After Effects isn’t the only Adobe Systems Incorporated software, you can use to create stunning motion graphics and animations anymore. Essential Graphics panel contains powerful tools designed to enrich your video content using motion graphics.
Update: Exploring the Future of Motion Graphics in 2023
In recent years, motion graphics have become an essential tool for content creators across various industries. While Adobe After Effects has long been the go-to software for creating stunning motion graphics, there are now a plethora of alternatives available, each with its own unique features and benefits. In this updated article, we will not only delve into the basics of motion graphics but also discuss the latest trends and topics surrounding this dynamic field.
One of the most significant advancements in motion graphics is the integration of responsive design. As the demand for mobile-friendly content continues to grow, motion graphics designers are now exploring ways to make their creations adapt to different devices and screen sizes. Through the use of the Essential Graphics Panel, artists can implement responsive design techniques, allowing their motion graphics to seamlessly adjust to various platforms.
Another emerging trend is the use of advanced software such as Maya and Nuke for creating high-quality motion graphics. These tools offer a wide range of features and capabilities that rival those of Adobe After Effects, making them popular choices among professionals in the industry. Additionally, Blender, with its Eevee engine, has gained traction as an efficient and cost-effective alternative, providing real-time rendering and seamless integration with other software like After Effects.
Furthermore, motion graphics are being used in a variety of contexts, including educational videos, product marketing, and promotional content. The versatility of motion graphics allows for engaging visual storytelling and effective communication of complex ideas. Lower thirds, intro and outro elements, and product demonstrations are just a few examples of how motion graphics can enhance video content and captivate audiences.
To source motion graphics elements, a multitude of platforms can be explored. MixKit, Motion Array, Adobe Stock, Envato Elements, Premium Beats, and Motion Elements offer a wide range of templates and assets that can be integrated seamlessly into projects. Depending on the level of customization and uniqueness desired, both free and paid options are available.
As the field of motion graphics continues to evolve, it is crucial for content creators to stay updated with the latest software, techniques, and trends. By embracing responsive design, exploring alternative software, and utilizing the vast array of motion graphics resources available, creators can elevate their content and deliver visually compelling narratives to their audiences.
Overall, the future of motion graphics in 2023 looks promising, with advancements in technology and innovative approaches pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved. As content creators continue to harness the power of motion graphics, we can expect to see even more visually stunning and impactful designs in the years to come.
What is Motion Graphics?
Motion Graphics or MoGraph for Adobe Premiere Pro is a panel within PP that let’s you create animated titles, texts, graphics, and more without having to switch to a more powerful video editing tool.
Working with MOGRT files in Premiere Pro
The complexity of your motion graphics will change depending on the project you’re working on, and being a timeline-based video editor, Premiere is not always the best option for rich and complicated MoGraphs. The best thing about Motion Graphics is that you can create them using After Effects, and export your design when you are finished. You’ll end up with a file named “.mogrt” which you can later import the motion graphics you created in Ae to Pp using this file.
Or even a MoGraph created in Premiere Pro can be later exported, edited in After Effects, exported again, and finally imported to Premiere Pro. It’s entirely interchangeable.
Importing MOGRT files into Premiere Pro
There are various ways to add MOGRT files you downloaded off the internet or created yourself in After Effects into Premiere Pro.
Use Essential Graphics Panel
If you’re dealing with only a few files, the easiest way to add them is to use Essential Graphics Panel.
- Make sure your Essential Graphics Panel is open.
- In the bottom right corner, there’s a little “Plus” icon that reads “Install Motion Graphics Template”. Click on that button.
- From the popup window, navigate to where your .mogrt file is. Click on Open, and your Motion Graphics Template will appear in your panel.
The problem with this method is, that it only allows you to add one file at a time. It’s a fast and easy solution when you don’t have a lot of templates to work with but could quickly become a hassle when you’re dealing with dozens of templates.
There’s a faster way to accomplish bigger tasks;
Move MOGRT templates directly into the directory
For any motion graphics template you created or downloaded, you need to install them to the root directory where Premiere Pro can find them.
Here are the paths you’ll need depending on OS:
- macOS: username/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Motion Graphics Templates/
- Windows: root://Users/username/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Common/Motion Graphics Templates/
Simply drag and drop or copy the template files into their respective folders, and your templates will appear in your project.
Motion Graphics Timeline in History
The history of motion graphics dates as back as the 18th century. Early versions of Mograph were paintings on glass plates with a person moving the plates by hand to generate motion.
However, with the advancement of computing power and better hardware, its popularity quickly picked up after 1980.
Motion Graphics Example
What other software is used to create motion graphics?
You aren’t only limited to Adobe Premiere Pro when creating motion graphics. There are many more alternatives, some better, some worse for the task.
Adobe After Effects
Making motion graphics using After Effects is possible. In fact, it’s the best software you could use for the job if you’re after something professionally done. There are hundreds of tutorials available online both starters and experts. It’s widely used by professionals in the field.
Filmora
Filmora is a Premiere alternative by Wondershare.
Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop by Adobe is great for the task if you need to create and design your motion graphics frame by frame. You could also export your design as GIF right from PS or bridge your project directly into Premiere or After Effects for further editing.
Adobe Illustrator
Same as Photoshop, Illustrator could also be used graphic motion frames. The only difference is with Photoshop, you’re working with pixels, while Illustrator is vector-based.
Maya
Maya by Autodesk enables graphic designers to create and edit motion graphics without using keyframes. Considering the features and tools it has packed, it’s more suitable for professionals and rivals to After Effects. Mographs in Maya is made up of a hierarchy of different pieces. You could create a motion graphics network out of your project by right-clicking on your design and click on “Create MASH Network”.
Nuke
Nuke is originally used for editing movies and VFX effects and allows the creation of motion designs. AE, Premiere Pro, Filmora, and many others operate in layer systems. The most important feature of this program is an operation with the node system. This allows Nuke to create very professional motion graphics and more. The fact that Avatar has been made using Nuke should be enough to describe the level of projects you can bring to life using this software.
Blender
Motion graphics artists have been switching to Blender lately or at least incorporating Blender into their After Effects workflow. The biggest reason Blender is the best motion graphics design software is the Eevee engine. One of the biggest changes this engine introduces is the speed. Even when working on complex projects you’ll experience much faster rendering and less lags. Editing with Blender feels almost real-time, especially if you’re coming from After Effects.
Benefits of Motion Graphics: Where is it used?
From creating educational explanation videos, and emotive videos to vaporwave animations, possibilities with motion graphics are unlimited.
Lower thirds
The lower third is a combination of text and graphic elements placed in the corner of a video to give more information about something going on inside the video. It could be your social media profiles, the name & title of the person you’re interviewing or any other general information. Using motion graphics, you could animate these lower thirds.
Intro & Outro
One of the main ways motion graphics is used is by creating intro and outro elements for your YouTube videos. Here’s what ours look like on YouTube.
Product Marketing & Promotional videos
If you have a product or a client that needs marketing, you could create visually capturing graphics and illustrate your product’s or service’s benefits to your potential customers on social media platforms using motion graphics.
Motion Graphics vs Animation: What are the differences?
Motion graphics and animation may be used interchangeably by people outside of the field.
Motion graphics is a sub-category of animation, which covers a much wider industry. Mograph could be described as moving texts, objects, and images. Animation on the other hand is an umbrella term for the entire industry, including mograph, cartoons, and even clay animation, according to 99designs.
Mographs are generally much cheaper to produce than animation and could be created by easier-to-use software, including Adobe Premiere. Animations on the other hand, which includes photorealistic CGI to painted artwork, require a lot more investment, both time and money-wise.
Motion Graphics and Responsive Design?
The responsive design generally used in web designing, however, it is also possible to have your texts and other elements respond to the size and shape changes of the layer you’re working on. To enable responsive design on motion graphics, go to the Essential Graphics panel, and under-responsive design section, you’ll see a “Pin To” menu. Change it from “Video Frame” to your element’s layer name.
Where to buy motion graphics
To skip the learning curve and save a lot of time, you could purchase, or download for free thousands of different types of professionally made motion graphics readily available on the internet.
MixKit
Mixkit.co is entirely a free assets website, containing sound effects, stock footage and photographs, and most importantly, After Effects and Premiere Pro motion graphics elements. All you need to do to get started is get an account.
Motion Array
Motionarray.com is a subscription-based service hosting a variety of stock videos and video elements, including motion graphics. What differentiates Motion Array from its competitors is that it has on-demand plugins that work with your Premiere Pro or After Effects system.
They have a free plan, allowing you to download only free elements. Its professional plan starts at $29.99 which gives you unlimited downloads for all files and elements it has. Including but not limited to backgrounds, lower-thirds, transitions, overlays, framing devices, and more.
Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock is integrated with most Adobe Cloud platforms including Ae and Premiere. To access free and paid motion graphics Adobe Stock has to offer, all you need to do is go to the “Effects” tab and select “Essential Graphics Panel”.
Click on the “Browse” tab.
In the menu, you’ll see hundreds of animated motion graphics. In the search bar, type in your desired element and sort by free or premium.
Envato Elements
Elements by Envato is another subscription-based unlimited stock video, music, photo, and graphics service. As of writing this guide, it currently contains more than 35.000 motion graphics templates you can download and import to your After Effects, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve projects. Starting from $16.50 per month, no free trial is available.
Premium Beats
Originally a royalty-free music library, it contains a few hundred motion graphics for free and others you can individually purchase.
Motion Elements
MotionElements.com has one of the biggest stock video and 2D & 3D motion graphics template libraries.
How much does motion graphics cost?
You could download a motion graphics template for absolutely free. Depending on the type of the project, the price could go up to 40-50 US dollars per piece. However, please keep in mind that for the price you’re getting a template that anyone who wants could buy or download. If you need something custom and unique to you, you might have to pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a custom motion graphics design.
This also means that you can generate a high income by designing motion graphics and selling them on the listed websites. Or just freelancing and working on custom projects.
How can I get free motion graphics?
Most platforms we listed above have a free elements section where you can download their selected designs. Many artists also give away some of their designs as downloadable .mogrt files, which you can import to your AE or Premiere projects.