--- title: "How to make a travel map video with your route and photos" source_url: "https://backtracktrips.com/en/guides/travel-map-video/" language: "en" updated: "2026-10-01" --- # How to make a travel map video with your route and photos By [Gustavo Kenzo]() · Updated October 1, 2026 In Keynote on iPhone, put a map on a slide and add a marker. Duplicate the slide, move the marker to the next place and use Magic Move to animate it. Add your photos between movements and export as a Movie. Start by putting the places in trip order. For the manual method: Keynote on iPhone, photos and a map image you can use, or a sketch you draw yourself. Photos without GPS work too when you know which places you want to show. ## Build it manually in Keynote 1. **List the places in trip order** Choose one day and write down three or four stops. Check their order against photo dates, bookings or your memories. Pick one photo per place. A short list makes it easier to spot a return visit or a stop in the wrong order. 2. **Prepare the map and slide** Create a blank presentation. Under More → Presentation Options → Presentation Setup → Slide Size, choose Custom. For vertical video, use a 9:16 ratio, such as 1080 × 1920. Add your map without cropping its provider credits and mark the stops. Reference: [Slide size]() 3. **Add a marker and duplicate** Place a small shape over the first stop. In the slide navigator, open Transition → Add Transition → Magic Move and choose Duplicate. On the new slide, drag the same marker to the second stop. Keep the map and labels in the same positions. Reference: [Magic Move in Keynote]() 4. **Complete the sequence with photos** Keep the two slides for each movement consecutive. After arrival, add the photo with a simple transition; return to the map for the next leg. In Magic Move, try a one-second Duration and Start → Automatically. Adjust Delay so photos are readable; start with two seconds. Reference: [Magic Move in Keynote]() 5. **Export and review the video** Under More → Export, choose Movie, set advance intervals and resolution and save the file. Apple describes .mov output and advanced format options. Watch the whole file and check order, cropped photos and reading time before sharing. Reference: [Export a movie in Keynote]() ## Example: three stops and three photos An illustrative Lisbon sequence is Belém → Bairro Alto → Alfama. The table is an editing outline. The marker shows the order of places; it does not reconstruct the streets you took. | Scene | What to show | Starting time | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Map and marker at Belém | 1 s | | 2 | Belém photo | 2 s | | 3 | Movement to Bairro Alto and photo | 1 + 2 s | | 4 | Movement to Alfama and photo | 1 + 2 s | The suggested times add up to nine seconds; pauses, extra transitions and an opening change the final duration. Curves need intermediate positions; Magic Move does not calculate street routes. ## Adjustments that change the result **The marker disappears** Duplicate the slide and keep the same object. Creating another circle may make it a different shape. **The photo is cropped** Adjust its framing inside the slide before exporting. Use the same slide size throughout. **The movement ignores streets** Manual animation links positions you choose. Add positions for a curve, or use simple links if you only want to show city order. ## To build the video from photo locations If your photos already have locations, Backtrack gathers stops by day and prepares the animated map. You review photos and transport and export an MP4. This avoids arranging every slide and position by hand; routes remain estimates between photographed places. Backtrack uses geotagged photos on iPhone with iOS 26 or later. Free download with optional Premium. See the plans and limits. 1. **Create the trip** In Backtrack, tap Automatic trip discovery to let the app find the trip in your library, or Choose dates manually and mark the first and last day. Geotagged photos from that period join the trip. 2. **Choose the period** In the trip, tap Create animation, choose the period and prepare the story. On Free, unlock a day with a credit. The entire trip requires Premium, except for the welcome video of your first discovered trip. 3. **Pick the photos** Review the photos at each stop. Premium and the welcome video include suggested selections; you can adjust them before generating the animation. 4. **Review the route** In the animation, tap Segments to fix the transport of each leg: on foot, car, public transport, boat or plane. Legs without a known route show as an approximate route. 5. **Export and share** Tap Export and choose the format (9:16, 3:4, 1:1, 4:3 or 16:9) and quality. The MP4 is saved to Photos and kept in Your animations so you can share it anytime. ## See a real example Backtrack animation traveling through a day in Lisbon, with the photo of each stop. Backtrack screenshot with a demo trip and public-domain photos. The interface shown is in Portuguese. [Lisbon route demonstration]() [Download on the App Store]()[See plans and limits]() ## Questions about this guide ### Can I do this without GPS photos? Yes, with the manual method: you enter places and choose images. Without GPS or a route recording, the video represents your chosen sequence; it does not automatically recover the path. ### Do I need to record the screen? Not with this method. Keynote exports the presentation as a Movie. Backtrack also exports a video file; the demo below is an app capture, but screen recording is not required to create your MP4. ### How can I make the video easier to follow? Start with a few stops and one photo per place. Watch without pausing and check whether you can recognize images and read labels. Add more photos once the short sequence is clear. ## Sources and verification Edited by Gustavo Kenzo, creator of Backtrack. Menu paths follow the Apple guides cited in each section. Illustrative examples; Backtrack screenshots use demo trips. Reviewed October 1, 2026. [Photo date and location]() · [Slide size]() · [Magic Move in Keynote]() · [Export a movie in Keynote]()