Google Timeline video examples from public creators

How these Google Timeline video examples were checked

Google Timeline video examples are easy to find, but many search results are generic map-animation tutorials or product promotions that never show a Timeline result. The six videos on this page passed a narrower check. Each video is public, its title and channel match YouTube oEmbed, and YouTube currently allows it to play in an embedded player. We also checked the creator's description or the available captions before describing the footage. Generic travel-map templates were excluded when they did not use Google Timeline or Location History. A title alone was not enough when neither the description nor captions explained the result.

These are third-party videos hosted on their creators' YouTube channels. Inclusion does not mean that a creator used Timeline to Video, reviewed it, or recommends it. Timeline to Video did not download, edit, or republish any video. A public upload can be changed or removed later, so the title, availability, and embed status were last checked on August 25, 2026. The links identify the original channel so viewers can watch the source rather than a copy.

On the home page, the gallery begins with locally rendered artwork instead of a remote thumbnail or player. YouTube is contacted only after someone chooses to load a video. The privacy-enhanced player still sends the selected video ID and normal network details to Google. It can also record activity under the viewer's Google or YouTube settings. The exact boundary is explained in the privacy policy.

Finished videos: an annual history and a single travel day

Finished result 1 of 4: My 2024 location history, animated

My 2024 location history, animated by Josh Chang (4:53, published January 3, 2025) fits a full year into less than five minutes. Chang says he exported JSON from Google Maps Timeline on his phone and wrote a program to animate it on a map. One video frame represents one hour. The camera position and zoom are calculated from nearby location points, which lets the view pull back for wider movement and move closer during local travel. The description links to the author's source code and notes limits in the Mapbox API. This is a finished personal project, not a tutorial for this site.

Finished result 2 of 4: Our Travels from CA into OR

Our Travels from CA into OR with Google Location History by Ron Ippolito (1:43, published June 25, 2014) is a quieter trip record. The creator describes it as an animated map with no sound or narration. The route crosses from California into Oregon, and pauses in the movement correspond to landmarks, lunch, and a stop at the state line. That makes it useful for judging whether motion and dwell time can carry a short story without labels. The Google interface and export method are old, but the finished video still illustrates how timing alone can make stops readable.

Finished videos: a photo route and a location topography

Finished result 3 of 4: Animated Google Timeline in Dominica

Animated Google Timeline in Dominica by Smokes & Notes (0:18, published August 19, 2021) follows the island's western coastline. The creator says the path came directly from Google Timeline, was animated in After Effects with GEOlayers, and includes a Google Photos image that appears over the map. At eighteen seconds, the route and one photograph have to carry the whole clip. The photo can reveal more than the line on the map, which is worth remembering before publishing personal media. Timeline to Video does not currently reproduce that creator's editing setup or accept photo uploads.

Finished result 4 of 4: Google Location History Topographies

Google Location History Topographies by Jenna deBoisblanc (0:56, published December 11, 2020) uses the same class of personal data for a different result. The creator turns visit frequency into a three-dimensional surface: places visited more often rise higher. The description credits Three.js, Mapbox, and shaders. It is not a chronological route video, so it is labeled here as a location-history visualization rather than a travel recap. Height represents the creator's visit-frequency calculation, not elevation or proof that the source history is complete.

Tutorials that show the generated result

Tutorial 1 of 2: After Effects and GEOlayers

Animate Your Google Maps Location History Data in After Effects! by Boone Loves Video (15:07, published February 22, 2021) walks through a paid GEOlayers workflow. The captions describe a route through the French countryside, a line animated along that route, and a car icon moving with it. The description marks 14:37 as the final animation and contains an affiliate link for GEOlayers. It also warns that Google's old desktop Timeline and KML download steps are no longer available. Use the video for editing ideas, not for current export instructions or as an independent review of a browser tool.

Tutorial 2 of 2: a mobile Timeline Visualizer workflow

Cara membuat video maps timeline perjalanan by Fizul Wira Saputra (1:49, published August 25, 2026) is an Indonesian mobile screen recording. Its captions show the creator exporting Timeline data in phone settings, finding a separate Timeline Visualizer on the web, choosing the exported JSON, adjusting duration, accepting the map notice, creating an MP4, and downloading the result. The generated video appears at about 1:29. The captions do not identify the route, cities, or visual style, so this page does not guess at those details. This is evidence of the workflow on screen, not an endorsement of Timeline to Video.

Use the examples as references, not output promises

Borrow a specific idea, not an expected result. Chang's moving time window keeps a year readable. Ippolito lets pauses explain the stops. The Dominica clip makes room for one photograph, while deBoisblanc abandons the route format entirely. None of those choices proves that the underlying Timeline is complete or that every recorded point is correct. They also say nothing about how long the same export would take on another phone or browser.

Older tutorials may show Google export paths that no longer exist. Use the current Android or iPhone export guide for the file itself. Before loading a sensitive route, check the home-location guide and the map-provider explanation. If the goal is a one-year edit, the yearly recap guide covers date range, summary labels, and a smaller test export. The video FAQ explains the actual MP4 formats, browser checks, audio fallback, and share behavior in the current release.