Articles on: Templates and Layers

"Video Templates: Duration, Animation Timing and Audio"

Templated can render your templates as MP4 videos. A video template is a normal template with animations on its layers and/or video layers. Video rendering is currently in beta.


Create a video template


You create a video template the same way as an image template:


  1. Click Create Template and pick a size (for example 1080x1920 for Stories, Reels or TikTok).
  2. Add your layers: text, images, shapes and videos.
  3. Add animations to the layers you want to move (see below), and/or add video layers.
  4. Set the duration on the timeline.
  5. Save, then render as mp4.


The same template can still be rendered as an image (JPG, PNG, WebP) or PDF. Animations only apply to MP4 renders.


Add animations to a layer


  1. Select a layer.
  2. Click Animations in the toolbar. The Animations panel opens on the left.
  3. Choose an animation in each group you need:
    • In Animations (entrance): Slide, Fade, Zoom, Rotate.
    • Loop Animations (repeating while the layer is visible): Spin, Pulse.
    • Out Animations (exit): Slide, Fade, Zoom.
  5. Adjust the settings:
    • Direction: for Slide (up, down, left, right) and Zoom (in, out).
    • Duration: how long the animation takes, in seconds.
    • Writing style (text layers): Block, Word or Character, to animate the whole text, word by word or letter by letter.
  7. Press Play on the timeline to preview.


Set the video duration


When a template has animations or video layers, a Timeline appears at the bottom of the editor.


  1. Click Set duration next to the time on the timeline.
  2. Type the length in seconds (1 to 90).
  3. Click Save.


Via the API, the duration parameter (in milliseconds) sets the length for that render and overrides the template duration. Maximum is 90000 (90 seconds). Default is 5000 (5 seconds).


Control when each layer appears (delay an animation)


There is no separate "Delay" field. To make a layer (and its entrance animation) start later, change its timing on the timeline:


  1. On the timeline, find the bar for the layer.
  2. Drag the start (left edge) of the bar to the right to make the layer appear later.
  3. Drag the end (right edge) to the left to make the layer disappear earlier. The exit animation plays at the end.
  4. Drag the whole bar to move it in time.


Example: a title enters at 0 s, the subtitle at 1 s, and a button at 2 s. Drag the start of the subtitle bar to 1 s and the button bar to 2 s.


Via the API, use start and end (in milliseconds) inside the layer's animation object.


Video layers and audio


  • Add a video from the Videos tab (placeholders and a free gallery), or upload your own in the Uploads tab (MP4, WebM, AVI or MOV, up to 100 MB per file).
  • Replace a video per render with video_url on the video layer.
  • Selected video layers have Video Settings: Autoplay, Loop, Muted and Show Controls.
  • Audio comes only from video layers. There is no separate audio or music layer. To add music, use a video file that contains the audio track.
  • You can have several video layers, and they can overlap.
  • Use MP4 files encoded with H.264 for the best results. Some other codecs (for example HEVC/H.265 from iPhones) may render as a black frame. Convert them to H.264 MP4 before uploading.


Render a video


In the editor

Click Download, choose MP4, set Duration and Frame Rate (FPS), and download. Editor downloads use credits like API renders.


Via the API


{
  "template": "YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID",
  "format": "mp4",
  "duration": 10000,
  "fps": 30,
  "layers": {
    "title": {
      "text": "Summer Sale",
      "animation": {
        "in": { "type": "slide", "direction": "up", "duration": 500 },
        "loop": { "type": "pulse", "duration": 1000 },
        "out": { "type": "fade", "duration": 500 },
        "start": 1000,
        "end": 9000
      }
    },
    "background-video": { "video_url": "https://example.com/video.mp4" }
  }
}


  • format: "mp4".
  • duration: milliseconds, maximum 90000.
  • fps: frames per second, 1 to 60, default 30.
  • All times in animation are in milliseconds.


Full reference: Create a render > Video Rendering.


Video renders take longer than images. For long videos, use "async": true with a webhook_url.


Video credits


Video credits depend on size, frame rate and length:


Credits = (Width x Height x FPS x Duration in seconds) / 50,000,000, rounded up, minimum 1 credit.


Example: 1920x1080 at 30 FPS for 10 seconds = 12.4, so 13 credits.


To use fewer credits, lower the FPS (for example 24 or 30 instead of 60), shorten the video, or use a smaller size.


Limits


  • Output format is MP4 only. GIF output is not available.
  • Maximum duration is 90 seconds.
  • Video rendering is in beta. Results may vary with complex templates.
  • In the embedded editor, video features must be enabled with the allow-video=true URL parameter (beta).


FAQ


Q: How do I change the length of my video?
A: Click "Set duration" on the timeline at the bottom of the editor, or send duration (in milliseconds) in the API.


Q: How do I delay an animation?
A: Drag the start of the layer's bar on the timeline to the right. Via API, set animation.start in milliseconds.


Q: Can I add music or a voice-over?
A: Audio is only taken from video layers. Use a video file that contains the audio.


Q: Can I export a GIF?
A: No. Video output is MP4 only.


Q: My uploaded video renders black. Why?
A: The video may use a codec like HEVC (H.265). Convert it to an H.264 MP4 and upload it again.


Q: How many credits does a video use?
A: (Width x Height x FPS x seconds) / 50,000,000, rounded up. A 1080x1920 video at 30 FPS for 15 seconds uses 19 credits.


Q: Why don't I see the timeline?
A: The timeline appears when the template has at least one animation or video layer.

Updated on: 01/10/2026

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