Thing #22 - Animoto

Animato is a totally cool toy that anyone with a high speed Internet connection can use in a matter of minutes. I downloaded the VSO Image Resizer to batch re-size my selected pictures. I have other programs that will do it, but VSO makes it so incredibly fast and easy. I always put off messing with photos due to the time-consuming nature of most photo-related activities. Sometimes I long for the days when the picture I took was the picture I got, because now I feel compelled to improve nearly every photo before using it. That isn't necessary with Animato, since the photos don't appear long enough for the average viewer to notice minor differences in quality.

I first decided to make a video using pictures of students researching with laptops. I could pay $3 for a full length video and submit it as part of my grant documentation. However, the following statement in the terms of use gave me pause:

"Furthermore, if you want to publish Image Content of someone other than yourself, you must get permission from the individuals portrayed in the Image Content before using the content in an Animoto Video." (Copied verbatim from Animato Terms of Use user agreement.)

No names are associated with the images, but do we still need parental permission to use students' pictures in an Animato video?

The only downside to Animato for me is the small number of available musical choices and the production time it takes, which is about 15 minutes for 12 pics [1024 x 768] using a DSL connection (I remember someone else mentioning this). Of course, I can easily perform other tasks while waiting, but the time factor is worth knowing about for those planning to use Animato at work. Videos would best be produced at home if you have a decent connection due to bandwidth and heavy usage concerns at work. Regarding music selections, I would love to have instrumental choices included, as well as other styles. The site mentions that ITunes now offers some selections in an open format, but according to what I understand about copyright, that still wouldn't give me permission to use tunes I've bought if the videos will be shared with others. Does anyone know more about this?

In conclusion, Animato is a tool I'll continue to use. It's likely that most students at my school have never used it, so it would be captivating for them.

Worth mentioning: I uploaded twelve photos (Animato suggested 12-15 for 30 seconds), but only the first six were used in the video due to the slower song I chose. Just something to consider when choosing photos and music.

Tech Tip: You must use the special Blogger button to embed your video. It will automatically be positioned as a new post. To move it, go to "Edit Html" for the post, copy the code, and place it where you want it. This crashed IE (which they don't recommend)the first time I tried it, but everything worked fine on the second go-round.