How to make a Bar Chart Race video using Alien Art Charts?

Hayk Hovhannisyan

— 2 min read

In this blog post, I'll guide you through the steps to create a Bar Chart Race video for free and without any coding skills. We will be using a tool called Alien Art Charts.

Step 1: Data Gathering

First, we need to gather some data that changes over time. For our example, we'll use the web browser usage data available on gs.statcounter.com.

  1. Navigate to gs.statcounter.com the website, you will find a chart displaying the data for the last 12 months.
  2. Click "Edit Chart Data" and change the period to yearly, starting from 2009.
  3. Click "View Chart" to see the result, then click "Download Data" to get the values in CSV format. This file can be opened with tools like Microsoft Excel, Open Office, Google Docs, Numbers, or similar tools.

Each column in the spreadsheet represents a browser, and each row represents a year. For example, Chrome's usage in 2009 was 3.23%, and in 2021 it was 64.37%.

Step 2: Importing the Data

Now, go to alienart.io and log in using one of the available authentication options. Click on the Create Project button and choose Bar Chart Race as the type. Add a title and select the screen orientation. Here is a guideline for choosing it depending on where you want to post it.

  1. YouTube Long - Landscape
  2. YouTube Shorts - Portrait
  3. TikTok - Portrait
  4. Instagram Reels - Portrait
  5. LinkedIn - Portrait or Square
  6. Facebook - Landscape, Portrait or Square

The tool provides a mock data chart for you to work with. Go to the data tab and compare it with your spreadsheet. Ensure the format of the data you downloaded matches the mock data. In this case, the columns should represent the items (browsers), and the rows should represent the dates (years).

Let's use the File -> Import button and upload the browser usage data. Once done, you can open the Preview page to view the result.

Step 3: Adding Images

The project is almost ready; the only thing missing is the browser icons. You can click on one of the fields in the Image row, which should open a panel that allows you to choose an image. By default, it will show the country flags that can be directly selected. But in this case, we need to upload the images.

Start by searching for "Google Chrome Icon" in your favorite search engine. Choose the icon you like, right-click on the image, and then choose "Save Image As.". If you are on a mobile device, it's pretty much the same, but you will need to press on the image and keep it for a second to open the menu and tap "Download Image."

Then, you can go back to the Alien Art Chats and switch the tab in the open panel to "Uploaded." You can click the "Add File" button and upload the file here. Alternatively, on the desktop, you can drag and drop the file into the panel when the "Uploaded" tab is open.

Step 4: Design Adjustments

If you want to change the project's look, you can do it from the "Layers" page. Every layer is responsible for a part of the project. For example, you can select the "Title" layer to modify the title. You can choose the "Background" layer to change the background color or set an image as the background. You can also add new Layers if you want to add more details to the project.

Step 5: Video Export

Finally, you can open the "Preview" page, and if you are satisfied with the project, click on the "Export Video" button located right under the project preview. Once the video is ready, you will get a notification with a link to Download the video. You can also download the videos you created from the "Exports" tab.

If you want to watch the tutorial in a video format, you can see it below:

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