Problems with image softness are often caused by the compression that takes place after transcoding the images to our system. If you are using full resolution JPEGs or PNG images, the resolution may be too large and so some of the data is squished during compression. If the resolution of the video render on Animoto (1920x1080p, 1080x1080, and 1080x1920) has a smaller pixel ratio than the photos you've uploaded, the render system will process the image down to the size which may lead to squishing/blurring edges for images.
Numerous factors such as color levels, related camera settings, pixel file size of your image, and export settings can contribute to this problem. There isn't a way around that kind of compression and you may notice it more when using images with certain color levels.
We recommend downsizing your photo without reducing its quality before uploading. This can prevent our system from auto-compressing your images. Many of our customers have had success using a ~25% resolution reduction using bi-cubic mode in Photoshop.
Here are some other discussion resources that you may find helpful:
- https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4204912
- https://itstillworks.com/resize-images-maintain-original-sharpness-30451.html
- https://photoshopcafe.com/resize-images-photoshop-keep-quality/