In this After Effects tutorial, we create a responsive box behind text using just the text layer itself. No shape layers are needed. Perfect for quick and easy social media caption overlays. Step 1: Add a Fill effect Add a Generate > Fill effect and choose your box color. Step 2: Add a Shift Channels effect Add a Channel > Shift Channels effect. Change ‘Take Alpha From’ to ‘Full On’. Step 3: Add a CC RepeTile effect Add a Stylize > CC RepeTile effect. Change all values to 40. This is the padding of your box so feel free to increase these values. Step 4: Add a CC Composite effect Add a Channel > CC Composite effect. This will make your original text visible again. Step 5: Add 2 Simple Choker effects For rounded corners add two Matte > Simple Choker effects. Use values of 15, and negative 15. These… read more
After Effects
Short tutorials, effects, and motion-graphics techniques for building professional animations in After Effects.
Creating 3D Text in After Effects – No Plugins In this article we’ll look at creating 3D text inside After Effects using a variety of techniques and approaches. Text Guide | Video Tutorials | Editable Templates Creating extruded 3D text in After Effects involves using its built-in 3D capabilities and may require some knowledge of the software. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you achieve this without the need for any third-party plugins. Step 1: Create a New Composition Open Adobe After Effects on your computer and create a new composition by clicking on Composition > New Composition. Under Basic, set your preferred composition settings, including resolution, duration, and frame rate. Before you close this dialogue box, under 3D Renderer, choose Cinema 4D. This will enable 3D extrusions and environments. Step 2: Create a 3D Text Layer Click on the “T” icon in the toolbar to create a text layer…. read more
Replacing a sky in After Effects is a powerful and creative technique that can completely transform the mood and atmosphere of your videos. Whether you want to replace a dull sky with a beautiful sunset or create a fantasy world in your footage, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it: Step 1: Prepare Your Footage Before you start, make sure you have your footage and the replacement sky ready. Your replacement sky should ideally have a similar lighting and perspective to the original sky for a more realistic result. If you’re shooting your own sky footage, ensure the lighting and angles match. Step 2: Import Your Footage Step 3: Create a Composition Step 4: Add the Replacement Sky Step 5: Arrange Layers Step 6: Rotoscoping (if necessary) If your original footage includes subjects like people or objects that overlap with the sky, you may need to use the… read more
A quick After Effects basics video tutorial showing how to export video with a transparent background (alpha channel). Please note that not all video codecs support alpha channels. In this example we are exporting in Quicktime MOV format which is an uncompressed file type. Compressed video formats such as MP4 do not support transparency. Using video with transparency, often referred to as an alpha channel, offers a wide range of creative and practical possibilities in various contexts. One primary use is within video editing and compositing, where transparent areas allow for seamless integration of video elements onto different backgrounds. This is invaluable in film production, advertising, and visual effects, as it enables the superimposition of characters, objects and effects (VFX) onto new scenes. How to Export Transparent Video from After Effects Here’s a list of instructions for exporting video with transparency from Adobe After Effects: You can check to see… read more
Sometimes you only want to show part of your footage, revealing the underlying layer or transparency, or to mask off specific areas. Here’s a short After Effects basics video tutorial showing two ways to crop footage (or image) layers. Cropping Footage Using a Layer Mask Cropping Footage Using the Linear Wipe effect For a free trial of Adobe After Effects use the link below. For more handy After Effects tips and templates subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Introduction Adobe After Effects is a powerful software that allows you to create stunning motion graphics, visual effects, and animations. However, for many, harnessing its full potential can be a daunting task. That’s where Adobe After Effects templates come into play. These pre-made project files simplify the creative process, enabling users to produce professional-quality videos with ease. In exciting news, Adobe has expanded its offerings by integrating After Effects templates into the Adobe Stock library. In this blog post, we’ll dive into what After Effects templates are, how to use them, and explore the benefits of their inclusion in Adobe Stock. What Are Adobe After Effects Templates? Adobe After Effects templates are pre-designed project files that can be customized to suit your specific needs. They are essentially pre-built compositions with placeholders for various elements like text, images, videos, and effects. These templates can range from simple text animations to complex… read more
In this Adobe After Effects tutorial, Avnish Parker guides us through the process of creating a captivating Flipped Text Animation. We’ve taken the time to list out the instructions in text format. So, let’s dive in and make your text come to life! Setting the Stage Creating the Background 3. Add a new solid layer and name it “background.” Adjust its size and choose your preferred background color. In this case, we’ve gone with a stylish dark grey. Working with Text 4. Select the text tool from the toolbox. The chosen font here is Bebas Neue. Animating the Text 10. Open the rotation by pressing ‘R’ on your keyboard. Adding Bounce Effect 15. Open the scale and unlink proportion scaling by clicking on the link icon. Fine-tuning and Motion Blur 22. Return to the main timeline and enable motion blur for the text layer. Duplication and Final Touches 24. Duplicate… read more
Want to make confetti cannon video effects? Wondering how to add confetti explosion overlays onto video? Well, if you have Adobe After Effects look no further! We’ve got three simple video tutorials which will have you emitting colorful particles in minutes. These short video guides explain how to create amazing confetti particles using both the built-in CC Particle World effect, and the additional (but highly recommended) Trapcode Particular plugin from Maxon. So, if you need to add a celebration effect to your event promotion, product launch or milestone achievement video, fire up After Effects and follow these handy tips. How to make a confetti cannon – no plugins In this short video tutorial Joe, from Goatman Arts, explains how to create a confetti cannon in After Effects using the built-in CC Particle World effect. Joe adjusts the Particle World physics and emitter settings to produce a confetti explosion with falling… read more
Learn After Effects Today, For Free! 15 Essential After Effects Tutorials for Beginners Want to pick up Adobe After Effects basics quickly? There’s no better way of learning a new piece of software than by sitting back and watching some video tutorials from pro users revealing their secrets! So, grab a coffee and a notepad and get ready to learn something new with our list of the best basic After Effects tutorials! Try After Effects for Free Use the link below to access a trial version of Adobe’s incredible motion graphics software. What is Adobe After Effects? Want to know what After Effects is? Brian Maffet from Total Training gives us a short intro, explaining why it’s an essential software tool for video creators. He touches on its flexibility to offer simple-to-use non-destructive color correction, video compositing and motion graphics whilst maintaining the high level of fine-tuning required by broadcast… read more
Have You Tried Adobe Fresco yet? Fresco is a digital painting app from Adobe, specifically for tablets. It includes both pixel-based painting as well as vector drawing tools. We especially like the new Live Brushes which behave like real watercolor and oil, mixing and blending together as they would in the real world. In this short video workflow tutorial, Sydney-based motion designer and illustrator Ben Marriott shows us how he animates simple, painted elements created in Fresco using an onion-skinning technique. To start with he sketches the outline of his frames using the pencil tool, then creates each painted animation frame on a separate layer, exporting the layered file as a PSD, from Adobe Fresco. Use After Effects to quickly sequence animation frames After importing the layers into After Effects he then trims them to one frame each and sequences the layers across the Timeline. To complete the hand-drawn look… read more
Creating cool animations in After Effects is often really quite straightforward, but to make things even easier you’ll want to be using these handy tips and expressions. We’ve spent years creating motion graphics and animated sequences, so we thought we’d share our go-to, time-saving pointers – the shortcuts we use all the time! Included in this list : → Handy Tips for After Effects – general hints, tips and pointers for making life easier! → Useful After Effects Expressions – exciting code snippets to automate and elevate your animations! → Essential AE Keyboard Shortcuts – memorize these simple keystrokes to speed up your workflow! Try After Effects for Free Use the link below to access a trial version of Adobe’s incredible motion graphics software. Handy Tips for After Effects Let’s start with some general After Effects hints and tips, from project organization to quick effects. These pointers should become natural… read more
A beginner’s guide to making YouTube intros without spending any money! Making your YouTube channel look fantastic starts with the branding. Let’s look at YouTube intro templates. You’ve just got a groovy new YouTube channel up and running, or could do with some new awesome branding on an existing channel – how about a cool, animated logo intro to top and tail your videos? A professional looking video intro does wonders for your channel’s credibility. Often because people often make snap judgements on your content within the first few seconds of a video. A poorly made intro sequence can cause viewers to assume the rest of the video will be second-rate, even if your video production is first-class. So, how do you create professional looking YouTube intros with little, to no experience with animation software? And, also, how can you do this for free? Contents: Creating intro sequences using Adobe… read more
Grab these awesome free video templates for After Effects We’ve picked out a variety of amazing free projects including simple logo reveals, beautiful photo slideshows, corporate promotions and kinetic text – all in glorious high definition. So, if you’re in a pinch and need a bespoke video sequence, pronto! – save our list of 10 totally free After Effects templates. For personal and commercial use these projects work like magic, without needing any extra plugins, and will even open in older versions of After Effects (CS5 or later). Got After Effects? You can download a free trial version of Adobe After Effects from the link below. 1. High Voltage Logo Reveals We kick off our list of free After Effects templates with not one, but a pack of three high-tech logo reveals. Easy to use and of professional quality this template pack is sure to give your brand some… read more
Let’s Create some animated text in Adobe After Effects! After Effects is universally accepted as the best software for motion graphics, and absolutely excels at animating text, though for the After Effects beginner its interface and multiple panels and settings can seem a little daunting. Fear not, help is at hand! With these handy, step-by-step After Effect tutorials you’ll learn how to add unique animation to your text in a matter of minutes! These short video tutorials are especially for beginners and utilize only the built-in After effects tools – explaining each process in detail. They cover glitch effects, wiggling text and hand drawn text techniques. Recorded in AE CC2018 these methods will work in all previous (or later) versions of After Effects. Try After Effects for Free Use the link below to access a trial version of Adobe’s incredible motion graphics software. How to Create Glitchy Text in After… read more
Let’s get all Festive! Get a head-start with your corporate Christmas campaign video or personal festive messaging with these two free animations from Enchanted Media! Christmas Tree Lights Message – Free Animation This animation is perfect if you want an instant Christmas greetings video message for your friends or customers. The Christmas tree particle effects are simply stunning and the choice of colors and lighting effects are about as festive as you can get! Download the un-watermarked file for free from the Enchanted Media website here. There’s also an editable version of this for After Effects – Christmas Tree Lights Intro Template for After Effects Christmas Glass Snowflakes Loop – Free Animation If you’re unsure what your festive greetings message is going to be why not use this Christmas snowflake background to inspire you! It’s loop-ready which means you can place it back-to-back for seamless looping of any duration. Great… read more
Editable animations inside Premiere Pro – get excited about Motion Graphics Templates! Have you heard of Motion Graphics Templates (MOGRTS)? Well, if you’re a video editor then things have just got very exciting inside Premiere Pro! Finally you can edit animations, created in Adobe After Effects, directly inside Premiere Pro – and you don’t even need to have After Effects installed on your machine! Perhaps you’re a devoted Premiere user and After Effects seems a little daunting, even with the profusion of easy-to-edit templates out there. Or, you’re simply fed up of switching between the two applications when creating your graphics-laden video productions. This is where Motion Graphics Templates (.mogrt) come into play. Updated for 2025:The workflow for MOGRTs has evolved. For a full, up-to-date guide on installing and editing templates in the latest version of Premiere Pro, visit our Ultimate MOGRT Guide. What are the benefits of Motion Graphics… read more
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