How to Create MOGRTs in After Effects

The Essential Graphics panel in Adobe After Effects enables motion designers to convert complex animations into customizable Motion Graphics templates (.mogrt) for direct use in Adobe Premiere Pro. This guide explains the core functions of the Essential Graphics panel, how it bridges the gap between motion design and video editing, and outlines a step-by-step process for building, organizing, and exporting your own MOGRT files.

What is the Essential Graphics Panel?

The Essential Graphics panel is a dedicated workspace tool in Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro designed to package motion design assets. Instead of handing off complex After Effects project files (.aep) to video editors, designers use the panel to expose specific properties—such as text fields, color pickers, opacity, sliders, and media drop zones—while keeping the underlying animation structure locked and intact.

What is a MOGRT?

A MOGRT (Motion Graphics Template) is a single, packaged file format (.mogrt) generated by the Essential Graphics panel. It contains all the necessary assets, expressions, fonts, and animation data required to render the motion graphic inside Premiere Pro without requiring the editor to open After Effects.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a MOGRT in After Effects

1. Build and Finalize the Animation

Create your composition in After Effects as normal. Ensure all keyframes, expressions, and timings are finalized. Keep the project clean by naming layers clearly and removing any unused assets.

2. Open the Essential Graphics Panel

Navigate to Window > Essential Graphics to open the panel.

3. Select the Target Composition

At the top of the Essential Graphics panel, click the Master dropdown menu and select the composition containing the elements you want to package. Give your template a descriptive name in the Name field.

4. Add Properties to the Panel

Open your composition's timeline and reveal the properties you want to make editable. You can add properties to the Essential Graphics panel in two ways:

  • Drag and Drop: Drag a property (e.g., Source Text, Fill Color, Slider Control) directly from the timeline into the Essential Graphics panel.
  • Solo Supported Properties: Click the Solo Supported Properties button in the Essential Graphics panel. This isolates every property in the timeline that can be exported, making it easy to drag multiple parameters at once.

5. Organize and Rename Controls

Video editors rely on a clean user interface inside Premiere Pro. To optimize your template:

  • Rename Properties: Double-click any property name inside the panel to give it a user-friendly label (e.g., change "Source Text" to "Headline Text").
  • Add Comments and Groups: Click Add Group at the bottom of the panel to categorize controls (e.g., "Text Settings," "Color Controls"). Use Add Comment to provide instructions for the editor.

6. Enable Media Replacement (Optional)

If your template requires the editor to swap out logos, photos, or video clips, drag an image or video layer's Source property into the panel. This automatically creates a Media Replacement drop zone in Premiere Pro.

7. Set the Poster Frame

Scrub the timeline playhead to the frame that best represents the finished graphic. In the Essential Graphics panel, click Set Poster Frame. This frame will serve as the preview thumbnail inside Premiere Pro's Essential Graphics browser.

8. Export the Motion Graphics Template

  1. Click the Export Motion Graphics Template button in the bottom-right corner of the panel.
  2. If prompted, save your After Effects project.
  3. In the export dialog, select your destination:
    • Local Templates Folder: Instantly makes the MOGRT available in Premiere Pro on your machine.
    • Local Drive: Saves the .mogrt file to a specified folder for distribution to clients or team members.
    • Creative Cloud Libraries: Uploads the template to a shared cloud library for team access.
  4. Set font compatibility warnings and click OK to generate the file.