Customizing templates: adding media to After Effects templates

Templates in After Effects are built using pre-compositions (comps) that act as placeholders for your media and text. Here’s how to replace those placeholders with your own photos, videos, and titles.

How to add images or videos

1. Open the Project Panel.
2. In the Project window, look for a folder labeled something like Edit, Media, Images, or Placeholders.
3. Inside, you’ll see pre-compositions named Media 1, Media 2, Media 3, etc. These correspond to the order that media appears in the final video.

4. Right-click in the Project panel and select Import > File, or double-click an empty area of the panel.
5. Select your images and/or videos from your computer.
6. Double-click on Media 1 (or similarly named comp, e.g. Scene 01, Placeholder 01). This opens the placeholder timeline where you’ll insert your media.
7. Drag your chosen image or video into the composition timeline.
8. Make sure it sits above or in place of the existing placeholder layer.
9. If needed, hide or delete the original placeholder layer.
10. Resize or Reposition Your Media
    To resize: Select the media layer, then press S for Scale, or hold Shift and drag a corner handle in the preview window. 
    To reposition: Press V to use the Selection Tool and move the layer. Hold Shift to constrain movement to one direction.
11. Return to the main render composition (often found in a folder called Final or Render).
12. Double-click to open it and preview how your media appears in the final sequence.

💡 Pro Tip: Place all your media in a folder beforehand to make importing quicker.

Note: Composition names may vary—some may be labeled Scene, Image, or Shot instead of Media.

How to add & edit text

1. In the Project panel, look for a folder named Text, Titles, or similar.
2. Each comp inside (e.g. Text 1, Title 01) represents one piece of on-screen text.
3. Double-click on Text 1 to open it in the timeline.
4. Double-click on the text layer in the timeline or directly on the text in the preview window.
5. Type your new text (e.g. your title or caption).
6. With the text layer selected, open the Character panel (or use the Effect Controls panel) to adjust the font, size, alignment, and color.
7. Return to the main composition to see your updated text in context.

Note: Some text comps include multiple layers (e.g. 01. Text A, 01. Text B). These may represent different parts of a sentence or title.

How to adjust template colors

1. Go to the Final or Render composition.
2. In the timeline, look for a layer named something like Controls, Color Controls, or Adjustment.
3. Click on the layer to highlight it.
4. If you don’t see the Effect Controls panel, press F3 to open it.
5. In the Effect Controls panel, you’ll see sliders and color pickers labeled (e.g. Background Color, Accent Color, CC Opacity).
6. Modify these values to change colors across the entire template.
7. Watch how each setting affects the visual look of the project. For example, setting CC Opacity to 0.00 will turn off color correction entirely.

Note: Color control options vary by template. Some offer full customization, while others are more limited.

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