Can I generate many videos from a spreadsheet?

Not automatically. A script or an AI assistant can write one .smooth file per row, but each one is opened and exported by hand in the editor.

Can an AI assistant make the video?

Yes. The whole format is published at smooth.video/llms.txt: point ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant at it, describe the animation, and open the file it gives you.

Do I need to install anything?

No. The editor and the export both run in your browser.

Can I animate a chart from a spreadsheet?

No, you type the values in. smooth.video suits a handful of figures; for charts built from real data, Cavalry is the better fit.

Can I open Cavalry projects?

No. smooth.video opens its own .smooth files and imports images, video, audio and layered PSD files.

Remotion vs Cavalry

Remotion and Cavalry 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

Remotion vs Cavalry at a glance

	Remotion	Cavalry	smooth.video
Price	Free for individuals and companies of up to 3 people, then a company license	Free for individuals	Free for everyone
Transparent video	WebM or ProRes 4444	WebM, ProRes 4444, plus APNG, GIF and WebP	WebM

As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Remotion and Cavalry before you decide.

Remotion

How you make a video: React code
What you need: Node.js, a code editor and some React
Rendering: On your machine, a server or AWS Lambda
Videos generated from data, at scale: Yes
AI assistants: Agent skills and a Claude Code plugin

When Remotion fits better

You generate videos from data, personalize them for each user, render them on servers, embed a player in your app, or build your own video product. smooth.video has no API and no server rendering.

Remotion vs smooth.video

Cavalry

Install: Desktop app for Mac and Windows
Account: Canva account required
How you animate: Keyframes plus procedural tools: duplicators, falloffs, behaviours
Animation driven by spreadsheets: Yes
Rigging, dynamics, scripting: Yes
Lottie and SVG export: Yes

When Cavalry fits better

You build complex motion design: hundreds of shapes driven by one rig, charts animated from a spreadsheet, dynamics, scripts, or Lottie and ProRes deliverables. smooth.video has none of that.

Cavalry vs smooth.video

When smooth.video fits better

You want one video, not ten thousand: you'd rather see it and drag things into place than write components, or the person making it doesn't code.

You need an animated title, a logo reveal or a social post today, on any computer, including one where you can't install software, and you don't need procedural systems to get there.

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 generate many videos from a spreadsheet?: Not automatically. A script or an AI assistant can write one .smooth file per row, but each one is opened and exported by hand in the editor.
Can an AI assistant make the video?: Yes. The whole format is published at smooth.video/llms.txt: point ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant at it, describe the animation, and open the file it gives you.
Do I need to install anything?: No. The editor and the export both run in your browser.
Can I animate a chart from a spreadsheet?: No, you type the values in. smooth.video suits a handful of figures; for charts built from real data, Cavalry is the better fit.
Can I open Cavalry projects?: No. smooth.video opens its own .smooth files and imports images, video, audio and layered PSD files.