Getting Started
Welcome to AvoMap! AvoMap turns a route into a beautiful, animated map video — the kind you see in travel films and adventure recaps. You add your journey, choose how the map looks, let a camera fly along the path, and add titles, photos, and markers on top. When you're happy, you export it as a video ready to share.
This page gives you a quick tour so you know your way around before you start.
New to this?
Start with a short, simple route. Nothing you do here is permanent — you can always come back and refine, and your work saves automatically.
Every project starts from your home screen. It lists the videos you've already made — with their length, format, and quality — and lets you begin a new one.
Choose Create New Video to start from a blank map, or Upload GPS File to bring in a route you already recorded as a GPX or KML file.
What you can make
- A trip video that flies along your route on a 3D map
- A running, cycling, or hiking recap with your distance and time
- A flight map showing the cities you connected
- A story with photos, titles, and animated numbers on top of the map
You don't need any video-editing experience. If you can drag a slider and click a map, you can make a great video.
The editor at a glance
The editor has four main parts:
- The map preview – the big view in the middle. This is your video. Everything you change shows up here instantly.
- The navigation tabs – your menu for switching between Route, Camera, Track, Overlays, and the other sections.
- The settings panel – whatever tab you pick, its options appear here.
- The timeline – the strip along the bottom where you control timing: how long each part of the trip lasts, when things appear, and where pauses go.
This is a true "what you see is what you get" view. Change a color, move the camera, add a title — the preview updates as you go, so there are no surprises when you export.
The navigation tabs
The tabs are the heart of the editor. Each one is a section of this guide:
| Tab | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Route | Build your journey from one place to the next |
| Camera | Decide how the camera moves and where it looks |
| Track | Style the line of your route and the vehicle travelling along it |
| Overlays | Add titles, photos, video, numbers, shapes, and icons on top |
| Symbols | Drop markers and labels onto the map |
| Elevation | Show a height profile and shape the terrain |
| Layers | Choose how the map itself looks — satellite, lighting, labels |
| Logo | Add your own logo or watermark |
| Library | Manage your uploaded photos, videos, and icons |
| Settings | Video format, quality, length, and export |
The settings panel
When you pick a tab, its controls appear in the panel. For example, choose Track and you'll see color and vehicle options; choose Camera and you'll see movement settings. Nothing is hidden in menus you have to hunt for.
The timeline
The timeline is where your video gets its rhythm. Here you set how long each part of the trip is shown, add pauses to linger on a special spot, and control when your titles and markers appear and disappear. Press play to watch, or drag the playhead to scrub through by hand. There's a lot you can do here — the Timeline page covers it in full.
A simple first video
Here's the quickest path to a finished video:
- Add your route in the Route tab — search for a place or click on the map.
- Pick a look in the Layers tab — try satellite with a nice light setting.
- Choose a camera feel in the Camera tab — a gentle follow works great to start.
- Add a title in the Overlays tab so viewers know what they're watching.
- Set the length and format in Settings, then export.
That's it — you can always come back and refine. The rest of this guide walks through each tab in detail.
Tips before you dive in
- Slower is smoother. Give each part of your trip enough time on screen. Fast camera moves can feel hectic.
- Snap to whole seconds by holding Shift while you drag a duration on the timeline. AvoMap has plenty of keyboard shortcuts — they're worth learning.
- Your work saves automatically, so you can close the tab and come back later.
More about AvoMap
- See what AvoMap can do and browse examples on the AvoMap route animation and map video maker home page.
- Ready to begin? Open the AvoMap editor and start your first animated map video.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need video-editing experience to use AvoMap?
Not at all. You add your route, choose how the map looks, and the editor shows you the result as you go. If you can use a map and drag a slider, you can make a great video.
How do I make my first map video?
Add a route in the Route tab, pick a look in Layers, choose a camera feel in Camera, add a title in Overlays, then set the format in Settings and export.
Will my work be saved automatically?
Yes. Your project saves as you work, so you can close the tab and pick up right where you left off.