A free Adobe Express alternative for animation

Adobe Express designs a bit of everything, from flyers and social posts to short videos, with a huge template library, Adobe Stock, Firefly AI, and animation presets that make an element come in, loop or go out. smooth.video is made only for animation: each element sits on a keyframe timeline where you set its position, size, rotation, opacity and color at any moment, and the result exports as MP4, GIF or transparent WebM, with no account.

Open the editor
  • Free
  • No signup
  • No watermark
The Sale banner template, playing live. Open it in the editor

smooth.video vs Adobe Express

Price
smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
Adobe ExpressFree plan, Premium at US$9.99 a month
Built for
smooth.videoAnimation only
Adobe ExpressEvery kind of design: social posts, flyers, PDFs, presentations, video
Motion
smooth.videoKeyframes on a timeline: position, size, rotation, opacity, color
Adobe ExpressIn, Loop and Out presets, with duration, speed and intensity
Transparent video
smooth.videoFree, as WebM
Adobe ExpressNot supported
Photoshop files
smooth.videoEach PSD layer becomes an element to animate
Adobe ExpressPSD and Illustrator files placed linked or converted
Where your files live
smooth.videoOn your computer
Adobe ExpressIn Adobe's cloud, 5 GB on the free plan
Templates and stock
smooth.videoA gallery of animation templates
Adobe Express100,000+ templates and Adobe Stock
Generative AI
smooth.videoNo
Adobe ExpressFirefly, with monthly credits

Adobe Express as of September 2026. Plans change, so check theirs before you decide.

When smooth.video fits better

The animation is the deliverable: an intro, a lower third, an animated stat, a Reel. You want to decide exactly where each element is at each moment, and a transparent export to put over video.

When Adobe Express fits better

You need matching flyers, posts and presentations from a huge library of templates and stock, you work with Photoshop and Illustrator files that stay linked, or you want AI to generate images. Animation is a finishing touch.

How it works

  1. Open smooth.video. No account, nothing to install.

  2. Bring in your images or a PSD, or start from an animation template, and set where each element is at each moment.

  3. Export an MP4, a GIF or a transparent WebM, free and without a watermark.

Start from a template

See all 203 templates

Open one, change the words, export. Every element stays editable.

Logo reveal

1080×1080

A name that pops into place

Bold statement

1080×1920

Three lines, one point

Count-up stat

1080×1080

A number that climbs

Lower third

1920×1080

Name and title, on cue

Quote card

1200×630

A line worth sharing

Product drop

1080×1350

An announcement that lands

Free, full stop
No plan, no trial, no credits, no export limit.
No account
Open the page and the editor is already there.
Nothing is uploaded
Your files are read and rendered by your own browser.
No watermark
Every export is clean, at any size, 4K included.

Questions

Can I bring my Adobe Express designs in?

Yes, as images: download your design or its parts as PNG, add them to a scene and animate them in smooth.video.

Can I animate a Photoshop file?

Yes. Drop the PSD into the editor and each layer becomes its own element, in place, ready to animate.

Is there a watermark?

No. Every export is free and clean, transparent WebM included.

Adobe Express compared with other tools

Try it before you settle on Adobe Express.

It opens in a tab, works without an account, and exports without a watermark.

Open the editor
  • Free
  • No signup
  • No watermark