Animoto’s major revamp features HD-quality video, freshly designed Web site, streamlined video creation process, and more

New York, NY (February 8, 2011) -- Award-winning online video creation service Animoto announced today that it is launching a significantly enhanced version of the popular service for photographers. Now even easier to use, the new Animoto utilizes a brand new render engine allowing for the creation of 720p HD videos and 10x faster video rendering. Also announced today is a completely redesigned Web site designed for a smoother video creation and distribution experience.

“All of these new features and enhancements announced today are a continuation of our efforts to provide photographers with a high-end video creation tool unrivaled in ease of use,” commented Brad Jefferson, CEO and Co-founder of Animoto. “Our photography focus really took off last year with the creation of eight new video styles designed in collaboration with professional photographers. 2011 will see continued expansion of our Pro product and as always, professional photographers will play a major role in product development.”

Key Features of the New Animoto
Thanks to a new render engine, Animoto now features 360p web-quality videos, 720p HD video upgrades, and 10x faster video rendering. Starting today, the Animoto render engine is moving from CPU (central processing unit) to GPU (graphics processing unit) – the same ultra-powerful graphics processors used in motion pictures and gaming. With Amazon.com as an early investor, Animoto became a poster child for cloud computing on CPU. Now, Animoto is one of the first companies to build around Amazon's GPU-driven cloud.

Animoto’s 720p HD-quality video and 360p web-quality video will initially only be available on the most popular video style, the Animoto Original, but will soon be available across all video styles over the coming months. The new 720p HD-quality video represents a substantial improvement over a previous highest quality output of 480p (DVD-quality). Pro account users can create unlimited HD and DVD-quality videos at no extra cost.

In addition, Animoto’s Web site has been completely redesigned to offer users improved functionality. Its first major redesign since its launch in 2007, this sleek makeover makes it easier for new users to find the right product, and learn about the features they care the most about. The redesign also includes an aesthetic redesign of the video creation interface, and the addition of numerous back-end features that will make Animoto even easier to use.

About Animoto
Animoto is a video slideshow creation service that enables photographers, businesses and consumers to easily make professional quality videos from their photos and video clips. The Animoto team, which includes entertainment and technology industry veterans, has leveraged their expertise to develop a web-based service that makes it easy for people to quickly create and share their stories through video – using photos and or videos. The heart of Animoto is its Cinematic Artificial Intelligence™ technology that thinks like an actual director and editor, using the same sophisticated post-production skills and techniques that are used in television and film. A fast-growing company, Animoto Productions is based in New York City with an office in San Francisco.

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