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Adobe Express makes it easy to animate your photos, text, and graphics. You don’t need to be a pro designer or animator, this guide will show you how to add dynamic flair to your creations in a few simple clicks. Let’s jump in.
How to Animate Anything in Adobe Express
The Animation button in Adobe Express makes animation dead simple. No need to drag elements around on the canvas or work with complicated keyframes.
Adobe Expressis free to use as long as you create an account, and some of the features are locked behind a premium subscription (the Animation feature is free). I automatically got premium access upon getting my Photoshop subscription, so you might want to poke around theplans and pricing pageto see where it’s included.
To get started, I used the text-to-template feature, one ofAdobe Express' many AI features, to create a custom template using the following prompt: “infographic about why cats are superheroes, purple theme”. Downloading the AI-generated template at the end will require premium access, but you can follow this tutorial with any other free design you want.
Head to the Adobe Express page, log in, and select your project on the homepage. you may create something with a custom size, choose a template, or make something using thegenerative AI tools. After creating my AI template, I clicked on my favorite variation to open it in the canvas.
If you still need to create your design, now is the time to do so. You can also animate just a photo, but I recommend adding some design elements to get the most out of the Animation feature.
Click on anything in your design to select it—I started with the text. Then head to the left panel, scroll down, and selectAnimation.
Depending on the type of element you selected, you’ll be presented with a selection of animation types. For example, there’s aTypewriteranimation effect that is only available for text elements, and there’s a pretty coolBluranimation effect that’s only available for images.
Once you’ve selected an animation effect, you’re able to change theDurationand usually also one other property depending on the animation type, such as Rotation or Direction. Right after applying the animation, it will change your project into a video format. If needed, you can trim, duplicate, or split the video clip in the timeline at the bottom.
Play back your clip to make sure you’re happy with everything, then head toDownloadin the top right, and hitDownloadagain. Make sure that the File Format is set toMP4, otherwise you won’t be able to see the cool animations you just created!
And that’s it. Here is my result:
How to Animate Your Designs in Adobe Express for Mobile
Animation on the Adobe Express mobile app works a bit differently, and your options are more limited. Go ahead and download the mobile app, sign in, and open a project.
Once you’ve completed your design, tap away from the elements to ensure nothing is selected. You’ll see some tools appear at the bottom; selectAnimation. You’ll have to keep scrolling left to see all the animation effects to choose from. In my case, there are onlyTextandPhotoanimation effects available, as that’s all I included in this exquisite cat illustration.
Now is where the limitations get a bit annoying—it seems you can only apply an animation to one element in your design. I’ve tried applying it to both the photo and text, and it just kept switching between one animation and the other. This is a bit disappointing as Adobe Express is one ofmy favorite Adobe mobile apps.
I recommend only using the mobile app method to animate designs with a singular element, which is essentially just a picture.
Once you’ve applied the animation, hitDone, tap theShareicon at the top, choose to export as aVideo, and hitShareagain. You can then save your somewhat animated design to your camera roll or share it directly to social media.
Download:Adobe Express foriOS|Android(Free, in-app purchases available)
Animating your photos, graphics, and text in Adobe Express is a game-changer because not only does it add dynamism to your designs, but it’s also very quick and simple to do. So dive in, get creative, and watch your content transform in a flash.
