Choose interactive HTML when viewers need to rotate, explore, or influence your particle scene. Choose MP4 when you need a recorded animation for a social post, video edit, or website section that does not require live interaction. A video preserves the visible motion you record—not the scene's ability to respond to each viewer.
The right export depends on three things: where the animation will appear, whether interaction is essential, and what file your recipient can actually use. This guide compares the two deliverables without assuming every Particleify scene has the same export options.
HTML vs MP4: a practical export choice
| Destination or brief | Choose | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| A website hero visitors can rotate or influence | HTML | Hosting, page integration, enabled controls, and mobile behavior |
| A particle animation uploaded as a social video | MP4 | The platform's current aspect-ratio, duration, and upload requirements |
| A clip for a video editor or presentation | MP4 | Framing, recorded motion, and playback in the destination application |
| A website background with no interactive purpose | MP4 can be sufficient | Video loading, playback policy, readability, and a fallback image |
| A client delivery that includes a live demo and a teaser clip | HTML and MP4 | A hosted scene or integration instructions, plus a separately tested video |
A website particle animation does not automatically need HTML. If visitors only need to watch a fixed sequence, video may answer the brief. Conversely, an MP4 preview is not a substitute for the interactive deliverable when the client expects working pointer or camera controls.
Choose HTML when the visitor's actions matter
A particle animation HTML export is a runnable web scene rather than a series of recorded frames. Particleify's Generator offers standalone HTML, and its interactive controls include automatic rotation, manual control, and pointer response. The behavior you need must be configured and checked in the exported result.
For example, a portfolio brief might ask visitors to inspect a particle object from different angles. Deliver HTML with the intended controls enabled, then test the hosted file. Recording one camera rotation as MP4 would show the object turning, but visitors could not choose their own angle.
The Particle Attractor scene makes the distinction especially clear: its resting letter or word can morph into another word on hover and return when the pointer leaves. HTML is the relevant deliverable if each visitor should trigger that change. Video can demonstrate the change, but it cannot react to a new viewer's hover.
Check the integration before handing it over
- Confirm the publishing route. Ask whether the recipient can host an HTML file or integrate an interactive scene into the intended site. A page builder's video-upload field is not an HTML deployment route.
- Test the hosted version. Inspect the exported file for any resource dependencies, then check the scene at its actual URL rather than relying only on the editor preview.
- Check the page around it. The scene should not obscure text, block navigation, or interfere with scrolling.
- Test without a mouse. Desktop hover is not a universal mobile interaction. Check what touch users see and whether the visual still communicates without the hover effect.
Standalone does not mean guaranteed offline operation, universal browser support, or automatic compatibility with every website builder. Treat those as delivery checks, not promises.
Choose MP4 when the audience only needs to watch
A particle animation MP4 contains the recorded visual sequence. It suits a social media particle video, a clip in a larger edit, or a presentation where the viewer does not need control over the scene.
Imagine a promotional clip showing a particle logo turning once before the final frame. MP4 gives the editor that fixed sequence. The audience sees the motion you captured; they cannot change the camera, particle settings, or pointer response.
Particleify's Generator describes in-browser MP4 recording up to 60 seconds. That is the Generator's stated recording limit, not a limit to assume for every scene or a recommendation for every social platform.
Check the video in its final context
- Choose the destination first. Check the platform or editor's current file requirements. If you need a different crop or aspect ratio, plan that framing before recording and finish it in your video workflow if necessary.
- Record a useful sequence. Keep the subject recognizable while it moves. If an interaction is central to the demonstration, check that it actually appears in the resulting clip.
- Review the exported MP4. Watch the beginning, middle, and end for unwanted pauses, clipping, or framing changes. Do not judge the export only by the live preview.
- Test the uploaded or edited version. Compression, cropping, and interface overlays can change how fine particles and small text read.
MP4 does not automatically create a seamless loop, a transparent-background asset, or a working interactive experience. Confirm any such requirement separately before promising it in a client handoff.
Check Particleify export access scene by scene
The current editor labels are more useful than a blanket claim that all exports are free:
- Generator: HTML export is marked Pro. Its FAQ says creating, customizing, and exporting MP4 videos is free.
- Nebula: the editor labels its options HTML · Pro and MP4 · Free.
- Stellar Flow: the editor labels video MP4 · Free and code Export code · Pro. Its code panel offers HTML and React options.
- Particle Attractor: the current editor shows Download HTML and MP4 · Free; its HTML button is not labeled Pro. Do not extend another scene's access label to this one.
Check your chosen editor and any checkout or usage terms before delivery. Export access, the right to use source artwork, and commercial-use terms are separate questions. For the broader workspace comparison, see Particleify's supported inputs, editable scenes, and export options.
A simple handoff checklist for websites and social posts
- Write down the required viewer action. “Watch a clip” points to MP4. “Rotate the object” or “trigger a hover change” points to HTML.
- Agree on the deliverable. Specify an MP4 file, a hosted interactive scene, or HTML with integration notes—not simply “the animation.”
- Test the actual destination. For HTML, check the target page and devices. For MP4, check the destination player or upload preview.
- Include a fallback where needed. For a website, consider a still image or simpler experience for visitors who cannot use the intended motion or interaction. Verify the site's handling of autoplay and reduced-motion preferences.
If you need both a website experience and a social teaser, create two deliverables from the same composition. Keep the visual identity consistent, but evaluate each export independently.
Frequently asked questions
Can an MP4 retain interactive particles?
No. It can show a recorded interaction, but it cannot respond to the viewer's pointer or let the viewer control the camera. Use a live scene when those actions are part of the brief.
Is HTML always better for a website?
No. HTML is useful when interaction matters and the site can support the integration. A recorded background or fixed motion sequence may be served as video instead. Neither format is automatically faster or more suitable on every device; test the actual asset.
Can I upload an HTML export as a social video?
HTML is not an MP4 video file. For a platform's video-upload workflow, export a video and verify its current upload requirements. If you want people to explore the scene, host it on a suitable website and share its link where the platform allows.
Export for the experience you want to deliver
Start with the destination, then decide whether the audience needs control. Use HTML for a live particle experience, MP4 for a recorded sequence, and both when your website and social post have different jobs.
Open the Particleify Generator for your own image or GLB composition, or choose an editable scene. Confirm its export options before you design the final handoff.