📌 Introduction
Adobe After Effects is the industry standard for creating stunning motion graphics and visual effects.
Designing templates in After Effects allows you to build reusable, customizable projects for yourself or others—perfect for YouTube videos, social media posts, commercial ads, and more.
In this guide, I’ll take you through every major step you need to design a professional After Effects template, from blank project to final export.
🛠️ 1. Setting Up Your Project
🔹 Open After Effects
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Launch the latest version for maximum compatibility.
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Use an organized folder structure:
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📁 Footage
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📁 Audio
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📁 Compositions
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📁 Pre-renders
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📁 Assets
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🔹 Create a New Project
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File > New > New Project
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Save your project immediately: File > Save As (e.g., TemplateName_Project.aep)
🏗️ 2. Plan Your Template Design
Before you start designing:
✅ Define the Purpose: (e.g., Instagram story, YouTube intro, explainer video)
✅ Choose the Resolution: (e.g., 1920x1080 for Full HD, 1080x1920 for vertical)
✅ Decide the Duration: (e.g., 15s, 30s)
✅ Sketch a Storyboard or Layout Plan
🧠 Planning saves massive time during production.
🎬 3. Create Your Main Composition
🔹 Create a New Composition
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Composition > New Composition
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Set:
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Name (e.g., MainComp)
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Resolution (Full HD: 1920x1080)
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Frame Rate (usually 30fps or 60fps)
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Duration (set according to project needs)
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🔹 Create Placeholder Layers
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Text Layers for Titles, Subtitles
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Shape Layers for Backgrounds, Buttons, Frames
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Null Objects for Controls if needed
🎨 4. Design the Visual Elements
🔹 Design Text Layers
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Add Text Layers: Title, Subtitle, Call to Action
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Use clean fonts like Montserrat, Roboto, Poppins
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Animate text using Text Animators or keyframes (e.g., opacity, position)
🔹 Create Shape Animations
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Use Shape Layers to create bars, circles, frames
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Add Trim Paths, Stroke Animation, or Morphing Effects
🔹 Insert Image/Video Placeholders
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Use Solid Color Layers or Placeholder Layers
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Pre-compose if necessary: Right Click > Pre-Compose
⚙️ 5. Make It Customizable with Essential Graphics Panel
If you want users to edit the template easily (like in Premiere Pro):
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Window > Essential Graphics
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Select your Main Comp
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Drag properties (like text, color, size) into the panel
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Add comments/instructions (e.g., "Edit Text Here")
🔥 This makes your template flexible without needing After Effects deep editing.
🌀 6. Add Animation and Effects
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Animate properties with Keyframes: Scale, Position, Rotation, Opacity
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Use Easing for smooth animation:
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Right-click keyframe → Keyframe Assistant → Easy Ease (F9)
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Use Effects:
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Glow
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Motion Blur
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Gaussian Blur for depth
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Drop Shadow for separation
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🎯 Keep animations smooth, around 0.3–0.5 seconds transitions for a professional feel.
🎛️ 7. Add Controllers (Optional for Advanced Templates)
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Add Null Object: Layer > New > Null Object
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Rename it "Controls"
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Add Slider Controls, Color Controls, or Angle Controls from Effects & Presets panel
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Parent important layers to these controls for easy customization
Example:
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Control Text Size
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Control Background Color
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Control Animation Speed
📂 8. Organize the Project for Easy Use
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Color-label important layers: Right-click > Label > Choose Color
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Pre-compose complicated layers: Select layers > Ctrl+Shift+C
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Name everything clearly:
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Text_Main
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BG_Shape
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Logo_Holder
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🎯 Rule: Anyone opening your project should instantly understand your structure.
📈 9. Final Checks Before Export
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Review the project for missing assets or broken links
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Preview full animation: Spacebar
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Check Essential Graphics settings
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Save a backup copy
📤 10. Exporting Your Template
🔹 For .aep Template Files:
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Save as: "TemplateName_Final.aep"
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Zip your assets together
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Upload to marketplace (like Envato Elements, Motion Array) or personal website
🔹 For MOGRT files (Premiere Pro Users):
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File > Export > Motion Graphics Template
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Select options for essential graphics
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Save your .mogrt file
🌟 Pro Tips for Creating Sellable Templates
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🎨 Keep colors editable
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🛠️ Use minimum external plugins (to avoid errors)
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🔥 Optimize for fast rendering
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🖋️ Add a Help.txt file inside the package with basic instructions
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🧹 Keep the design clean and modern
🧩 Bonus: 5 Template Ideas You Can Create
| Template Type | Idea |
|---|---|
| 🎬 Intro Templates | YouTube, Gaming, Education |
| 📸 Slideshow Templates | Photo Album, Wedding Recap |
| 📈 Infographic Templates | Data presentation for business |
| 🎥 Titles Pack | Lower Thirds, Headlines |
| 📱 Social Media Stories | Instagram, TikTok, Facebook posts |
🎯 Final Thoughts
Template designing in Adobe After Effects is both an art and a skill.
The better you plan, structure, and simplify your templates, the more professional, sellable, and usable they become. 🚀
Start small, improve with every project, and soon you’ll be building top-tier templates loved by video creators everywhere!
