All about After Effects templates and how to use them
Using After Effects templates is one of the easiest ways to speed up your editing workflow and unlock motion design skills without spending years learning advanced animation. Templates let you drop your footage, text, or branding specifications into pre-built animations. This saves time and keeps your work looking polished. Many editors rely on templates to build intros, titles, slideshows, logo reveals, lower thirds and motion graphics that would take hours to create from scratch.
Once you understand how to download and customize them, templates become one of the most powerful tools in your creative process. This tutorial walks through what After Effects templates are, how they work, the difference between AEP files and MOGRT files, how both formats fit into your workflow, and how to customize templates using real examples.
Table of contents
What are After Effects templates?
After Effects templates are pre-made projects created by professional motion designers. Inside each template you will usually find text placeholders, color controls, pre-built animations, and comp structures that help you drop in your own content like footage or still images.
These projects function like ready-to-edit blueprints. All you have to do is download the template, open the project, replace the placeholder content, adjust the settings, and then render out the results for your own customized video!
The benefits of using templates in After Effects
Using After Effects templates gives editors a fast way to incorporate complex effects without building them by hand. You can use templates for transitions, lower thirds, openers, social media packages, typography animations, and almost any other motion graphic.
Templates help you stay focused on the message and the pace of the video while taking care of the heavy lifting happening behind the scenes.
Template type 1: AEP files
Most templates come in two formats. The first format is the standard AEP file, which opens directly inside After Effects.
When you open an AEP template, you gain full access to all the pre-comps, layers, effects, and structure that the designer created. You can change timing, modify colors, swap graphics, and even rebuild elements from the ground up if you want full control. The file structure will look similar to the image seen above.
The full version of the template can be viewed and navigated from the Final Comp (as seen above), it consists of folders and comps that you open up and customize on your timeline.
Template type 2: MOGRT files
The second format for AE templates is the MOGRT file. MOGRT stands for Motion Graphics Template. These files are built either inside After Effects or Premiere Pro, then exported into a single compact template file.
You can open MOGRTs in the Essential Graphics panel.
MOGRTs are a good fit for editors who want quick customization without needing to create original animations within After Effects. The simple explanation is that these are AE templates built for Premiere Pro editors.
They save editors time and also allow beginners to create videos and projects that feel more experienced and professional. Once imported, MOGRTs allow you to edit text, swap colors, insert logos, and adjust timing without having to create a bunch of layers and new compositions.
How to use After Effects templates
Using After Effects templates usually follows the same basic structure that makes them easy to work with. You download the file, import it into After Effects, and customize the placeholders.
Trust me, when I started my After Effects journey, I was totally lost when it came to opening and using After Effects templates. But they really are simple to use once you get the hang of it. The details change depending on the template type, so I’ll walk you through two different examples of real templates and how they work inside After Effects.
Working with AEP templates
Message titles animation template
One example is this Message Titles animation template from the Storyblocks library, which lets you easily add animated text speech bubbles into a video.
This template includes animated text cards that slide into frame like a text on your phone would pop up.
When you download the file, you will receive an AEP project. Opening the project reveals a folder structure that includes a main composition, a text comp, and a render comp.
The first step is opening the text comp. Inside this comp, you can replace the placeholder text with your own words.
After that, you can adjust color controls inside the main composition. Many designers include a dedicated color controller that updates the entire animation at once.
This space also allows you to tweak individual elements like the size of the text box, the roundness, the scale, etc. This keeps your workflow clean and predictable.
Once the text and colors look right, you open the final render comp and preview everything together. After checking timing and alignment, you export your video. And it’s that simple!
Urban opener slideshow template
Another example of an AEP template in the Storyblocks library is the Urban Opener Slideshow template.
This project features fast cuts, bold typography, and animated image placeholders. When you open this template, you will see multiple comps labeled for each slide. Inside each comp, you drop your photos or clips into the placeholders.
It helps to keep the original naming structure so you don’t lose track of anything. Many slideshow templates include built-in animation curves that respond automatically when you replace the images.
After replacing all the placeholder media, you can adjust global settings like background color, stroke color, and texture overlays. The final step is previewing the full opener and exporting it once the pacing feels right.
Most templates follow a similar structure. Designers of these templates want you to be able to open the project, replace content, adjust colors or timing, and export the results. Templates take care of motion, easing, masking, and effects so you can focus on the overall narrative of the motion graphic.
How to install a MOGRT File
Many creators use MOGRT files because they don’t require you to know After Effects super in-depth, plus these templates work inside Premiere Pro.
To install a MOGRT file, download the template and drag it into the Essential Graphics panel. You can also install it by clicking the Install Template button inside the panel.
After installing, drag the template onto your timeline. This opens up the editable fields where you can change the text, color, logo, and other settings.
Once placed on the timeline, the MOGRT acts like a standard graphic clip with built-in motion.
Why an After Effects template might not work properly
Sometimes After Effects templates don’t behave correctly when you open them. Most problems come from version mismatches, missing fonts, or missing plugins.
The version of After Effects the template is compatible with doesn’t match the version you have installed
If a template opens but looks broken, check the version number listed in the details on the template page and make sure it matches your version of After Effects. You might have to update your current version of After Effects to use the template.
Your template has missing fonts you need to install
If a template includes custom fonts, install them before opening the project or you will see missing font warnings. If the template uses third party plugins you do not have installed, certain effects may appear disabled or incorrect.
Your template is missing necessary files
Other issues come from render settings or missing media. Like any normal editing situation, make sure the project is saved to a local file or hard drive.
If a template uses placeholders that rely on image sequences or pre-rendered elements, make sure all assets remain in the same folder as the original project. After Effects needs to know where those files live. Keeping the template folder intact prevents missing media errors.
Can I use After Effects templates in Premiere Pro?
Unfortunately no, you cannot open After Effect project files directly in Premiere. While this would be great for editors who work inside both software, the file structure is fundamentally different.
You can, however, convert an After Effects project file (aka an AEP) into a MOGRT. This process allows editors to create fully customized motion graphics templates for Premiere workflows.
Let’s say you want to create a very customized After Effects template, like a lower third, that you’ll be using on a regular basis for a client, but you typically edit their videos in Premiere Pro. Speaking from my own experience, I was regularly editing videos for a client that needed constant new names for lower thirds.
That meant I had to consistently be updating the lower third file inside After Effects, including the individual graphic elements like moving lines and color blocks to fit whatever name I was using. Then I needed to export my After Effects template into Premiere Pro as a MOGRT so I could stay in Premiere while editing and keep from switching programs every other hour. So this process of converting an AE graphic into a MOGRT was lifesaving.
Types of templates for After Effects
Now that you know what templates for After Effects are and how to use them, we can talk about the variety of flavors they come in. It’s important to know that no two templates are the same. Our library has over 14,000 different kinds of templates for AE across 10 different categories. Here are a few examples to give you a taste.
Titles and typography
From lower thirds to video titles and more, you can find all kinds of different text-based templates for AE in our library. Just update the template to the copy you want to use, choose your colors, and you’ve got a sleek looking addition to your video ready to go.
Logo animations
If you’re a small business, brand, or organization looking to add a little flair to your videos with an animation for your logo, these pre-made templates make it simple.
Transitions and effects
Find hand-drawn animated transitions and all kinds of different effects in our library to take your videos to the next level, from light leaks to zooms.
Social media
Add polish and energy to your social media posts with these pre-made templates for every kind of channel.
It has never been so easy to create professional looking animations in a matter of minutes. The possibilities really are endless with the templates in our library. Head on over and sign up for Storyblocks today to get unlimited downloads of over 6 million royalty free stock assets including 4K and HD footage, video templates, music, images, and more.
Explore thousands of pre-made After Effects templates
Templates keep your workflow fast and consistent. They also open the door to complex animations without the need to learn everything by hand. Once you understand how templates work, you can mix them with your own design skills to develop a style that fits your videos.
Storyblocks offers thousands of professionally made, customizable templates along with more than six million royalty free stock assets. Their subscription plans also include tools to help you work faster and stay flexible across projects, like their plugin for After Effects and their AI Toolkit.
Ready to speed up your workflow? Start exploring their library of ready made templates and sign up to get unlimited downloads today.
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