Business
Google Earth export
Open Google Earth export from Marketing to make a setup file for a globe-to-location video. You download a KML file containing your selected locations, then create the video in Google Earth. The export does not change your guide or publish a video.
The Export steps are 1 Select spots and 2 Export setup. The current step is highlighted.
Select spots
Choose a Guide. The list contains your active map guides, including drafts. Archived guides and archived spots are excluded. Loading guide appears while its data loads. If you have no guide, Choose a guide to export explains what is missing and Open Products takes you to Products. A guide without spots shows No spots yet.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Search spots | Filter by spot title or chapter name. Searching keeps your selection. |
| Select all | Select every spot with a valid map pin in this guide, including those outside the current search results. |
| Clear selection | Remove every selected spot. |
| Spot checkbox | Include that location in the file. The count shows selected and available locations. |
| Continue | Open the export setup when at least one spot is selected. |
Spots with Missing map pin cannot be selected. Add a valid location in Spots first. A location at exactly zero latitude and zero longitude is treated as an unset pin. No map pins to export means no spot is currently eligible. No matching spots means the search has no results.
A spot's chapter appears below its name. Outside chapters means it has no chapter membership. A spot in more than one chapter uses the first chapter in the guide's chapter order.
Export setup
Edit selection returns to your spots and keeps the export settings. Under Create your video in, choose the application you plan to use:
| Application | File contents |
|---|---|
| Google Earth Studio | A map overlay with the selected pins and country layers. You create the camera animation in Earth Studio. |
| Google Earth Pro | The same locations plus a playable tour that moves from the globe down to the destination. |
Zoom destination offers All selected spots or one of the selected spots. All selected spots remain in the file regardless of this choice. The overview fits the selection; an individual destination provides a closer view. Destination coordinates gives latitude, then longitude. Use these coordinates to set up your camera in Studio. Pro stores the destination in its tour.
Export settings
Open this dropdown to adjust the file. These choices affect only the export.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Show pins | Show or hide the colored location markers. Starts on. |
| Show labels | Show or hide names beside the locations. Starts off and works independently of the pins. |
| Spot names | Numbers replaces titles with numbered names such as #1. Spot titles uses the guide's actual titles. Numbering starts again for each selection. Titles are omitted from the file when Numbers is selected, even with labels hidden. |
| Chapter colors | Give chapters separate folders and pin colors. Starts on; unavailable when the selected spots have no chapters. Turning it off puts the spots together with one pin color. |
| Country outline | Draw white borders for the countries set in the guide's Properties. Starts on when outlines are available. It uses country borders, not provinces or cantons. |
| Dim nearby surroundings | Add a translucent dark layer around one country. Starts off. Only available for a compact country with a simple boundary away from the poles and date line. It does not cover the whole globe. |
| Zoom duration | In Pro, choose 5 seconds, 8 seconds or 12 seconds for the zoom. The tour also has a one-second opening and a two-second final hold. The default zoom is eight seconds. |
Country layers load separately. Download waits while a requested outline or dimming layer loads. You can turn these layers off to export the pins immediately. If loading fails, Retry outlines tries again and a message beside the download explains that the file will exclude the outline. When no countries are set, add them in Properties. If a country's outline is unavailable, the page names its country code. Pins can still be exported without country layers.
Your Earth setup summarizes Locations, Pins, Labels, Names, Country outline and Dim nearby surroundings. Visible and Hidden reflect the display switches. Unavailable means the layer cannot currently be included. Pro also shows Tour length, including the opening and final hold.
Download and make the video
Download KML creates a file with the guide name and a studio or pro suffix. File downloaded confirms the browser download was requested; look in your browser's downloads. The file includes coordinates even when pins and labels are hidden. Spot photos, descriptions and internal record IDs are not included.
After downloading shows the next steps for your chosen application:
- In Studio, choose File, New, Quick Start, then Zoom-To. Set the destination and camera framing. Import the KML through Overlays, then render the video. The KML supplies the overlay; it does not import a camera animation. Earth Studio instructions opens Google's Quick Start guide.
- In Pro, choose File, Open and select the KML. Expand the guide in Places and play its named zoom tour. Use Movie Maker to save the tour as video. Earth Pro instructions opens Google's tour guide.
You can adjust the imported layers and camera framing in Google Earth before creating the video.