Create with After Effects Intro Templates
Creating a great intro for your video will help engage your audience and ensure they keep watching until the end. This metric has become increasingly critical on platforms like YouTube, where your Audience Retention score–the average percentage of the video that people watch–can have a big impact on the overall visibility of your video content on the platform.
An After Effects intro video template, will not only help to speed up the production of your video, as you don’t have to build your opener from scratch, it will also ensure consistency and a professional look and feel across your video projects.
If you’re looking for an After Effects opener template, browse our selection and head to Envato Elements, where you’ll find thousands of After Effects templates in one creative subscription. Or learn more about using After Effects Templates.
What Are Intro Templates?
Experienced filmmakers know all too well that a video opener is make or break. These first few seconds are essential for setting the scene, creating a mood, and grabbing the audience’s attention. After Effects intro templates are pre-designed, fully customizable opening scenes, designed by professional video creators to do all that and more.
After Effects opener templates often include a selection of video footage, text, music tracks, sound effects, and graphics. All you need to do is hit download and customize with your brand’s colors, fonts, and logo. Once you start editing your opener template in After Effects, you can add your own footage and replace text and sound so the project becomes completely unique.
Benefits of Intro Templates
Save time
Open with impact in one effortless take, by using a professionally-crafted, fully customizable intro template.
Grab attention
Capture your viewer’s attention with a professional template that will turn heads—and keep them there.
Tell a story
Your intro should tell a story quickly and concisely so viewers have an understanding of what’s to come.
Set the tone
Use your opener to set the tone and introduce the emotions that will be evoked from the video.
Customizable
Nail all your briefs with the ability to personalize and tailor each intro to your exact needs.
Varied
From distorted glitch to kinetic typography, and everything in between, there’s a of template to capture any vibe.
Who Uses Intro Templates?
From absolute beginners to distinguished professionals, After Effects intro templates are used by a broad range of creators.
Whether it’s to present a polished and consistent opening, learn a new skill, or speed up a workflow, After Effects intro templates offer something for creators of all skill levels.
For YouTubers creating video content, intros act as a hook and are critical for establishing brand recall and trust, keeping users engaged, and increasing watch time. For businesses, intros are often used as a product or service explainer to portray their offering and benefits in a succinct and engaging way. They also set the tone for the brand and any future content.
Importantly, intros and outro templates should align and bring visual consistency to your video and brand overall.
Trending Intro Templates
Discover some of the most popular styles for TV and movie openers.
This intro is bang on trend, featuring fast typography to keep your viewers engaged up front. Perfect for the fashion crowd as a way of announcing a new collection or virtual catwalk.
Another stomp sensation featuring a snappy soundtrack to get your audience in the mood. With abstract graphics, this opener template could be suitable for various energetic projects.
This intro template features two big trends in video right now – fast typography and glitch. The graphics are clean and minimal so you can use background footage to set the scene.
How to Make an Intro in After Effects
If you want to grab your viewers’ attention in the first few seconds of your video, using After Effects video editing software to create a powerful video opener is a good place to start. You may not have the basics of After Effects nailed yet, in which case we suggest you try our After Effects for Beginners course, which includes a lesson on how to Make an After Effects intro. Or, when you’re ready to get stuck in and you want to speed ahead, take a shortcut with an Adobe After Effects intro template.
In this video, Envato Tuts+ instructor Dave Bode will show you how to edit an intro template in After Effects. Whether you need a bold and colorful opener for a Story, or a corporate intro with subtle animation, create a stunning intro to give your video a great start.
How to Make an Intro for Your YouTube Channel
A killer video opener is the best way to introduce your YouTube content and represent your brand. If you need to know how to make an intro for a YouTube channel, we’ve got you covered:
- Include your channel name and logo, as well as an indication of what your content is about.
- Keep it short – 10 seconds or less is ideal; you shouldn’t need more than that to make a good first impression.
- Combine your YouTube intro with a distinctive sound or jingle to identify your brand.
- Place the intro in the first minute of your video so it doesn’t break up the rest of your content.
For more YouTube tips and tricks, explore our complete guide to YouTube.
After Effects Intro Collections
Searching for first-class templates? Turn to our top intro collections to browse the best After Effects templates.
Need a captivating video intro for your company? We’ve put together a list of 30+ modern, high-energy templates that make for an unforgettable entrance.
From clean and minimal to urban grit, browse our top picks for aesthetic intro templates that’ll give you the punch and professionalism of the experts.
Cinematic, vibrant, and stacked with dramatic transitions, these are the top 10 anime templates for intros, openers, and trailers in After Effects.
Intro Template FAQs
How do I use After Effects intro templates?
After Effects intro templates can be used to save time, reduce stress and streamline your workflow. By downloading a pre-made project file, designed by an expert video creator, you can drop in your own footage and branding, and customize the template within minutes.
How do I edit After Effects intro templates?
Once you’ve opened your intro template in After Effects, you can use the Timeline and Text panels to edit any text, fonts, colors, timings, transitions, and sound in your project. To learn how to edit in After Effects from the ground up, check out our complete guide to Adobe After Effects on Envato Tuts+, which will teach you how to set up a project, create animations, and more.
How do I open After Effects intro templates?
There are several ways to open an intro template in After Effects. The first option is to simply double-click on your downloaded template file or right-click and hit Open in After Effects. Either of these options will open your template as a standalone project.
To add an intro template to an existing project, you can drag and drop the template file into the After Effects Project Panel (located on the left-hand side of the program). Alternatively, you can double click on any part of the Project Panel that’s empty to bring up the Import menu. Within this menu, you can click File> Import… and select your file. The shortcut for this option is Command + I on Mac and Ctrl + I on PC.
More After Effects Templates
From product imagery and presentations to preserving precious memories, a slideshow video template is a great way to create a simple and stunning video.
Attention-grabbing title animations can help your video content stand out. Start creating content that instantly connects with these After Effects title templates.
If you want to create an attractive animated logo reveal template or logo sting you don’t need to be a motion design expert. Just grab one of these logo templates!
Lower thirds can make or break a video. The graphic overlays at the bottom of your content help introduce essential details without disrupting the story.
From swipe and type text effects to fade on and stomp animation, learn how to animate text in any video with our favorite motion graphics text templates for After Effects.
Stories have become an integral part of the Instagram experience, and if you want to create social media video that matters, you’ll need a library of Instagram Story templates.
Used With Intro Templates
An effective intro video contains several key ingredients to deliver your messaging concisely and with impact.
When creating your opener, it’s also important to consider your closing shots. Aligning your intro and outro is important for maintaining consistency.
Reinforcing your brand is one of the primary objectives of your intro, so you’ll want to include your logo or ident to make your brand easily recognizable.
How do you capture the attention of your audience instantly? An impactful sound effect. Capture a mood or intensity in a matter of seconds.
Music tracks are essentially the hook for your video. If you use the same melody for your intros (and outros), it can also become part of your brand.
Choosing the right typography for your intro template is key. Experiment with various fonts and typefaces to capture different moods based on your content.
A polished intro can make or break your video, so high-quality graphics are critical. Use graphics that are professional and represent your brand.
Alternative Intro Templates
If After Effects isn’t your go-to software, explore video templates for DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, Apple Motion, and Final Cut.
Get set for a powerful start with these Premiere Pro intro templates. Introducing your next video has never been easier.
The best DaVinci Resolve templates make an impression, with kinetic typography, glitch effects, and ultra-smooth transitions in the mix.
Make the ultimate first impression with this list of intro templates for Final Cut Pro. Spoiler alert—clean and energetic styles top the list.
Create an opener that counts with our library of Apple Motion intro templates. Unlimited downloads means you can try them all!
Why Video Creators Love Envato Elements
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