Make your own travel documentary

You don’t need the skills of a filmmaker to make a video compilation of your travel photos and videos.

Name: Animoto Video Maker What it does: The online video-maker app lets you upload your photos and videos, pick a style to personalize your story, set it to music and add narration or title cards to complete it.

Available: In the App Store, requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Cost: Free to download, with multiple inapp purchases. Basic monthly subscription for $4.99 a month (or $29.99 a year); personal subscription for $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year.

What’s hot: This video-maker app is surprisingly fast. I’ve spent time with other video-editing apps and struggled with how much editing I needed to do. The app really connects with amateurs but offers enough customization so that your video appears quite professional. You can also edit from your computer (instead of the app), which might be easier if you’re using more features. If you use higher-quality photos (not just smartphone photos), your video will turn out better. A help center on its website, animoto .com, can assist with troubleshooting or advice.

What’s not: I would’ve liked at least one short video-editing session as a trial. I authorized the $4.99-a-month fee, but it’s on me to remember to cancel the service if I don’t want to continue. Note: After I started the process through the app, I found a free watermarked trial period through the website.