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.

Do I place every photo by hand?

Yes, each photo is an element you place and animate. Start from a photo template to go faster: replace the pictures and keep the motion.

Yes. Add an audio file you have the rights to, and it plays under the animation in the exported MP4.

Adobe Express vs Animoto

Adobe Express and Animoto side by side, as of September 2026: what each one costs, what it's made for, and when smooth.video, a free animation tool that runs in your browser with no account, does the job instead.

Open the editorFree, no signup, nothing to install

Adobe Express vs Animoto at a glance

	Adobe Express	Animoto	smooth.video
Price	Free plan, Premium at US$9.99 a month	Free plan, then Basic, Professional and Professional Plus	Free, no paid plan

As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Adobe Express and Animoto before you decide.

Adobe Express

Built for: Every kind of design: social posts, flyers, PDFs, presentations, video
Motion: In, Loop and Out presets, with duration, speed and intensity
Transparent video: Not supported
Photoshop files: PSD and Illustrator files placed linked or converted
Where your files live: In Adobe's cloud, 5 GB on the free plan
Templates and stock: 100,000+ templates and Adobe Stock
Generative AI: Firefly, with monthly credits

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.

Adobe Express vs smooth.video

Animoto

Account: Required
Watermark: On the free plan
Export resolution: 720p free, 1080p on Basic, 4K on Professional
How you build: Templates made of drag-and-drop blocks
Licensed music and Getty Images stock: Yes
Screen and webcam recording: Yes

When Animoto fits better

You want a slideshow put together in minutes from a pile of photos, with licensed music and stock images included. smooth.video places everything by hand and has no music library.

Animoto vs smooth.video

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.

You want control over how each photo and title moves, a 4K export, or a clean file, without paying for a plan or creating an account.

Open the editor

Start from a template

See all 172 templates

Logo reveal

1080×1080

A name that pops into place

Lower third

1920×1080

Name and title, on cue

Bold statement

1080×1920

Three lines, one point

Product drop

1080×1350

An announcement that lands

Count-up stat

1080×1080

A number that climbs

Quote card

1200×630

A line worth sharing

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.
Do I place every photo by hand?: Yes, each photo is an element you place and animate. Start from a photo template to go faster: replace the pictures and keep the motion.
Can I add music?: Yes. Add an audio file you have the rights to, and it plays under the animation in the exported MP4.