. Depending on their size, only a few photos or videos will fit into the 30-second framework, so there's strong motivation to become a paid subscriber.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the importance of knowing how your digital creations are shared online and how to make smart decisions about the world of technology that's available.

  • Talk about variety of online tools that exist for creating digital media. What are some of the more interesting sites or apps available?

  • Talk about why it's important to have strong privacy settings on social media sites, especially when sharing personal content such as photos or videos.

Website Details

  • Subjects: Arts: film
  • Skills: Tech Skills: digital creation, social media, using and applying technology, Creativity: imagination, making new creations, producing new content
  • Genre: Creating
  • Pricing structure: Free to try, Paid, Free (Three pricing tiers available for consumers ($8–$39 per month); special free teacher subscriptions available.)
  • Last updated: November 8, 2018

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