When starting to edit a video project, whether that be a feature film or a short video for your social channels, there are so many decisions to be made. You have to decide which video editing software you’re going to use, when to cut, what sound effects to add, and what type of graphics and assets to use.
To decide on the right graphics and assets to use in your videos, there can be some common misconceptions about how to add these elements. There are many reasons to choose one over the other. If you’re stumped about whether video templates or motion graphics would be right for your projects, let’s go over some helpful definitions and break down the main similarities and differences. (As an added bonus, we’ll give you some high-quality options of each from the Motion Array catalog — so read on!)
What are video templates?
To kick things off, let’s answer the question about “What are video templates?”. As far as simple definitions go, video templates are simple, ready-made assets that can be used by video editors as a starting point. These templates include pre-built animations, transitions, text layers, and visual effects, ready for customization.
When compared with your more traditional, labor-intensive motion graphics, video templates are easier to use and more beginner-friendly.
Just because video templates are easy to use, it doesn’t mean they also can’t be quite sophisticated and impressive elements to add to your videos. In fact, the opposite is often true, as you’ll find that video templates found here on Motion Array are created by some of the most talented motion graphic designers in the world.
The Motion Array After Effects Template catalog offers many types of sleek and sophisticated graphic packages for your videos. From bumpers for your social videos to smooth animations for your explainer videos to sleek graphics for your presentations or promos, these video templates are great options for all of your content.
With all that being said, video templates do require a little bit of editing knowledge, but even if you’re only familiar with the most basic settings in Adobe After Effects, you’ll be able to easily use these templates and make minor tweaks to them to customize them for whatever your needs may be.
Here are five Motion Array video templates that would be great options to consider using for your projects.
1. Brand Identity Reveal
2. Nostalgic Future
3. Fisheye Effects
4. Mindscape Logo Reveal
5. VHS Turbo Transitions
What are motion graphics?
Moving on to our next option, let’s take a look at motion graphics. If you’re asking yourself, “What are motion graphics?”, let’s go over some basics.
Motion graphics is a catch-all term used in the industry to cover any graphic designs used in film and video editing that have any sort of motion or animation to them. If you’ve ever watched sports on television and seen score bugs change, or if you’ve ever seen the logo for a brand fly across the screen in an infomercial, you’ve seen motion graphics in action.
Let’s explore how motion graphic assets, like the high-quality and helpful ones that you can find here in the Motion Array Stock Motion Graphics catalog, can be used for your videos.
Motion graphics are more sophisticated compared to video templates and require a bit more knowledge of how to work with motion design in your videos.
Still, make no mistake, Motion Array motion graphics are very easy to use. In fact, they’re all drag-and-drop stock motion graphics on transparent backgrounds. With some basic editing know-how, you’ll be able to integrate these motion graphic packages into your edits.
And, if you’re a bit more of an intermediate or advanced editor, you’ll be able to use them as launching points for further customizing them to be unique to your projects and needs.
To further help you with your projects, check out these different Motion Array motion graphics to use in your edits.
1. Pack Of Hand-Drawn Stickers
2. Pack Of 5 Gradient Stroke Transitions On Alpha
3. Pack Of 4 Scribbling Transitions On Alpha
4. Pack Of 30 Sketchy Speech Bubble Titles And Icons On Alpha
5. Amazing RETRO Transitions!
When to use a video template
Let’s now go over some examples of when to use a video template for your project. The biggest criterion to consider here really comes down to time available.
With enough time to watch some helpful YouTube tutorials, you can learn how to use or even create your own motion graphic designs. However, if you’re in a time pinch and looking to add some specific graphics or effects in your videos, these video templates are going to be your best bet.
With the old saying of “time is money” in mind, by the same token, if you’re working on a tight budget, these video templates can also help you keep your costs down as they will help you streamline your workflows and edit some sophisticated-looking videos as quickly as possible.
Video templates are also great because they’re templates, so they’re easy to use multiple times — something that can be very helpful if you’re editing lots of videos and deliverables for a client on a tight budget and timeline.
Plus, if you consider yourself to be both a beginner in terms of video editing as well as graphic design, Motion Array video templates are designed for you by some of the best and most talented graphic designers in the industry.
Finally, perhaps the best reason to use video templates is because creating your own templates can be quite costly to make. With a Motion Array subscription, you’ll be saving yourself both time and money — two things video editors could always use more of these days.
When to use motion graphics
As you can see in the motion graphics shared above, these assets will be great options to consider using when you’re looking to elevate a hum-drum project to a higher level. When used in the right spots in your videos, and with the right creative eye, these motion graphics can help your content feel more professional and sophisticated.
By the same token, Motion Array motion graphics are designed by talented graphic designers and provide plenty of flair and offer complex visuals that can further spur your own creativity and inspiration.
Plus, as any seasoned video editor can tell you, adding high-quality motion graphics to your videos will always make your clients happy and lift the production value of your projects to that next level.
Which ones are right for your projects
At the end of the day, the decision as to whether to use video templates or motion graphics is up to you, but for many video editors the choice for quick, consistent, and straightforward content will be video templates, whereas those looking for more unique, complex, and engaging visuals for a specific message or brand will use motion graphics.
The best way to understand what you need is to explore the many different, high-quality examples of both video templates and motion graphics found here on Motion Array.
