Mastering Templater: Automate Dynamic Video Creation in After Effects
TutorialAdobe Creative Cloud•7,569 views•Jul 19, 2022
A comprehensive demo by Arie Stavchansky showcasing how Templater integrates data-driven workflows into Adobe After Effects for efficient video production.
Blurb
- Learn how Templater by Arie Stavchansky automates the process of creating multiple video variations in Adobe After Effects using data from spreadsheets, APIs, or files.
- See how to link dynamic text and footage layers to data sources like Google Sheets and preview changes live inside After Effects.
- Discover key features like spot checking frames for quick previews, full video rendering, and replicating compositions with merged data.
- Explore the Templater Bot that monitors data changes to trigger automated renders without manual intervention.
- Understand how the QUE dashboard manages jobs and campaigns, enabling seamless data flow from web forms (e.g., Typeform) into After Effects.
- Learn about integrating no-code automation tools like Zapier to funnel data into QUE and how developers can use QUE's API for custom workflows.
- See how outputs can be automatically uploaded to platforms like Frame.io for streamlined video distribution.
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Highlighted Clips
Introduction to Templater and Data Linking
Arie introduces Templater and demonstrates linking After Effects layers to Google Sheets data for dynamic content.
Mapping Text and Footage Layers to Data
Shows how to apply Templater settings to text and footage layers and preview data-driven changes inside After Effects.
Spot Checking and Rendering Outputs
Explains spot checking frames for quick still image previews and full rendering of video outputs based on data rows.
Replicating Compositions and Using Templater Bot
Demonstrates replicating After Effects projects with merged data and using the Templater Bot to automate rendering when data changes.
Introduction to Templater and Its Core Functionality
Arie Stavchansky opens by introducing Templater, an extension for Adobe After Effects designed to automate the process of creating multiple video variations by linking data sources directly to composition layers. He highlights the ability to preview data-driven changes live within After Effects, streamlining the creative workflow.
"With this extension, you can take data stored in a spreadsheet, a file or an API and pipe it directly into After Effects composition layers."
"With Templater, you can preview how that data looks directly within the comp-viewer inside of AE!"
Key points:
- Templater connects After Effects compositions to external data sources like spreadsheets or APIs.
- Live preview of data-driven changes inside After Effects.
- Automates exporting many variations of a master composition based on data.
Setting Up Data-Driven Layers in After Effects
Arie demonstrates a practical example using an animated Instagram post where text and image layers are dynamically linked to a Google Sheets spreadsheet. He explains how the first row in the spreadsheet corresponds to layer names, and subsequent rows represent different data sets for output variations.
"The text layers, the image layers, they're all connected to data."
"The rows below the first one are new versions of the dynamic compositions in that After Effects project."
He walks through creating a new composition and text layer, applying the Dataclay Templater settings effect, and linking the layer name to a spreadsheet column header to establish the data mapping.
Key points:
- Spreadsheet columns correspond to After Effects layer names.
- Rows represent different data entries for output variations.
- Applying the Templater settings effect and renaming layers to match spreadsheet headers is essential for mapping.
- Live previewing data rows within After Effects using Templater’s transport controls.
Mapping Footage Assets and Setting Footage Root Paths
Arie explains how footage assets (images or videos) can also be dynamically linked by setting a footage root path in Templater and mapping layers to spreadsheet columns containing relative file paths.
"The only thing that you have to make sure of is setting a footage root path here in the Templater panel."
"If I start to click advance again now I have not just the text layer but also this footage layer is now mapped to the data inside of the Google sheet."
Key points:
- Footage root path defines the base folder for linked assets.
- Spreadsheet entries can include subfolder paths relative to the footage root.
- Footage layers are renamed to match spreadsheet columns and assigned the Templater settings effect.
- Both text and footage layers update dynamically during preview.
Spot Checking Frames and Rendering Outputs
Arie introduces spot checking, a feature that lets users export still images from a specific frame marker in the composition for quick quality assurance of data-driven outputs.
"Spot checking allows you to determine a frame inside of your dynamic composition that you want exported as still images so that you can quickly render and preview how that data looks inside of the composition."
"It speeds up the quality assurance process of your data inside of your creative."
He then contrasts spot checking with full rendering, which exports video files for all data rows, respecting After Effects render settings and output modules.
Key points:
- Spot checking exports still images at a chosen frame marker for each data row.
- Rendering exports full video files for each data row.
- Render settings and output modules can be customized or loaded from Dataclay presets.
- Both processes iterate through the data rows specified in the transport.
Replicating Compositions into Separate After Effects Projects
Arie explains the replicate feature, which creates new After Effects project files for each data row with the data merged into layers, instead of exporting media files.
"Instead of outputting a movie file or a still image, it outputs another After Effects project file."
"You could use something like the AE render command line to render out the individual project files here that Templater was making."
This allows users to offload rendering to other tools like Adobe Media Encoder that can watch folders for new project files and render them in parallel.
Key points:
- Replicate outputs separate AEP files with data merged.
- Enables distributed rendering workflows using external tools.
- Useful for large batch renders or complex pipelines.
Automating Renders with Templater Bot
Arie introduces the Templater bot, which monitors the connected data source for changes in a "render status" column and automatically triggers renders when rows are marked "ready."
"Templater bot makes Templater monitor its connected data source for the render status value of any given row."
"You can control and create new video just by manipulating data and not having to worry about the After Effects application."
He demonstrates changing a row’s status to "ready" and watching Templater automatically process and render the corresponding video.
Key points:
- Bot watches for render status changes in data source.
- Automatically triggers rendering without manual intervention.
- Enables data-driven, automated video production workflows.
Integrating QUE for Job Management and Data Input
Arie introduces QUE, a web app for managing jobs (data entries) that Templater processes. Each job contains key-value pairs mapping to composition layers and their values.
"Each row here is what we call a job... it's got data that Templater will process into output in the actions column."
"The property keys as column headers in a spreadsheet and the orange data as the values."
He shows how to link a QUE campaign to Templater, allowing Templater to pull job data directly from QUE instead of a spreadsheet.
Key points:
- QUE acts as a centralized job queue for Templater.
- Jobs contain layer keys and corresponding data values.
- Campaigns group jobs for specific projects.
- Templater can connect directly to QUE campaigns for data retrieval.
Filtering and Previewing Specific Jobs in Templater
Arie demonstrates filtering jobs by ID within Templater’s transport panel, allowing users to preview or work with a single job instead of the entire dataset.
"You can effectively filter down for specific jobs when Templater retrieves them."
"Filtering is really great for when you're just building your template and you just want to see what data looks like."
He edits a job’s data live, saves it, and reloads to see immediate changes in the composition preview.
Key points:
- Job filtering by ID enables focused previewing.
- Useful during template development and testing.
- Live editing and saving of job data updates previews instantly.
Using Templater Bot with QUE to Automate Batch Renders
Arie shows how to mark multiple jobs in QUE as "ready," which the Templater bot detects and processes automatically, rendering multiple videos in sequence.
"Mark some of these to render statuses that I've done I'm going to set them to ready."
"Bot is reading that ready data and turning them into videos."
He tracks the status changes from "ready" to "queued" to "processing" and confirms the outputs are generated.
Key points:
- Batch job status updates in QUE trigger automated rendering.
- Bot manages render queue and status updates.
- Enables scalable, hands-off video production.
Collecting Data via Web Forms and Automating Workflow with Zapier
Arie demonstrates how data can be collected from a Typeform web form and automatically pushed into QUE using Zapier, a no-code automation tool.
"Typeform is one of many different vendors for allowing users to create web forms in a point and click manner."
"The way that we get the data from the web form into QUE is via something called Zapier."
He fills out a form with Instagram username, location, avatar, and image, submits it, and shows the data appearing in QUE and then reflected in After Effects via Templater.
Key points:
- No-code web forms collect user input data.
- Zapier automates data transfer from forms to QUE.
- Enables real-time, user-generated content workflows.
- Data flows seamlessly into Templater for rendering.
Developer Integration with QUE API
Arie briefly covers how developers can build custom applications that interact with QUE using its documented API endpoints, including authentication with API keys.
"You can certainly bring your own skills to write your own app that interfaces with QUE using its API endpoints."
"You would submit a post request to this URL and then submit along this payload data."
Key points:
- QUE provides REST API endpoints for job management.
- API key authentication is required.
- Enables custom integrations beyond Zapier and spreadsheets.
Final Example and Output Distribution with Frame.io
Arie submits a final example job via the web form and shows the rendered output files being automatically uploaded to Frame.io through another Zapier automation.
"I know that was a lot of info. Thanks for hanging in there and taking a look at our software."
"Zap that essentially watches QUE's data... sends that file to Frame IO."
He highlights how the entire pipeline—from data input, rendering, to asset distribution—can be automated.
Key points:
- Rendered videos can be automatically uploaded to video review platforms like Frame.io.
- Zapier can orchestrate multi-step workflows integrating QUE, After Effects, and cloud storage.
- Enables seamless collaboration and review processes.
Closing Remarks
Arie thanks viewers and encourages them to reach out via Dataclay’s support channels for help with Templater.
"If you have any questions, you can use our support channels at Dataclay.com to reach us so that we can help you accomplish your goals."
"I'm Ari Stavchansky and happy rendering. Take care."
This video thoroughly demonstrates how Templater transforms After Effects into a powerful data-driven video production tool, integrating with spreadsheets, APIs, job management systems like QUE, and automation platforms like Zapier to streamline and scale video creation workflows.
Key Questions
Templater is an After Effects extension that automates creating multiple video variations by linking composition layers to data from spreadsheets, APIs, or files, enabling dynamic and efficient video production.
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