Motion Graphics for Reels: What to Add and How Designers Make It

Moving words are a big part of this. Our kinetic typography in After Effects guide shows how to animate text word by word.

Reels are vertical (9:16). Meta's guide for Reels ads suggests leaving at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side free from text, logos or other key elements, so the profile icon, caption and buttons do not cover them^[1]. The same guide recommends 1440 x 2560 pixels for Reels ads.

• Keep the hook line in the upper middle of the frame, below the top 14%.
• Place lower thirds above the bottom 35%, not at the very bottom like on YouTube.
• Use large, heavy fonts and a solid or blurred strip behind text on busy footage.
• Hold each line long enough to read twice on a phone.

1. 1
   Plan to the sound

   Mark the beats and the spoken lines. Graphics land on these moments.

2. 2
   Design the look

   Make the fonts, colours, icons and logo in Illustrator or Photoshop so every Reel matches the brand.

3. 3
   Animate in After Effects

   Build the hook, lower third, callouts and logo sting in a 1080 x 1920 composition with eased keyframes.

4. 4
   Turn repeat pieces into templates

   Export lower thirds and captions as Motion Graphics templates (.mogrt) so they can be edited in Premiere Pro^[2].

5. 5
   Finish in Premiere Pro

   Cut the footage, add the templates, captions and music, then export.

6. 6
   Check on a phone

   Watch it on a real phone before posting. Our After Effects settings for Instagram Reels guide covers the export.

Adobe's help page explains that a Motion Graphics template packs the design and only the controls you choose, so editors can change the text without breaking the animation^[2]. That is how agencies keep dozens of Reels on brand.

Say a bakery in Saket wants a Diwali gift box Reel (a hypothetical example):

• 0 to 2 seconds: hook text "Diwali boxes are here" pops in on the first beat.
• 2 to 9 seconds: three product shots, each with a small callout naming the sweet.
• 9 to 12 seconds: a lower third with the box name and "order on WhatsApp" above the bottom safe zone.
• 12 to 15 seconds: a one-second logo sting and the shop's area name.

Once the lower third and callouts are templates, the next five Reels take a fraction of the time. A set like this also makes a strong motion graphics portfolio piece.

In class, students practise the same pieces described above: animated text, logo stings and templates, then use them inside edited videos.

On 31 October 2026, Internshala showed 63 motion graphics jobs in Delhi^[3]. Three posts, in our own words:

• Video editor at a hospital group, Delhi, 1 year of experience. Work includes Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Skills: video editing, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and motion graphics. Pay shown: ₹3 to 4.2 lakh a year.
• Junior video editor, Delhi, 1 year of experience. Skills: Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, AI video generation and motion graphics. Pay shown: ₹2 to 3.2 lakh a year.
• Video editor at a media and advertising firm, Delhi (hybrid), freshers welcome. Skills: video editing, CapCut, motion graphics and advertising. Pay shown: ₹2 to 3.5 lakh a year.

Over time, motion graphics work tends to pay more than editing alone. Read is motion graphics a good career for the growth path.

Editors use AI captions, AI-made backgrounds and AI-generated 3D objects for Reels. Adobe announced an AI Assistant for After Effects in private beta in June 2026, which can carry out steps from a typed request^[4]. On 3D, CABA does not teach 3D software such as Blender or Cinema 4D; students create 3D elements with AI tools, animate them in After Effects and use them in Premiere Pro.

What the human still decides: the hook, the timing to the sound, the brand look and whether every word and price is right. CABA's courses now teach AI and agentic AI workflows inside the curriculum, with a human check before anything is posted.

Our motion graphics course in Delhi covers Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere Pro with AI tools, from text animation and templates to full brand videos.

The course comes with a 100% Job Guarantee; read the job guarantee terms first. See student work on the motion graphics course page.