Every option of the editor, explained

On an empty map, Add my first destination opens the search. Type at least 3 letters in Add a place, then pick a suggestion by clicking or using the up/down arrows and Enter. Escape closes suggestions without clearing your text; Tab moves to the next control. The field keeps focus after adding a stop so you can enter the next destination.

On a computer, the Pick point button next to it lets you click directly on the map instead. A route holds up to 50 stops.

Suggestions display their country flag, region and country when available. When several suggestions have the same name, a label warns you so you can select the right destination.

Type a place and press Enter to add the first suggestion, or use the arrow keys to select another. The field clears and keeps focus, on desktop and mobile, so you can immediately enter the next city.

Choose Paste a list below the search field. Paste one place per line, or separate places with commas or semicolons. To disambiguate a city, add its region or country without a comma. Add places searches sequentially, about once per second, and uses the first result. Progress and individual failures stay visible. Close or Stop cancels remaining searches; stops already added are kept. The route limit still applies.

Click Pick point, then click anywhere on the map: a stop is added at that spot, named after the nearest place, and the mode turns off. Click the button again before touching the map to cancel.

Useful for a viewpoint, a beach or a trailhead that the search does not find. Available on computers.

Appears under the list once you have at least 2 stops and the last stop is not already your starting point. One click adds a copy of the first stop at the end, so the animation brings you back to where you started.

Each stop has a handle, number, name, chevron, photo and video shortcuts, and a bin on the right. Grab the dotted handle on the left and drop the stop at its new position: the route, distances and animation update. With the keyboard, focus the handle, press Space, move with the arrow keys, then press Space again (Escape cancels).

The bin opens a confirmation naming the stop. Remove confirms; Cancel, Escape or clicking the backdrop closes it without deleting anything. After removal, Undo and redo lets you go back.

Click the name to rename the stop directly. The chevron centers the map on that stop and opens or closes its details. Long names wrap onto multiple lines.

Click the stop name directly to edit it, without opening its details. Press Enter or click outside the field to save; Escape cancels. An empty name keeps the previous one. Use the chevron to open or close the stop details and center the map.

This name is the one shown in the city labels and in the current destination banner.

The country is filled in when you add a stop. Change it if the detection is wrong, near a border for example, or choose None.

It drives the flag next to the name, the country count in the route summary and the Color visited countries option.

The stop stays in your list, struck through, but it is skipped by the line, the distance, the travel time and the animation. Uncheck the box to bring it back.

Handy to test a variant of your trip without losing a stop.

Add photos or videos to a stop: when the vehicle arrives, the animation pauses and shows them in grid order. Photos share the Photo display time set in the Labels tab; each video extends the stop by its own length, 15 s max.

To the right of the stop name, the actions are Photo, Video, then Delete at the far right. The camera and film icons open their file pickers directly without expanding the stop. Each numbered badge shows its own photo or video count, also available on hover and to screen readers; it updates after additions and removals and disappears at zero. Expand the stop to manage thumbnails; use the icons above to add more media. Remove controls remain accessible to keyboard and phone users.

Each photo can weigh up to 8 MB and is optimized on import, targeting 1280 px on its longest side. A video can weigh up to 60 MB: it stays in this browser, on this device, and shows as a file to re-add if you open the project elsewhere. The preview plays it muted; the volume slider under its thumbnail controls its sound in MP4 and WebM exports (80% by default). Use the cross on a thumbnail to remove it. Import errors remain visible even when the stop is collapsed, without a floating notification.

Expand a stop in the route sidebar. Choose one of 24 travel emojis or enter one grapheme (an emoji or character); clear it with Remove sticker. Stickers are saved with the project and appear on both map views and in exports. They appear with a small progress-driven pop when the vehicle arrives. Older projects have no stickers until you add one.

Expand a stop, allow microphone access and choose Record my voice. Stop manually or let recording finish after 30 seconds. Listen with the audio controls, record again to replace it, or delete it. The stop pauses long enough for narration.

Recordings stay in IndexedDB in this browser, like imported music; only the identifier and duration are in your route. They are not synced or included in shared links or JSON backups. A missing recording must be recorded again before export. Narration plays on arrival in the live preview and is mixed into the same soundtrack as music and video audio, including the Safari MP4 remux path. Background music is lowered during narration. Microphone permission and MediaRecorder support are required.

The box under the list adds up your trip: total distance, estimated travel time based on the speed of each transport, elevation gain on ground legs with a small elevation profile, and the number of stops and countries.

Excluded stops are not counted. The distance unit follows the setting of the Overlays tab.

Between two stops, the blue block shows the transport icon, distance and estimated travel time on one line. The transport name remains available to screen readers. Open the block with its chevron or by clicking it to choose the transport and marker for this leg, then its animation speed and path. Distance and travel time stay in the block above rather than being repeated in the panel. Use for the whole trip is a separate action.

Estimated travel time describes the journey, not the video. Ground modes follow roads and boats a sea route when that option is on; walks take the most direct footpath, planes draw an arc. If no road links two stops, the editor offers to switch to plane.

If no land route exists, the segment switches to boat when both endpoints are within about 60 km of a navigable water cell and a sea path is available; otherwise it switches to plane. An inline notice names the segment and the new mode. Undo restores the previous mode without switching again for the same segment during this editing session. The notice can be dismissed and disappears after eight seconds. Walking and temporary service failures never trigger a switch.

Under the transport modes, pick what moves at the tip of the line on this leg. No marker is the first square tile, with a crossed-out eye, followed by Arrow, Dot, Arrival pin and the vehicles of the selected transport. Your own image keeps its labeled button and separate help. The help beside Marker also explains No marker. Selecting a vehicle, Arrow, Dot or Arrival pin immediately displays it halfway along this leg on the map, without starting the video. Any running preview stops so you can compare your choices. The panel stays open for these choices so you can adjust the leg or choose Use for the whole trip. 3D models are three-dimensional objects; the others are flat icons.

The Vehicles catalog shows one category at a time, with search and a 2D/3D filter. Enlarged previews remain pre-rendered images. Use lets you choose a specific leg, all legs if your profile allows it, or upcoming stops for an empty trip. Your trip and its history are not replaced. Disabled models and profile restrictions are displayed; unverified availability prevents applying a choice.

The transport still sets the color, line type, speed and routing of the leg. Size is controlled in the Path tab.

No marker is the first square in the marker and vehicle grid, with a crossed-out eye. It hides the vehicle or marker on this leg: the line draws itself on its own. The transport stays unchanged. Clicking again restores the previous marker; choosing another marker or vehicle also makes it visible. Its explanation is included in the help beside the Marker heading.

Choose Your own image to import an image (8 MB max). It replaces the vehicle on this leg and stays available under the same button on every leg so you can reuse it. It is resized to 128 px on its longest side, retaining transparency, and follows the saved project or JSON export.

When an image is imported, its thumbnail appears beside the label. Replace image updates the shared image on the legs using it; the separate trash button removes it. An import error keeps the previous image and is displayed in the panel. The help button sits beside the option without covering it.

With a vehicle selected, the button sets the same transport mode and the same vehicle on all the legs of the route in one click. With an arrow, a dot, the arrival pin or no marker, it applies that marker everywhere without changing the transports: each leg keeps its color, line type and routing.

You can still adjust a single leg afterwards.

Changes the pace of this leg from x0.25 to x4. The hint below shows how many seconds the leg lasts on screen. The global speed of the Camera tab applies on top.

The cross gives the leg back its automatic duration. Useful to rush through a long flight or linger on a scenic road.

Overrides, on this leg, both the global line color and the color of the transport. The cross goes back to the global color.

Global follows the Line type setting of the Path tab. Solid, Dashed and Dotted apply to this leg only: dotted for a walk or a ferry crossing, for example.

Unlike media on a destination, media on the road are shown while the vehicle is moving: the animation does not pause. They glide gently across the frame, see Media drift on the road in the Labels tab.

Use the camera and video icons beside the vehicle, distance and time between two stops to add files directly, without opening the segment settings. The numbered camera badge shows the photo count on this leg and disappears when there are no photos. The same Photo and Video controls remain in Media on the road inside the settings. Files belong to this journey segment, not the destination.

Photos: 8 MB max each. Videos: 60 MB max. Videos are stored in this browser, on this device: if you open the project elsewhere, the video shows as a file to re-add.

The preview plays clips muted. In MP4 and WebM exports, the volume slider under each clip sets its sound from 0 to 100% (80% by default), independently for each video, on the road or at stops. Import errors remain visible below the segment, even when its settings are closed.

Click Preview to check your trip while you edit it: camera moves, labels, photos, music and sound effects included. Click Stop to go back to editing.

Video format, below Trip name in the right sidebar on computers, sets the framing shared with Export. Check the intro and outro in the export page's Final preview. Playback controls, the timeline and duration only appear once the route has at least 2 included stops, on computers and phones alike. Every setting you change shows up in the next preview, without reloading the page.

Brings the animation back to the first stop. If a preview is playing, it keeps playing from the start. The same button exists on the export page, where the preview starts again from the intro.

Available from 2 stops.

Drag the slider to scrub through the animation; each dot marks arrival at a stop. The Video label shows the full preview duration, including photo and video pauses, excluding the intro and outro set in Export. This is not the estimated travel time in the stop list.

If the preview is playing or you moved the slider, the export page picks up at that position, and the other way round. Duration depends on distances, global speed, segment speeds and pauses.

Moves the map back so that every stop fits on screen. Loading a template also requests this framing. The editor keeps this view until you start or restart the preview, or move through the timeline; the selected camera preset then resumes. Icons and vehicles remain visible, and exports still use the selected camera preset.

On mobile, the button is in the bottom bar.

The Export video button opens a dedicated page. Video and animation need at least two included stops; one is enough for a PNG image. The framing selected in Create is preserved on arrival.

Start with Reel / Story, YouTube or Square: one click sets the proportions, MP4, and recommended quality and frame rate among your available options. Advanced settings contains the other formats, frame rate, transparency and manual framing. You can also add intro and outro cards.

The file is rendered in your browser. Once it is generated, a result panel shows its details and lets you download it again without rendering again, while you stay on the page.

Used as the name of the project in your Dashboard and as the file name of your exports. Up to 120 characters.

It is also suggested as the title of the intro card on the export page.

Removes every stop and every setting to start a blank trip. Confirmation is requested if you have already changed the trip, even without adding a stop. Consider saving or exporting your project first. To keep the stops and only restore default settings, use Reset settings.

Choose Reset settings above the settings tabs in Create. After confirmation, map style, labels, paths, animation, camera, audio, watermark, logo, video format and intro/outro settings return to their defaults, including per-stop visual overrides. Your trip name, stops, their photos and videos, transport modes and planning data are kept. Vehicles return to the standard icon of their transport. Undo restores your previous settings.

Stores the current project in your account: you will find it in the Dashboard, on any device. The route needs at least one stop.

Photos, intro and outro cards, logo, icons and settings are included. Videos and imported music stay on the device where you added them: the confirmation window lists them, and you will need to add them again on another device.

The confirmation window shows the trip name: edit it if needed before confirming. It stays open if saving fails.

The local draft is saved automatically without displaying a badge. The Saved to your account confirmation with its date disappears after 3 seconds. Unsynced changes, local-storage failures and account-status errors remain visible while they need attention. Account saving remains manual: use Save after editing.

Choose a Google Timeline export (.json, including .timeline.json) or a GPS file (.gpx, .kml), 25 MB max. The file is parsed locally; unnamed points may be sent to the address provider to obtain names. The main places become stops (50 max). Recognized transport modes are kept; missing or unknown modes default to car.

If your route already has stops, you are asked before they are replaced. A full project backup with photos and settings must instead be loaded through Import a project, in the same File menu.

Choose up to 100 JPEG photos, at most 8 MB each. GPS EXIF and DateTimeOriginal are read locally without uploading images. HEIC, files without GPS and unreadable files are listed as skipped. Dated photos are sorted first; nearby consecutive photos within 3 km on the same camera calendar day become one stop. Photos without dates keep their selection order after dated photos. Up to 50 stops are created. Coordinates, not images, are sent to the address provider to name places, at most once per second.

Existing stops are replaced only after confirmation. Photos use the same compression and arrival gallery as manually added photos. A 2.5 MB media budget avoids oversized projects; additional photos are skipped. The earliest date fills an empty trip start date; day gaps set nights, up to 30. If no photos can be used, the route is unchanged.

Choose a .json file created with Export JSON. Once validated, a confirmation names the incoming project and the current draft. Keep my draft cancels without changing its history; Replace loads the file's stops and settings. An invalid file never replaces the draft.

After confirmation, saves a snapshot of the trip on the server and creates a short link. Photos, logo, notes and planning details are included: anyone with the link can view them without an account and open their own copy in the editor. When opening a link, choose Keep my draft or Replace: no trip is replaced without confirmation. Do not share confidential data.

Later edits are not synchronized. Imported music and videos are not transferred. Limit: 3.5 MB; above that, send the JSON project as a file. Older links remain readable.

From a saved trip, choose Share live location. After explicit consent, create a link, then start tracking. Coordinates are rounded to four decimal places and updated about once a minute or after moving over 200 m. Only the latest position is stored. Anyone with the link sees stop names, coordinates and the last received position, but no email, photos or notes. Keep the sharing dialog open; closing it stops tracking and requests position deletion. If the network drops, the last location may remain until stopped, revoked or expired. Stop erases the position; Revoke deletes the link. Links expire after seven days. Earth trips only; HTTPS and browser location permission are required. No background tracking.

After an export or from a saved trip, submit a title and optional caption with your consent. A route preview, stop names and coordinates, straight-line distance and countries are stored, not the exported video. Your first name or “A traveller” is shown, never your account email. Photos, notes, dates, budgets, logos and audio are excluded. Entries remain private until an administrator approves them. Visitors can remix approved routes in the editor using the existing share import confirmation. Withdraw a submission from My gallery submissions; account deletion also removes it. Earth trips with at least two active stops only.

Downloads a .json file with your stops, photos and settings. Keep it as a backup or to move a project to another browser, then load it again with Import a project. Videos and uploaded music are not included.

Downloads a .timeline.json file with visits and transport activities in the Google Timeline format. Reimport it with Import a timeline: stop names, coordinates and transport modes are preserved. No dates are invented. Photos and visual settings are not included; use Export JSON for a complete project backup. The route needs at least one stop.

Downloads a .gpx file with your stops, to open in a GPS device, a sports app or a mapping tool. The route needs at least one stop.

Downloads a .kml file with your stops, to open in Google Earth, Google My Maps or any tool that reads KML. The route needs at least one stop.

The flat map (default) suits road trips and regional routes. The 3D globe shows the curvature of the Earth and shines on world tours and long flights.

Each thumbnail previews the style. Details is the default. Satellite shows real imagery, Night shows city lights seen from space, Vintage and Watercolor give an illustrated look.

Show relief shades ridges and valleys, and raises the terrain in 3D once the camera is tilted (with the Cinematic preset, for example). Off by default.

The Height slider exaggerates the relief from x1 to x3 (x1.5 by default).

Auto follows the site language. Local language shows each name in the language of its country. You can also force one of the 12 languages offered, for example to publish a video in French.

Each switch controls a layer of the basemap. Everything is visible by default except points of interest. Hiding roads and points of interest gives a cleaner map for long trips.

Colors every country where you stop and shows how many countries you visited. Options: a different color per country or a single fill color, opacity, border and country names.

The High level camera preset turns this option on.

Pick one of the 18 styles, some of them animated. The choice applies to every stop of the route.

In Create, open the Labels tab and the Labels section. Apply to pin is directly above Label animation (cities). Its info icon opens this explanation.

Checked by default: the pin follows both Label animation and Label display. With Bounce, the pin and text bounce together. With Appear on vehicle arrival, they appear together. Show all on the map displays both from the start; None in Label animation hides both.

Uncheck it to keep pins visible without the label effect while text follows its own animation and display settings. Animated pin styles retain their built-in motion. The checkbox is saved with the project and applies to flat maps, globes and exports.

Choose how stop names make their entrance: fade in, bounce, grow, spin, stamp, jelly, swing, skid, confetti or typewriter (default). Pulse and glow keep the names moving in a loop. Plain display shows them without an effect, None hides them completely.

Apply to pin is checked by default: the pin uses the same effect as its label, including None. Uncheck it to keep the pin visible without the label effect. Animated pin styles retain their own built-in motion. This setting is saved with the project and applies to flat maps, globes and exports. Typewriter reveals the current stop name character by character using the animation timeline, including frame-by-frame exports.

Show all on the map: every name is visible from the start. Appear on vehicle arrival (default): each name shows up when the vehicle reaches the stop, which builds suspense. With Apply to pin checked, the pin appears at the same time as its name. Uncheck it to keep all pins visible while the names are revealed. To hide the names, choose None in Label animation; this also hides pins when Apply to pin is checked.

Default, Serif, Rounded, Condensed, Monospace or Handwriting. Each option is previewed in the list. The font applies to the labels of the map and of the exported video.

In Create, open the Labels tab and the Labels section. Label background is below Label font. When enabled, Background color lets you choose the box color. Reset restores the original white background. Text automatically switches between dark and white to stay readable.

Uncheck Label background to show only white text with a dark outline. Your chosen color is kept when you turn the background back on. These settings are saved with the project and apply to flat maps, globes and exports.

In Create, open the Labels tab and the Labels section. Display country flag is below Label background. Its info icon opens this explanation.

Checked by default: the flag of the stop's country appears before its number and name when the country is known. Uncheck it for names without a flag. The choice is saved with the project and applies to flat maps, globes and exports.

In Create, open the Labels tab: this option is below Display country flag. Off by default.

When the vehicle arrives, the city's administrative boundary fades in, filled with the route color, then fades out after departure. Outlines come from OpenStreetMap and load once per place; small places without a known boundary are simply not outlined. Unavailable on imaginary worlds. Works on flat maps, globes and exports.

By default, the animation only stops where there are photos. With this option, it also pauses briefly on every other stop, except the departure. Set the Pause length from 0.5 to 8 seconds (1.2 s by default).

From 2 to 10 seconds (2 s by default). The photos of the stop are shown during this pause; a video lasts as long as the clip, 15 s max. Stops without media are not affected: see Pause at every stop.

Rounded (default), None, Polaroid (white border), Bubble (round photo), Gallery (golden frame with a mat) or Neon (glowing outline). It applies to every stop photo and video, in the preview and in the exported video.

From 40% to 120% of the default size (100%). Smaller leaves more of the map visible around the photo; larger fills the screen. It applies to every stop photo and video, in the preview and in the exported video.

None keeps the media still, Slow (default) makes them glide softly across the frame, Fast gives them more motion.

On by default: ground legs follow the actual road network instead of a straight line, and distances and travel times are computed on the road. Turn it off for straight lines.

Walking legs are not affected: they always take the most direct footpath, or a straight line when there is none.

Turning it back on computes the routes again.

On by default: boat legs follow a sea route computed around the coastlines, and distances and travel times are measured along it. Turn it off for straight lines.

This option is independent from the road network: you can keep boats on the sea while ground vehicles go in straight lines, or the opposite.

When no sea passage is found, for example in a closed sea, the boat goes in a straight line.

On by default: train legs follow the actual railway network, and distances and travel times are measured along the tracks.

When no track is found between two stops, the train follows the roads as an approximation and a message tells you so. Turning the option back on tries the railway again.

Turn it off to use the road network for trains, or straight lines if the road network is also off.

On by default: air legs follow a curved trajectory, like the routes on an airline map. Turn it off for straight lines.

Other transports are not affected: boats follow a sea route, or a straight line when none is found.

On by default: at each arrival, the camera zooms in on the stop before taking off again. Turn it off to keep the camera at altitude for the whole trip.

This option is part of the camera presets: changing it may switch the preset to Custom settings.

The vehicle still travels from stop to stop, but no line is drawn behind it. The line color, type and width settings are hidden while this option is on.

By default, each transport has its own color. Pick a color to apply it to all the lines, or choose one of seven gradient presets: Sunset, Ocean, Aurora, Fire, Candy, Forest or Rainbow. The colors blend from the first stop to the last, on solid, dashed and dotted lines, including during animation and export. Reset goes back to the color of each transport. A color set on a single leg still takes priority over the gradient; reset that leg's color to use the global preset.

The route is drawn twice: a faded line showing the whole trip, and a bright line drawn as the vehicle moves. By default the faded line uses the line color. Pick a color to give it its own color, and adjust its opacity: at 0% the line only appears as the vehicle travels it. Reset goes back to the line color.

Adds a blurred luminous halo under the lines, in the same color (or gradient). It makes the route stand out on the map and in the exported video. Turn it off for crisp, flat lines.

Automatic (default) adapts the style to each transport. Solid, Dashed and Dotted apply to the whole route, except the legs that have their own line type.

From 1 to 12 px (4 px by default). A thicker line reads better on a phone screen.

From 10% to 200% (100% by default). Increase it for a vertical video watched on a phone, reduce it on a very zoomed-in map.

In Create, open the Path tab: this option is in the Vehicle section. Pick a photo, it is cropped to a square and shown in a round bubble above the vehicle during the whole trip. It appears with vehicles only, not with an arrow or a dot. Works on flat maps, globes and exports. Remove it at any time with the trash button.

From x0.5 to x3 (x1 by default). It applies to the whole trip, on top of the segment speeds. A faster animation gives a shorter video.

A preset sets several camera options at once. The active preset is highlighted; Story zoom is the default. If you change an option by hand and no preset matches anymore, the panel shows Custom settings.

The 13 presets:

On by default: the camera stays on the vehicle and adapts its zoom to the length of each leg. It cannot be combined with Frame the whole route: turning one on turns the other off.

Reduces how far the camera pulls back on long legs and how close it gets on arrival, for a steadier, calmer video. Off by default.

In Create, open the Camera tab: Arrival zoom is below Limit zoom amplitude. It applies when Follow vehicle with auto-zoom is on.

Region (default) keeps the current wide framing around each stop. City lands on the town itself, Street gets close enough to see its streets. Long legs still pull back during the trip. The choice is saved with the project and applies to flat maps, globes and exports.

The camera no longer moves: the entire itinerary is visible and the vehicle travels across it. Turning it on disables Follow vehicle with auto-zoom.

In Create, open Camera → Additional camera effects. Framing zoom: 1× keeps the original view; 2× adds one zoom level, 3× adds log₂(3). Intro style: None preserves existing behaviour; Zoom from space dives from a wide view, Globe spin then dive rotates once before diving (use globe projection to see a globe), Drone fly-in uses a tilted approach, Anchored on vehicle opens close to the start. Ending zoom-out frames the entire route. Intro and ending occupy the first and last 8% of the existing animation; they add no duration and are identical in preview and export. Smooth globe rotation on long legs keeps cruise altitude while following the great circle, only on globe legs above 1,500 km. Fixed camera takes priority over these effects. Lead looks back from in front of the vehicle. Sticker temporarily replaces a 3D model with a flat 2D icon, white outline and shadow without changing the saved vehicle.

36 tracks in four families: Moods, Cinematic & emotional, Upbeat & party and World music. World music includes French accordion, Spanish flamenco guitar, Italian tarantella, Greek bouzouki, Irish jig, Brazilian bossa nova, Argentine tango, Mexican mariachi, Japanese koto, Indian sitar and Arabic oud. Six original synthetic instrumentals add inspirations from Portuguese fado, Chinese guzheng, Peruvian Andean flute, Turkish saz, Senegalese kora and Cuban son. These six are CC0 compositions, not traditional recordings; no attribution is required for them.

New trips start with Upbeat selected at 60% volume. Reset settings restores this choice; opening a saved or imported trip preserves its settings. Choose No music to turn it off. Listen plays the selected track and Music volume sets its level. Nothing plays automatically when the page opens. Starting Preview stops any Listen playback first, so the test audio does not overlap the video's soundtrack. The music plays in the preview and is included in MP4 and WebM exports. GIF and PNG exports have no sound.

Plays a travel sound while the vehicle moves between stops. Choose classic whoosh, breeze, gusts, jet engine, ocean waves, swift or train rhythm, plus six synthesized motor sounds: F1-style racing engine with gear changes, car, motorcycle, propeller aircraft, helicopter rotor and motorboat. These are original sound effects, not recordings of a particular vehicle. No whoosh, the default, turns them off.

Listen plays the same sound used in MP4/WebM exports, with the rise and fall over a leg. Live Preview uses the same motor cycle or rotor pulse with a steady filter. Effects volume controls the level (70% by default); the effect stops during stop pauses and when playback stops.

Plays a short sound each time the vehicle reaches a stop. Choose classic pop, bubble, click, bell, marimba, video game coin, sparkle or drum, plus GPS arrival chime, camera shutter, passport stamp, bicycle bell, sonar ping and mini celebration. These are original synthesized effects, with no recording to download.

New trips start with Video game coin enabled at 70% effects volume. Reset settings restores this choice; saved and imported trips keep their settings. Listen previews the selected sound; the same effect plays at arrivals in Preview and in MP4/WebM exports. No pop turns it off. Effects volume controls its level, and the selection is saved with your trip.

Off by default. Updates on arrival, ignores excluded stops and counts each included stop as a city. Missing country codes do not add a country. The counter, date and weather share a position, with space reserved for the distance overlay.

Set a start date in the trip planner first. The date advances by the nights at previous included stops; an unspecified stay means one night. Dates use your language. Off by default.

Enable this option and enable an outro card in Export. Statistics replace the outro design, while retaining its logo and watermark. Distance follows the selected unit. Days include all nights plus the departure day. Excluded stops are ignored. Off by default.

Shows Open-Meteo current weather, temperature in Celsius and the observation time in that place, not a forecast for your trip dates. Data is fetched once per location for this session and loaded before export; unavailable observations are hidden. Not available for imaginary worlds. Off by default.

Off by default; in the top left corner once enabled, and you can then place it at the top or bottom of the frame (left, center or right). The unit follows the Distance unit setting.

Changes the unit of the leg distances, of the route summary and of the live distance counter on the map.

Draws the elevation profile of your route at the top or bottom of the map, and a cursor moves along it with the vehicle. Flights and sea crossings break the line, since they have no ground elevation.

Off by default; in the top right corner once enabled, and you can then place it at the top or bottom of the frame (left, center or right).

Displays the name of the current destination at the top or bottom of the map, updated at each leg. Off by default; once the option is on, choose its position at the top or bottom of the frame (left, center or right).

On by default with travelstorymaker.com. If your profile has access, change the text, place it at the top or bottom of the frame (left, center or right), adjust opacity from 10 to 100%, or turn it off. Badges show the currently configured access.

On by default with the Travel Story Maker logo. If your profile has access, use the file chooser under Show logo to import your image. Pick one of six positions at the top or bottom of the frame, set its size (32 to 240 px) and opacity (10 to 100%), or remove it. The same controls are available for intro and outro cards.

Presets use MP4 for social media. Open Advanced settings for other formats: WebM (VP9) can keep a transparent background; GIF creates a silent animation, limited to 15 frames per second and 720 px on the longest side; PNG saves a still image; PNG sequence delivers one image per frame in a .zip file for editing software.

Music, sound effects and the sound of video clips are included in MP4 and WebM exports. GIF, PNG and PNG sequence exports have no sound. If your browser requires another container or a less compatible codec, the generated file panel explains it.

Available in WebM, PNG and PNG sequence: MP4 and GIF do not support transparency. In the preview, a checkerboard shows the transparent areas. Handy to lay the animation over another video in editing software.

WebM transparency is supported by Chrome, Edge, OBS and software that reads VP9 alpha, but not by Safari or the iPhone.

HD is selected initially when available. Fast lowers resolution for a first try; Full HD and 4K add detail but need more processing and memory. 4K depends on Pro plan access and your browser’s encoding capabilities.

Dimensions depend on framing: HD is 1280 × 720 horizontally, 720 × 1280 vertically and 1080 × 1080 square. The buttons and summary show exact dimensions. GIF stays capped at 720 px on the longest side.

After a capacity error, Retry at lower quality reduces only the next attempt without changing your selected quality. The ready file shows the resolution actually produced.

In Advanced settings, a higher frame rate makes motion smoother but needs more processing and produces a larger file. Presets choose 24 fps when available.

Without a frame rate choice or preset, frame rate follows quality: 15 fps in Fast, 24 fps above. A selected frame rate stays unchanged when you then change quality. GIF always uses 15 fps; a PNG image has no frame rate.

Square (1:1) suits the Instagram and Facebook feed. Reel (9:16) is the vertical format of TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. YouTube (16:9) is the classic horizontal format.

In Create on a computer, choose Video format below Trip name in the right sidebar. On mobile there is no choice in Create: the map stays full-screen and you pick the format in Export. In Export, use the Reel / Story, YouTube or Square presets at the top of the right panel (Settings on mobile); framing is not repeated in Advanced settings. The choice is saved with the project and shared between Create and Export. On a phone, check the final framing in Export.

A new trip starts in 9:16, shared by the editor and export page. Explicit format choices and saved project formats are preserved. Older projects without a format keep their historical square framing. Access restrictions still apply. Choose another preset or video format whenever you need it.

Video duration in the summary includes the animation, media pauses and 2 seconds for each enabled intro or outro card. The playback bar’s Animation counter excludes the cards. These are not real travel times between destinations.

Estimated export is processing time, not file duration. It depends on factors including quality, frame rate and your device: resource preparation or a detailed route can exceed the estimate. The result panel shows the duration of the file actually generated.

Tick Intro or Outro to add a card. Choose one of the 12 styles (Classic, Cinematic, Minimal, Postcard, Sunset, Passport, Boarding pass, Retro poster, Neon, Journal, Mountain or Topo map), then edit the title and the optional subtitle suggested from your route. You can upload your own image (8 MB max) or pick one from Unsplash; it is placed according to the style. The Use the style’s text button brings back the suggested text.

Each time you change a setting, the preview shows the card for a few seconds. Cards do not apply to PNG export.

The site watermark and logo appear on every card by default. Editing or hiding them follows the same access rules and settings as in the editor.

Click the picture or the play button to play the animation with the intro, the outro, the music and the sound effects. Click again to pause it, and playback resumes where it stopped. Restart plays it again from the intro, and the playback bar lets you jump to any point in the animation.

PNG hides playback controls because you export a still image. After a successful export, Review or change export brings the controls back to prepare another export; the last file remains downloadable.

The button waits until the map and route line are ready. Preparation messages, the rounded progress bar and Cancel are centered inside the video frame. These controls are not included in the exported file. The output summary (format, dimensions, duration, frame rate and intro/outro) is at the top of the right settings panel, or in Settings on mobile. Cancel requests a stop and a message confirms completion. Keep the tab open until the end. Some browsers download an encoder of about 31 MB the first time.

Downloading starts when the file is ready. The result panel shows its name, format, dimensions, duration and size. Download again reuses the same file without rendering again. Leaving or reloading the page releases this in-memory copy.

Errors remain visible with recovery actions. When resolution can actually be reduced, Retry at lower quality preserves your selected settings. Cancellation or failure does not remove the last successful file.

Every change to the route can be undone with Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) and redone with Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y, up to 30 actions back. Inside a text field or editable area, these shortcuts keep the browser's native text undo; click outside the field to use the trip history. On desktop, the Undo and Redo buttons under the map do the same; they are not shown on mobile.

The draft is saved automatically in this browser's storage, on this device. This is not account synchronization: after editing, use Save to update the Dashboard copy.

The status on the map reports local or account saving failures. If local storage is full, keep the tab open, save or export a copy when your access allows it, then reduce the project size, for example by removing photos. Do not assume your latest changes are stored while the error remains visible. Clearing browser data deletes the local copy.

When Follow the road network is on and you pick a ground transport between two places with no land route, across an ocean for example, the leg switches automatically: to boat if a sea route exists, otherwise to plane. A notice above the stops names the leg and the new transport, without blocking the editor. Undo restores your ground transport, and the leg is then drawn as a straight line; close the notice to keep the change.

On a computer, the handles on the edges of the map collapse the stops column and the settings column to give the map more room. On a phone, the bottom bar offers Recenter, Stops, Settings and Export. On an empty map, Add my first destination opens Stops and focuses its search.

Settings starts with the customization tabs. Its Project button opens the trip name, Save, New trip and the File menu. Controls stay above the cookie banner without requiring a consent choice; drawers adapt to the visible space when the keyboard opens.

The catalog shows 24 templates per page. Search, filters, sort, view and page follow the URL; your reading position is kept in this tab for returning from the editor. Phones default to the list, with Filter opening the criteria. Fantasy is available under By continent and By country when the other criteria allow it. Each active filter can be removed separately.

Cards show From, To, activity, distance, travel time, elevation gain, and stop and country counts. An elevation curve is included when measurements exist; otherwise elevation is marked Not available. List view keeps the activity badge visible and groups the metrics on a single line that scrolls horizontally on a small screen. On mobile, Preview with an eye icon and Use are shown side by side below each template's details.

Preview opens every stop without touching your draft. Use loads a template directly only when the editor is pristine. Otherwise, Keep my draft cancels; you can download a JSON copy before confirming Replace. Check that the file is saved: replacement resets history. Local music and video are not included in the copy. Restore it through File, subject to your profile’s access.

In an imaginary world, template stops can be reordered or removed, but not added or renamed; their flag cannot be changed. The 3D globe, terrain and Earth-specific options are not offered.

The same confirmation protects opening trips from the Dashboard. Reopening an identical copy there preserves history.

The comparison shown at the top of this page and the topic badges follow the site's current access rules. All shows every topic. Choosing Guest, Member or Pro indicates what that profile can access without hiding explanations for other options; more restricted choices have their own badge.

Guest uses a blue person, Member a purple star and Pro a yellow crown, as on the home page. A lock marks unavailability, not the Member account icon. Sign-in required identifies account-only options.

Account-only controls open the same login form as the Sign in page: Google, email and password, password recovery and registration. The return address keeps the current page, query and section; dismissing the dialog leaves the draft untouched.

Saving projects, passports and postcards to an account, and sharing by link, require signing in. Other access can be configured by the administrator: an account does not guarantee every option is open. The five features marked Planned are not yet available, even when Pro is selected.

Search for your countries or check them in the continent lists. On a computer, the map also supports mouse and keyboard: one Tab stop, then arrow keys move through countries. On a phone, the map is a preview. Create my passport is beside the selection summary below the search field, without a floating duplicate.

Clear all asks for confirmation. Undo last removal restores countries until you make another selection change or leave the page. Choose a name, title and color, with the preview just before the settings on mobile.

Download creates a local 1720 × 2360 px PNG without an account. Share prepares the same image, including your displayed name, countries and statistics; confirm Share to choose an app on your device. If file sharing is unavailable, download the image and attach it yourself. No public link or automatic publication is created.

The Save button keeps a separate editable copy in your account's Dashboard. If the map fails to load, selection remains available; retry loading before downloading or sharing.

Use the five tabs to customize your card. Changes appear immediately in the preview; Front / Back switches sides. On mobile, the tabs sit below the preview. Each info icon explains its settings.

The draft and imported photo stay on this device when local storage is available. Saving to your account is separate. Reset clears the card after confirmation and cannot be undone.

This is a digital souvenir: stamps have no postage value, and nothing is posted or published automatically.

The planner shares stops with Create. Navigation counts stops; Day follows the calendar calculated from the start date and previous nights. Each stop defaults to one night; choose zero for a day visit. Arrival and departure dates update immediately.

Use the pencil to rename a stop. Move this stop offers Move up, Move down and a specific position, even when only one card is visible on a phone. Incoming travel times are indicative: straight-line distance and average speed, without traffic or timetables.

Add tasks, notes and budgets. Under Note, Activity photos lets you select several images (up to 8 MB each), view them larger and remove them. Images are resized when needed and saved with the local trip; Save in Create also keeps them in your account. They travel with JSON projects and shared links, but do not appear automatically in videos. Storage failures are shown explicitly; keep the original files separately.

The selected currency applies to the whole trip without converting existing amounts; older trips use EUR. Print / Save as PDF opens the browser print dialog and includes all stops and activity photos, not just the visible page.

The video would be rendered on our servers instead of your browser: faster, and possible from a phone or a modest computer. Planned for the Pro plan.

One export would produce the 1:1, 9:16 and 16:9 versions of your video together. Planned for the Pro plan.

Editing formats with transparency, such as ProRes or HEVC, are planned for Pro and are not yet available. They are separate from Transparent background: WebM with alpha, PNG and PNG sequences are already offered in advanced export settings, subject to access and browser capabilities.

Your video would be hosted for you, with a page to share it by link. Planned for the Pro plan.

A library of licensed tracks to use in your videos without worrying about rights. Planned for the Pro plan.