How to make a recap video from one activity
September 11, 2026 · 5 min read · By Joao Silva
A recap video gets watched when a photo gets scrolled past. The catch is that there are several kinds, they suit different activities, and picking the wrong one gives you a flat line crawling across a map for fifteen seconds. Here is how to tell which video your last activity is actually worth.
Start with what the activity has
The right video is decided by the data, not by taste. An activity with a distinctive route wants a route video. An activity whose whole character was one long climb wants an elevation video. An activity with one strong photo wants that photo brought to life. An activity with none of those still has your numbers.
Run through it in that order and the choice usually makes itself.
| What the activity has | Make this | Where it renders |
|---|---|---|
| A route with a shape worth seeing | GPS route video | On your phone |
| One big climb | Elevation profile video | On your phone |
| One photo you like | AI video from that photo | Generated for you |
| No photos, no route | A clip built from the activity | Generated for you |
Route video: when the map is the story
A route video animates your line across the map and drops your photos onto the timeline at the point you took them, so the photo from the halfway climb appears at the halfway climb. It suits loops, point-to-points, and anything with a recognisable shape.
It works less well for an out-and-back on a flat road or a treadmill session with no GPS at all. If the shape is boring, the video will be too. The full walkthrough is in the GPS route video guide.
Elevation video: when the climb is the story
Some rides are not about where you went, they are about how far up. An elevation profile video builds your ascent frame by frame, which makes the hard part legible to people who have never ridden the road.
This is the better choice for a hill repeat session, a col, or any route where the map is a squiggle but the profile is a wall. The elevation video guide covers the steps.
AI video: when one photo is the story
If the session gave you a single photo worth posting, that photo can become a short clip instead. ActivArt keeps the orientation and applies the same style, effects, and stats it would apply to a still, then animates it.
Pick a source image that already works as a still. Strong contrast around the athlete, a readable pose, and one clear point of attention give the motion something to hold onto. A busy frame tends to come apart.
What each one costs you
Route and elevation videos render on your device from data you already have, so they are fast and nothing leaves your phone during generation. Generated video works differently: it runs on its own rolling allowance, with limited use on the free plan and more on Premium.
You do not have to sit and watch a generated clip finish. The job continues in the background and you get a notification when it is ready, so you can put the phone down.
One activity can give you two videos
A big day usually supports more than one post. The route video and the photo-based clip tell different parts of the same ride, and posting them a day apart works better than stacking both on the same evening.
For a training block or a race build, keep one video type as your recurring format and vary the other. The repetition is what makes a feed recognisable.
Posting it
All of these come out vertical, framed for Reels, TikTok, and Stories, so nothing needs recropping. Share straight from the app or save the file and post it later.
Generated video carries signed machine-readable provenance. Leave that intact where you can, and say it is AI when you publish realistic generated or transformed footage.
Turn your last activity into a video
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