With After Effects project files, or templates, your work with motion graphics and visual effects will get a lot easier. In short, they are customizable After Effect files, neatly organized and labelled. You can easily change colors, text and other design elements without having to spend time on creating timelines and effects. Working in After Effects can become overwhelming if things aren’t well organized. Use columns, labels, and search presets to find elements easily, and use precompose to gather layers into groups. No matter your skill level, you’ll benefit from these organization tips. Apply effects proficiently to your projects.
Cover image via
These free After Effects templates include hundreds of free elements and options to use in any project. Most have AE project files, and others you can use in any NLE!
One of the best ways to improve your After Effects skill is by taking apart templates and seeing how other people create projects. Whether you’re seasoned in the program or a beginner, these free after effects templates are a wonderful asset to your editor’s toolkit.
We previously compiled lists like 10 Free After Effects Templates and the aptly named 10 More Free After Effects Templates. After that, we put together 10 Free After Effects Assets and 10 Free After Effects Templates for Typography! What could possibly come next? Well, how about 9 FREE After Effects Templates for you to use and learn from.
1. 9 Digital Distortions
The digital distortions template allows you to simply drag and drop your footage into the composition and play with the motion parameters to get Noise, Color Boxes, Flicker, Tuning, Turbulence, Pixel Blending, Rolling Bars, Chromatic Aberration, and Color TV Pixels.
These are great for any screen replacement in your film, especially televisions and security monitors. They can also satisfy the craving for that VHS vibe you have been searching for.
2. The Anamorphic Look
The wider visuals of the anamorphic lens can add drama to your travel video or help draw focus to a character or element of a video you’d like to feature more prominently. This juxtaposition of usefulness has made the anamorphic highly sought after.
In this super handy video you will find a quick demo of the free After Effects template and how to use adjust the parameters to get the exact feel you need for your project. You can also just drag and drop your footage as-is, and you will still have a pretty solid and refined anamorphic crop.
3. Free Action Effects
Fire is one of the most difficult elements to pull off digitally. This free Action Elements Pack can be used in any NLE or motion graphics software. Adjusting the scale, motion parameters and alpha channels will provide you with some solid fire and explosion effects. It’s better than any fire template I have seen. These elements look much more realistic and require much less render time.
4. Animated Font
With over 43 unique compositions, this animated font After Effects template can make any information much more invigorating. This skill is essential for your motion graphics tool kit. You never know when you might need a few animated letters or numbers to spice up your next edit. You’ll need to have Helvetica Neue installed on your machine to use this free After Effects template.
5. VHS Distortion
Just like the digital distortions pack, this free After Effects template allows you to recreate the look of an old VHS tape. Once again, all you have to do is drag and drop your footage. You can even customize the text. This template does require you to download a free font as well. Check out this tutorial on how to get the most out of this Free VHS template.
6. Free HUD Elements
If you are looking for that futuristic HUD aesthetic this free After Effects template is for you. Below is a tutorial for how to create a Spider-Man: Homecoming-inspired look, but these HUD elements have a multitude of uses.
7. Dynamic Car Gauges
Now that so many car commercials have gone digital, every video editor needs digital assets for commercial work and promos. With these 16 free After Effects car gauges, you can easily create a custom gauge for your car work. The download also includes 9 free sound effects.
8. 20 Free Color Grading Presets
If you aren’t a color grading expert but want to add a great custom look to your footage, these 20 free AE color grading presets are fantastic. Each color grade adds a unique style and tone to your films and commercials. Check out all twenty presets in this video.
9. Split Layers
If you aren’t the best with motion graphics, this free After Effects template instantly creates split layers to splice up your images or video. You just drop your footage into the project and select which of the nine types of layers you want.
How To Delete After Effects Projects
As long as you guys love these lists, we’ll keep putting them together. Check out the Rocketstock blog for even more free elements and free AE Project Files.
After Effects Projects Download
This post was originally published in October, 2015. It has been updated to reflect changes in the industry.
Find more tutorials on using After Effects here: