If you own a copy of Final Cut Pro, you already have access to one of the world’s largest repositories of motion graphics available to use in your projects. Nowadays anyone with a smartphone can record video, so motion graphics are what really set apart professional editors from aspiring amateurs. If you know where to look, you can find some really sharp motion graphics templates to enhance your productions, and that’s why we’ve assembled this list.
Below we’ll cover 19 phenomenal motion graphics plugins you can load into Final Cut Pro today to bring your next film project to a whole new level.
Summary
Part 1: 19 Amazing Motion Graphics Templates For Final Cut Pro
1. Free YouTube Like Notification
Youtubers live for likes and subscribers, and ever since YouTube changed its format, the “Notification” button is more important than ever. These classy Like and Notification graphics remind your viewers to smash that like button on their way out, so they really are a must-have for any Youtuber!
Sergey, the artist behind this design, has been with Motion Array creating Final Cut Pro and After Effects templates for nearly 5 years now. His portfolio specializes in Social Media templates. Check out of all of his work here.
Free YouTube Like Notification Download
2. Infographics V2
Information can be boring, or thrilling–it’s all in how you present it. Infographics V2 is a handy pack of graphics to demonstrate info in a fun way. They’re a great fit for presentations, documentaries, and advertisements. Just drop them into the Timeline and set the information in the Inspector. Easy to use and looks great!
3. Doodles Pack
Don’t forget to have fun! Whether you’re editing a family video or producing something for work, never forget that viewers want to be entertained. The Doodles Pack is a light-hearted way to add some hand-drawn whimsy to your productions. It’ll make a unique and versatile addition to your motion graphics collection.
4. Communication Icons
Mobile phones, televisions, emails and even paper airplanes! Information is always on the go, and this collection of animated icons helps you highlight communication as it happens in your videos. You can use them in conjunction with on-screen titles to share contact info, or by themselves to catch your audience’s attention
Download Communication Icons Now
5. HUD Elements Pack
Show off some hi-fi futurism with this technologically sophisticated “heads-up-display” graphics bundle. Looks great when overlayed on top of video clips, but can also be used against a plain dark background. This download is an exquisite way to boost your videos’ production value with just a few clicks.
Download HUD Elements Pack Now
6. Point to Point Route Generator
Getting from A to B? Why not do it in style with Point to Point Route Generator! There are tons of options for different styles, and of course, you can totally customize the route. Fantastic graphics pack for a travel blog, vacation video, or documentary series that goes from place to place.
Download Point to Point Route Generator Now
7. Liquid and Smooth Transitions
What’s smoother than smooth? Liquid smooth. This hand-drawn transition bundle includes 16 outstanding liquid transitions to take you from one scene to the next. Some transitions are subtle, but these aren’t! Liquid transitions add heaps of flair to your videos, and will definitely not go unnoticed.
Download Liquid and Smooth Transitions Now
8. Sales Badges V3
Time to move some product! If you’ve got sales, discounts, or special offers to show–then you’ve found the right pack of motion graphics. This arrangement of 5 animated badges is ideal for advertisements, business social media posts, or in-store video displays. And of course, you can change the information in the badges to whatever deals you want!
9. Customizable Percentage Sliders
6 beautiful percentage graphics that you can animate and personalize to fit your videos. They’re all for showcasing percentages, so they work great for showing growth or any other changing amounts. If you’re working on presentations, documentaries, or advertisements and need to showcase this kind of data–this is a perfect pack for your collection.
Download Customizable Percentage Sliders Now
10. Smoke Elements and Transitions Pack
With a little creativity, you could find 1,000 uses for this hand-drawn transitions pack. Use it to impart a comic-book feel to your next video production. Overlay smoke elements on an action sequence for some cartoon fun. Or use smoke bursts to animate text sequences–the possibilities are endless!
Download Smoke Elements and Transitions Pack Now
11. Explosion Transition
If you’ve downloaded the smoke transition pack above, you might as well pick up this hand-drawn explosion pack as well. These energetic transitions will really make your video stand out with its own unique style. They’ll click well with any light-hearted upbeat production like a YouTube channel, advertisement for a kid’s product, or comic-themed movie production.
Download Explosion Transition Now
12. HUD Elements
Compared to the HUD Elements pack above, this bundle is more simplistic. There are several HUD objects representing fingerprints, eyes, and targets–so you can use them for a number of things like video game videos, cyborg POV, a spy film, or overlaid on top of a blank screen to make it look more interesting.
13. Neon Generators
Crack on some glow sticks and get ready to party, this neon action-pack is the colorful FX-solution you need to take your videos to the next level. Your viewers will definitely take notice as you bedazzle your action shots, transitions, and titles with these amazing generators.
14. Cartoon Scribble Titles
Doodle time! Add some amusing sketches to your videos to introduce titles and transitions. Compared to the other hand-drawn generators in this list, the Cartoon Scribble Titles bundle is more slow-paced and easy-going, so they’re a nice addition for a vlog or laid back YouTube channel.
Download Cartoon Scribble Titles Now
15. 2D Cartoon Lyric Titles
Hand-drawn, fun titles that include their own sound effects. Dynamic, striking animations race across your screen to paint on titles and text over your video. This is a nice addition to your effects collection and will suit slideshows, music videos, vlogs, and commercials.
Download 2D Cartoon Lyric Titles Now
16. Emojis Pack
Who doesn’t love emojis? They’re an endearing addition to any text message or DM, and that’s why your viewers will perk up when they see them in your videos. Unlike static emoji icons, these generators animate and move, which is what makes this pack so entertaining. Add them to your videos to express emotions, accompany text, or even cover up someone’s face with an emoticon for a funny effect!
17. Flash FX Electricity and Titles
Electrify your next video with Flash FX Electricity and Titles. These can be dropped into your project to quickly create eye-catching titles, transitions, animations, or special effects. You can customize the look and feel of these effects including color and glow settings. This cool collection is a great addition to your library of effects, and will really catch people’s attention online!
Download Flash FX Electricity and Titles Now
18. Hand Drawn Flying Lines
Use these cartoonish special effects to accentuate motion in your videos, or to add animation to text and titles as they appear. Each generator within Hand Drawn Flying Lines may look fairly simple, but they can be combined together to create a complex arrangement of motion on screen.
Download Hand Drawn Flying Lines Now
19. Flash FX Abstract Elements and Titles
This one-size-fits-all bundle of 2D effects is a fantastic variety pack of effects with included sounds. You can use them for all sorts of compositions, and combine them with titles or transitions to give your videos a unique look and feel. If there’s one pack in this list with a ton of potential use-cases, this is it.
Download Flash FX Abstract Elements and Titles Now
Part 2: How to Use Motion Graphics Templates
Once you’ve selected a motion graphic download above, you’re just a minute away from loading it into Final Cut Pro. All that’s left is downloading the files and copying them over to the correct folder. After that, your new plugin will appear inside Final Cut right alongside all your other generators, titles, and transitions.
Step 1: Download the Plugin
Use any of the above links to download a plugin. On MotionArray, you might need to login to your account first.
- Download the plugin.
- Find the folder where you’ve downloaded it (probably in your Downloads folder).
- Unzip the file by double-clicking on it.
Step 2: Copy the Files
After unzipping the files, you’ll need to move them into the correct folder for Final Cut Pro. If you have Motion installed the destination folder will be different than if you just have Final Cut. We’ll explain both options below:
- If you have Motion installed, the folder you should find is
/Movies/Motion Templates/
If you do not have Motion installed then you need to find this folder
/Applications/Final Cut Pro/
Contents/Plugins/MediaProviders/MotionEffect.fxp/Contents/Resources/Templates/ - Within the folder from above, find the correct sub-folder for the type of plugin you have downloaded. The options are Generators, Transitions, and Titles.
- Copy your new template files into the appropriate destination folder.
Step 3: Find your New Plugin in Final Cut Pro
Now that you’ve loaded your new opener template into Final Cut Pro, it should appear inside the Generators, Titles, or Transitions library.
- Open Final Cut Pro.
- Open the Generators, Titles, or Transitions library (whichever folder you copied the files to)
- Scroll around or type in your templates name in the search bar to find it.
- Drag your template down into the Timeline to add it to your project.
- Click the template in the timeline and open the Inspector. This is where you will modify the template’s settings, including adding photos & video clips to Drop Zones and changing the text.
A Few Helpful Tips
Motion graphics can be used in a number of ways. You can drop them into the Primary Storyline as standalone clips, or overlay them on top of your videos and titles as Connected Clips. As overlays, don’t forget you can adjust the Transform properties such as Position, Rotation, and Scale. You can even use keyframes to apply motion and animate your plugin.
Another helpful technique is retiming your motion graphics to better fit your composition. By dragging the edges of your motion graphics clip in the Timeline using the Select tool, you can change the length of the clip. Unlike video clips in your timeline, your motion graphic won’t cut off as you adjust its length. Instead, it will speed-up or slow-down to fit within the length you set.
Finally, don’t forget to review the Published Parameters in the Titles Inspector, Generators Inspector, or Transitions Inspector. These contain all of the custom controls for modifying the plugin. If you’re unable to achieve the exact look you’re after, and you own a copy of Apple Motion–you can also control-click your plugin and Open in Motion, where you can really customize everything, and also publish additional parameters to be edited in Final Cut.
And that wraps it up, with these 19 top-notch motion graphics plugins you should be set up and good-to-go for your next video project. It’s remarkable how a few simple plugins can really up your game in a serious way. But you don’t have to stop there…
Motion Array has a lot more available to upgrade your Final Cut Pro toolkit. There are thousands of Effects, Titles, Generators, and Transitions that can all be downloaded and installed in just a few minutes. Check out their selection by searching in the Final Cut Pro category, and you’re bound to find plenty of unique customizable add-ons perfect for your next project!
