Media Frames Mastery: 12 Tips from our Creative Director

Animoto just got a lot more flexible. With media frames, you can place your media wherever you want and create videos that bring your unique vision to life.

Templates can and will always make it easy to create stunning videos fast. With these new photo and video frames, Animoto is still drag-and-drop simple, and even more powerful. The creative possibilities are endless, and we have a few to share!

Get inspired by these 12 creative ideas and tips from Animoto’s Creative Director of Motion and Video, Martin Koch. Then, bring them for life in your workspace and discover the possibilities for yourself!

At a glance:

• Create custom layouts
• Have one clear focal point at a time
• Add b-roll footage to clarify your story
• Use negative space
• Trim your video clips
• Create a custom logo block
• Layer your frames
• Create a collage
• Showcase screen grabs and recordings
• Combine media frame styles

How to use media frames

Before we dive in, here are the basics about using media frames. Watch the video below or dig in step by step in this article.

Combine elements and frames to make custom layouts

Break free from layout constraints and create one-of-a-kind videos! By using a variety of elements and media frames, you can completely reimagine video layouts and create something that is totally unique to you.

How do you do it? Easy!

• First, start from scratch or add a blank block to your video.
• Add a media frame and drop your photo or video in. Scale and position it so that it’s the main focal point of your block.
• Add elements, scale them up, and layer them behind your media frame to add a background and create negative space.
• Add text so you can see how much space you have to work with.
• Choose additional elements to emphasize your media and add motion to your block. Think underlines, outlines, arrows, sparkles, and more.

Need some inspo? Here are photos of layouts we made using only media frames and elements!

Have one clear focal point at a time

Now, you can break free from layout constraints and add up to 10 media frames per block. That’s a lot to look at! This tip will help you to balance your media and make sure you have a clear focal point. Otherwise, your video could end up looking like this:

One of the best ways to do this is to choose your main focal point or piece of media to emphasize through placement, size, and timing.

• Scale up your media frame so that it is the largest one on the screen.
• Make sure your media frame is not competing with other media by centering it, or creating negative space for text.
• Time each frame so that only one focal point remains on the screen at a time.

Add b-roll footage to clarify your story

B-roll is footage that serves as background or supplementary material in a video production. It can include visuals like landscapes, people, or objects that help to tell a story or create a certain atmosphere.

This b-roll technique transforms simple talking head videos into a more dynamic and layered experience. Use talking head videos as your foundation. Then, add relevant b-roll footage to visually break up the talking head and strengthen viewer engagement.

The key is to synchronize these visual elements with the spoken content, ensuring that each b-roll clip or overlay adds value. In the example above, a designer introduces a new home decor collection. Then, instead of just explaining what it looks like, it shares photos of specific items so the viewer can see for themselves.

Use negative space

Negative space is one of the most important elements of design. Pay attention to the positioning of your media frames and the negative space around them. You can add text boxes and elements or simply leave extra breathing room to create a professional and cohesive design. Just look at the difference it makes!

Trim your video clips

Adding a video to your media frame? With multiple videos in one block, you’ll want to make sure that everything starts and ends at the right time.

Media frames disappear when the video ends. This means that if one clip is 5 seconds and the second is 10, the first media frame will disappear after 5 seconds but the second will continue playing until the end or until you’ve reached the block duration.

There are two ways to edit your video clips:

Method 1: All at once Use the block length to trim every video clip at once. To do this, keep each media frame video longer than the block duration. Then, each video will end at the same time, i.e., when the block ends.

Method 2: Trim clip by clip Use this method if you want to have your video clips start or end at different times. Just double click each media frame and select the trimming tool. Then, trim each individual video block down to the desired length. Want your frames to appear later as well? Open the media timeline then drag and drop your clip to your desired starting or stopping point.

Create a custom logo block

Now that you can place your media wherever you want, you can also add your logo wherever you want! Just drag and drop it into whatever shape you want and add it to your lower-third design the corners, or anywhere else you’d like!

PNG files without a background will not fill your media frame and instead will display right on top of your video without a shape behind it.

Layer your frames

A new level of texture has just been added. By layering different media frames, you can add interesting and professional backgrounds to any photo or video. Picture slow-mo drone footage, macro and close-up video, animated colors and patterns, and more instead of a flat color.

When selecting your background media footage, remember to keep it simple. Anything too bright, quick, or distracting could get hard on the eyes.

Pro-tip: You can make background footage blend into the background by adjusting the opacity.

Create a collage

Want to show off large teams, product lines, or multiple customers? Make a collage! Use the same shape media frame, copy and paste, and create a dynamic collage of frames. Here are some examples of creative layouts:

Showcase screen grabs and recordings in device frames

Have a screen recording or screen grab that you want to share? Make it look as seamless as possible by adding it to a device frame. There are multiple frames for tablets, smartphones, browser windows, and computers so you can show exactly what it will look like on the screen.

This is a great feature for demos and how-tos!

Combine media frame styles

You don’t need to stick to just one element or media style – have fun with it! Mix and match different shapes and styles like angular shapes with brushstrokes, free-form blobs with squares, and polaroids with circles and flower shapes. The possibilities are endless!

To keep your video looking professional and cohesive from start to finish, we recommend repeating similar shapes but in different arrangements. That way, the style is consistent but the variety of layouts keeps things exciting.

Create without compromise in Animoto

Animoto is still drag-and-drop simple, and even more powerful, too. Just grab any template or start from scratch and look back on this blog for loads of inspiration and expert tips. We can’t wait to see what you create.

Happy video making!