How to highlight countries on a map in a video
Show where something happens: light up one country, or reveal a list of countries or states one after another, with coloured fills, glowing borders and labels. Any country, and states and provinces worldwide, are ready to pick.
By the AYK Maps team at AYK Studios, Bengaluru · Updated
About 4 minutes · Free to try in AYK Maps
Step by step
- 1
Open the studio
Open AYK Maps. To let the AI do the first version, type in AI agent: “Highlight the countries of the European Union one by one”. To build it yourself, use the Region card on the Studio tab.
- 2
Choose single or multiple
Turn on Show region, then pick Single region for one place or Multiple regions for a list.
- 3
Pick the level and search
Under Area to highlight, choose Continent, Country, State or Ocean / Sea, then type a name in the search box and click it to add it.
- 4
Style the highlight
Turn on Shade fill and pick a Fill style: Solid, Hatch, Dots or Gradient. Set the Border style, switch on Animate border, and add Emphasis such as Glow or Pulse.
- 5
Set the reveal
With multiple regions, choose One by one to light them up in turn or All together. Colour mode Random gives each country its own colour.
- 6
Add labels and flags
Add a callout on each place and set Country flag, or add a title card that says what the map shows.
- 7
Export
Click Export → Video. Set the aspect ratio first under Format (9:16 for Reels and Shorts, 16:9 for YouTube).
Tips
- To colour countries by a number (population, votes, sales), make a choropleth instead — see animated data maps.
- Borders come from open boundary data (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap). Check them for disputed areas.
- Start on a globe and fly in for a stronger opening: switch the projection in Map style and set Motion to Fly in.
What you can make
Try it now, free
Open the Where in the World? templateMore: Country map animation · Animated data maps · All tutorials