A Look at Animotica - Quick Tools

There are people that want a basic video editing software and don't want to use their phone or tablet. 

Or can't. 

This includes a lot of Windows and Android users who haven't found what they need in terms of an app or software.. 

Animotica is an affordable video editing software that has a easy user experience, social media export options and being able to see a full size rendition. Animotica comes in three versions, Free, Lite and Pro. 

In this post, I want to take a look at the Quick Tools section. There are some goodies.

What You Will Need

Familiar with navigating to folders on your computer. Drag and Drop or knowing how to find a file or folder on your computer.

Understanding that this is a basic video editor that does a lot of things. Some you want, some you don't.

If you do have audio or video on your mobile device, knowing how to transfer it to your desktop.

Devices

Windows 10 only.

Might work on a large size Windows tablets.

Disclosure

I purchased the full version of the software last year. Some of the items displayed on my screenshots may or many not be available to Animotica Free or Lite users.

Also, I have a heck of a lot of software. I have a problem. I know it.

Quick Tools

This is the dashboard of the software. There is a lot of useful stuff, some of it accessible to free users.

Among the tasty treats are things that come up when you need them. Who among us hasn't had the need to extract a mp3 from a video:

Or  need to only add background music:

And this is probably the time to mention the payment plan and functions.

Free Plan:

• Access to the basic program features
• Can freely switch between aspect ratios
• Export in 720p
• Limited transitions, stickers and effects
• Videos are watermarked.

Lite Plan:

All of the features of the Free Plan plus

• Access to all transitions
• Export in 1080p
• No watermark.

Pro Plan:

All of the features of the prior two plans:

• Access to all transitions, overlays, animated gifs and effects
• Export in 4K
• Color adjustment, correction and effects
• Animated text effects.

I usually mention payments options toward the end of a post. But I know how some of you think. 

"Ah, I just want to trim my video. And it will do it for free? Score!" 

You will be able to do that. But under the free version, your video will export as 720p with a watermark.

This is why reading is fundamental. 

Now this is just the Quick Tools section, not the main video editing program.  

If you are interested in that, check out the above video. Animotica straddle the fence about being an entry level video editing program with some decent features. 

It isn't for the person that want or needs something like Hit Film or DaVinci Resolve. But if you need something that can get the job done at an affordable price, this might be something to examine for your needs.

Unsplash Sold to Getty Images

Lot of things going on in the social media space. In March 2021, Unsplash was acquired by Getty Images. Big whoop you might say.

Well, it kinda is. 

If you use Unsplash for making audiograms, IG stories or any kind of social media content. Can't begin to count the number of YouTubers using Unsplash photos inside of their videos. 

Home Page of Unsplash

https://unsplash.com/

Millions of people around the world contribute photos to Unsplash. Those photos have been used by social media services such as Canva, Relay That and dozen more. 

Getty Images is a huge stock imaging company. Their holdings include historical photos, video and so much other content. It primarily deals with corporate and professional customers. 

The current word is that Unsplash will remain a separate company. But I would expect that at some point, a few Getty images would be mixed in for purchase. Or there could be an opportunity for Unsplash contributors to access some income opportunities.

For those of us in the social media space it could have an effect on how long social media providers will continue to offer Unsplash images. 

Or will the also be required to include items from Getty Images?

I don't know.

But if you have a project you kinda, sorta want to do - you might want to get a move on it.

While you can.

Four Random Items for the Creative Tool Kit

There are so many software as services regarding creating audio and video content. This is just a brief look at some of the tools I've found along the way. 

Some will be helpful to a variety of creators or one of the tools might scratch a specific itch. But you know it is good if it hits that exact spot. I know if I don't write them down I'm going to loose or forget them.

Analytics

Chartable helps you to understand your audience by finding out where you place on various podcasting portals, including Apple and Spotify. There is a free option with once a day stats.

Image Cropping

You have the perfect photo for your album cover but you need to get it into a specific aspect ratio. Croppola can help you to crop to the square 1:1 format or a few of the others needed for social media. You can use the Auto function or figure it out for yourself. 

It is free at the moment, but understand that images are only stored for about an hour or so. If you like what you have, download it immediately. 

Recording via Browser

There are times when you find yourself needing to make a recording. I think I was at a conference and forgot that I left a recording on my desktop computer. 

All I had was my Chromebook, a portable microphone and no editing gear. 

I could have used something like Resonate Recorder. You record using the Chrome browser and can download audio in the .wav format. 

There is a free version that allows for solo recording. The paid plan has feature like automatic backup, more folks to record and other features.

Transcription

Podseo.io is an transcription service for podcasts and for those folks that have to provide alternative text content. 

You can upload your audio or video to the service and it will provide a transcription of your content.

Ecrett Music - AI Music at Your Fingertips

There are all kinds of music generators. Some require a tiny bit of music knowledge from the users and others allow you to take an existing work and customize it to a unique royalty-free tune.

Ecrett Music is a service that allows you to customize music using AI and then use it in your content. 

This is a demo created by the company:

Basically, you select the the features you want in your music, such as setting, mood and type of music. Hit the create button and you have a tune for your video or podcast. 

If you like it, you can do more tweaking with the length and other enhancements. 

Who is this Service For?

Podcasters who want to create but don't have music skills. They know what they like and don't like. Just can't create it.

Gamers who need background music or game programmers that want to test things out.

Video creators that need a variety of tunes on a regular basis and are not wealthy. 

Some Concerns

A little digging kind of answered some of my concerns.

• You do not own the music. You are given a license to use the music generated by the service. The music is owned by the parent company Soundraw.
• As a free user, you can't use the music for any reason or purpose other than evaluate the service.
• If you decide to cancel the service, you still retain usage of music you downloaded to your device. But you will no longer have access to music you did not download before cancellation.
• More info can be found on their terms of service page.

Pricing Plans

Ecrett Music is one of the most affordable plans I've seen for AI Royalty Free music. There is a free plan to test out the service however, you can't do anything with it. 

Zippo. Nada. Nothing but evaluate the service. And if you do the words "liable" appear some place on the website. 

If you sign up for the annual subscription rate it is $5 a month. $60 a year for an individual creator. 

If you are a business creator rate $20 a month and $240 a year. For full, unrestricted access.

So it is a winner?

Not prepared to go that far. On the surface it seems okay. It is all I can do not to whip out the card. 

Ecrett Music provides a template that locks you into viable options to create music. This isn't a bad thing, especially if you have no music training. And you can quickly have what you want within a couple of clicks. That is remarkable.

Most of the current AI services use humans to create the foundation for the AI composed music. The AI makes alterations to create unique tunes. But there is no Bippity Bop. No swangg. There is something I can hear when I listen to AI music. Or what I don't hear. 

Background music shouldn't have that much oomf, if any. I understand that. But I can here the void. Not hating on this company or any AI music company. It is a subjective feeling of the tunes musically needs some salt or a touch of cayenne. 

You might feel differently about it.

You are not going to score a major motion picture with this service. But for users who are on a budget or want to experiment with crafting tunes for social media, this could be a keeper. 

Avia.ai Royalty Free Music Composition Service

Avia.ai is an artificial intelligence music composer. But it needs you to give it directions.

Here is the deal, you select the genre of music, what you want and don't want and Avia.ai will compose a unique tune for you.

Below is a tutorial video from the company:

You don't have to be a musician to use this service.

Now if you are a primordial funkateer or need some banjo in your video you are out of luck. But for many creators this will be sufficient. 

So, What is the Catch?

There is no real gotcha here. But it is important to understand the licensing and terms of service.

There is a free plan. You can use it for non-commercial purposes only and with attribution. There can be no ad generation or activities concerning the use of music on the free plan. You don't own the music, you purchase a license to use the music.

The Standard Plan states:

You can use the tracks for monetized content only on YouTube, Twitch, Tik Tok and Instagram.

You still don't own the music created by the service but you don't have to give attribution.

If you have your creation only on these social media platforms you are ok. Place the music in an audio podcast or directly post on Facebook, Twitter or another service, there might be a problem. 

The Pro Plan states:

You own the track if you are an individual, a small business with under three employees AND under $300,000 in annual income. You can do what you want with it.

I haven't mentioned pricing because that can change and you may or may not fit the profile they require.

Summary

This is one royalty-free music service that each person has to evaluate if it can work with their needs.

For YouTubers, Tick-Toks and Gramers this might be an affordable solution.

For audio podcasters, you'd have to select the Pro Plan.  If you host on Vimeo or were giving a presentation on Zoom, you'd have to think about it. It would depend on the plan you purchased.

Cuz them dang bots are everywhere.