A Complete Guide to Making Square Videos in After Effects

Introduction – The Importance of Square Videos for Social Media

Square videos have become a popular format for social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. They are eye-catching and take up more screen real estate on mobile devices, making them highly effective for engagement. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to create a square video in After Effects, whether you want to adjust scale, add black bars, or position your content creatively.

Step 1: Create a New Square Composition

Start by creating a new composition. Go to Composition > New Composition. From the presets, select “Social Media Square,” or manually set the width and height to the same value (e.g., 1080×1080 pixels) for a square format. Adjust the frame rate and duration to fit your project’s needs, and click OK. This square workspace will be the base for your video. Step 2: Import Your Video

Go to File > Import > File, select your video, and click Open. Drag the imported video onto the timeline of your new composition. Ensure the video is placed in the center of the square composition for easy adjustments later.

Step 3: Adjust the Scale of the Video

Select the video layer in the timeline and press “S” to open the Scale property. Adjust the scale to fit your square composition as needed. You can choose to scale the video down to fit entirely within the square, which will result in black bars on the top and bottom, or scale it up to fill the square, which will crop parts of the video on the sides. Customize the scale based on your creative preference.

Step 4: Adjust the Position (Optional)

To fine-tune how your video fits within the square frame, press “P” to reveal the Position property. Adjust the X and Y coordinates to reposition the video within the composition. This is especially useful if the most important part of the video isn’t centered in the frame.

Step 5: Animate the Position (Optional)

If your video includes motion and you want to keep a specific subject visible, create keyframes for the position. Move the Current Time Indicator (CTI) to the start of the composition and set a keyframe for the Position. Then, scrub through the timeline, adjust the position as necessary, and set additional keyframes to ensure the focus remains on your subject throughout the video.

Step 6: Smooth the Motion with Ease Ease (Optional)

To make your position animations smoother, select the position keyframes. Right-click and choose Keyframe Assistant > Easy Ease. This will create a natural, fluid motion as the position of the video adjusts within the square composition.

Step 7: Preview the Video

Press Spacebar to preview your composition. Check that the video fits well within the square format and that any keyframe animations or adjustments look seamless. Make further refinements as needed to ensure the desired effect.

Step 8: Render the Square Video

Once satisfied with your composition, render your project. Go to Composition > Add to Render Queue, adjust the output settings, and click Render. Your square video is now ready to share on social media platforms or integrate into other projects.

Conclusion

Creating a square video in After Effects is a simple yet powerful way to optimize your content for social media. By adjusting the composition dimensions, scaling, and positioning your footage, you can ensure that your video looks great in this popular format. With optional animations and smooth transitions, your square video will capture attention and convey your message effectively. Experiment with these techniques to create visually appealing content tailored to your audience!