How to Turn a Free Map Tool into an Animated Video in the Studio

Step-by-step guide

1. 1

   Open the free tools hub

   Go to mapimator.com/tools. The page lists every tool as a card marked Free, and a banner at the bottom, Turn any map into a cinematic animation, links to the Studio. The tools are Map Chart Maker, True Size Map, Animated Route GIF, Visited Countries Map, Blank Map Generator, Sea Route Calculator, City Roads, Radius Map, Distance Calculator, GPX Viewer, Flight Path Mapper, and Coordinates Converter. You can use all of them without signing in.

2. 2

   Make your map in the tool

   Use the tool as it is. Map Chart Maker colors countries in up to eight groups with a legend, and can download a PNG. True Size Map lets you drag countries around the globe to compare their real size. Blank Map Generator makes printable outline maps of the world, a continent, or a country's states. Animated Route GIF draws a route stop by stop and downloads it as a GIF. Sea Route Calculator gives port-to-port distance, canals passed, and voyage time. Visited Countries Map marks where you have been and shows your share of the world.

3. 3

   Click the handoff button

   Six tools have a button that sends your map to the Studio. In Map Chart Maker it is Animate this map, and it is disabled until you color at least one country. True Size Map also says Animate this map, Blank Map Generator says Animate this region, Animated Route GIF says Get it as an HD video, Sea Route Calculator says Animate this voyage, and Visited Countries Map says Animate my travels.

4. 4

   See what the Studio builds

   The Studio opens a new project and builds an animation from your choices. Map Chart Maker opens on an overview of your colored countries, then adds one slide per color group. True Size Map makes a slide for each of up to two countries, with their areas in the slide descriptions. Animated Route GIF carries over your stops and legs. Sea Route Calculator builds the voyage from origin to destination, with a stop at the key passage when there is one. Blank Map Generator animates the countries you shaded, up to eight slides. Visited Countries Map starts from a world view and tours a selection of the countries you have been to.

5. 5

   Sign in if the Studio asks

   Your map is passed in your browser, not in the web address, so it survives a sign-in. If the Studio asks you to sign in or create a free account first, do that and the animation builds when you arrive. The handoff is kept for two hours and used once, and only on a new project. Open the Studio from a tool, not from an existing saved project, to get the build.

6. 6

   Edit and export in the Studio

   The result is an ordinary project. Click a slide to change its framing, restyle the countries or pins, add text or a 3D model, and change the transition time. When the animation looks right, click Export Video. Export needs at least two slides, so add one if the tool gave you only a single shot, for example a True Size Map with one country. Free accounts export with a small watermark; see the watermark guide for plans.

7. 7

   Use the Studio link on the other tools

   Radius Map, Distance Calculator, Flight Path Mapper, GPX Viewer, and City Roads show a banner that links to the Studio, but do not send your map across. Start a project there and rebuild the idea with the Route and Pin tools. For a GPX, KML, or GeoJSON track you opened in the GPX Viewer, import the same file into the Studio instead: see the GPX import guide.