How-to · intermediate · 3 min read
How to make motion graphics for short-form video
Use a motion graphic only for a job the footage can't do. A big word for the key claim, a lower third for a name, a callout. Two or three per video.
By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24 · Example: @sulansart
- Level
- intermediate
- Read time
- 3 min
Motion graphics are animated text, shapes, and media over your footage. In short-form they work as a small set used on purpose. A big animated word for one or two key phrases, a lower third when someone needs a name, a callout when the viewer should look at one spot, and a build-and-clear layout when a few images should gather and then go. The footage stays the subject.
Why it matters
A graphic that shows what the footage can't, a number, a name, a comparison, lands the point faster.
The method
- Name the job. Emphasize a claim, identify a person, point at a detail, compare two things, show a collection. No job, no graphic.
- Use the simplest thing. Native text, a shape, or a placed image before a coded animation. They're faster to change.
- Match the type. Vyra's default is Montserrat Black for titles and Inter Bold for captions, one accent color per video.
- Time it to the words. The word appears when you say it. The lower third appears when the person first speaks.
- Decide how it leaves. Every graphic needs an exit, usually on the next cut or sentence.
- Build-and-clear as one scene. Lay out the finished arrangement first, reveal each piece as it's named, hold the set 1 to 2 seconds, then clear everything together.
Rules of thumb
| Graphic | On screen | Size on 9:16 | Entrance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big key phrase | 1 to 2 s | 12 to 20 percent of height | instant or pop on the word |
| Lower third | 3 to 5 s | name 3 percent, role 2 percent | slide or fade, once per person |
| Build-and-clear | 4 to 10 s total | main item largest | staggered on each name |
Two or three per 60 seconds. Captions don't count.
Examples
- Key phrase. I say "I just dropped out to build something." Captions stop, "I just / dropped / out." stacks in Montserrat Black with "dropped" in Sky, holds 1 second, clears.
- Build-and-clear. My face full frame, then a process clip, a sketchbook page, and a street shot appear as I name each. All three hold, then clear together on the cut.
Do it in Vyra
- "When I say 'dropped out' at 7 seconds, hide the captions and put 'I just dropped out.' as a large accumulating title in Montserrat Black, with 'dropped' in the accent color. Hold it 1 second, then clear and bring captions back."
- "Build an accumulate-and-release composition from 8 to 16 seconds: keep my face as the main shot and add the sketchbook clip, the studio wide, and the street photo as smaller inserts, each appearing when I name it. Clear all three on the cut at 16 seconds."
- "Add a lower third the first time each person speaks: name in Inter Bold, role smaller underneath, bottom-left, on screen 4 seconds."
Common mistakes
- A graphic on every sentence.
- Six tiny inserts instead of one you can read on a phone.
- Graphics that never leave.
FAQ
Do I need After Effects? No. Text, shapes, and placed media cover most of it. Coded animations are for things those can't do.
Sound effects on graphics? Only when the sound means something. A whoosh on every entrance is the same problem as a bounce on every caption.
Related
- /how-to/choose-captions
- /how-to/structure-a-storytelling-video
- /formats/explainer
- /prompts/motion-graphics