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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Create a color matte
In the Project panel, click New Item and choose Color Matte. Click OK, pick the color you want for the sidebar background in the Color Picker (the example uses white) and click OK again. Then click OK on the name dialog.
One click with Mako: the free Mako panel adds a color matte over the selected clips, at the playhead, on the first free track, in one click. Get Mako for free
Step 2: Place and position the matte
Drag the color matte onto the track above your video and keep it selected. Open Effect Controls and change the Position of the matte so that only a small strip of it shows at the left or right side of the screen. This strip is your sidebar.
Step 3: Add and style your text
Add a title and some body text with the Type Tool and style them however you want, so they sit neatly inside the sidebar. Before you animate, make sure the duration of the text layer matches the color matte by dragging its end to line up.
Step 4: Nest everything together
Select the text, the color matte and any other layers you made for the sidebar. Right-click one of them, choose Nest and click OK. Nesting turns the sidebar into one clip so you can move all of it at once.
Step 5: Animate the sidebar in
Open the Effects panel, search for Transform and apply the Transform effect to the nested layer. With the layer selected, open Effect Controls and make sure the playhead is at the start of the clip. Under Transform, click the stopwatch next to Position to create a keyframe.
Because you want the sidebar to end up in its current position, move this keyframe forward a little on the timeline. Then go back to the very start and change the Position so the sidebar sits off screen. When you play it back, the sidebar slides in.
Step 6: Animate the sidebar out
Move the playhead to the point where the sidebar should start leaving the screen. Create a position keyframe with the current value, then move forward to where it should be hidden and change the Position again to push it off the frame. You now have an in animation and an out animation.
Step 7: Smooth the motion
Select all the keyframes, right-click, choose Temporal Interpolation and pick Ease In, then repeat and pick Ease Out. The sidebar now accelerates and slows down smoothly.
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click instead of dragging Bezier handles. See EaseFlow
For extra polish, scroll down in the Transform effect and set Shutter Angle to 360 to add motion blur. Then expand the arrow next to Position, click a keyframe to show the blue handles and drag them to adjust the speed graph until the motion feels right.
Tips
- Match your brand. Use your brand color for the matte and the same font as the rest of your video.
- Keep the hold short. A sidebar that stays too long competes with your footage.
- Reuse it. Copy the nested sidebar to other parts of your timeline and edit the text inside.
FAQ
Why nest the layers before animating?
Nesting groups the matte and text into a single clip, so one set of position keyframes moves everything together.
How do I make the sidebar slide in from the right?
Place the matte at the right edge in step 2, then start the animation with a position that sits off screen on the right.
How do I add motion blur to the animation?
In the Transform effect, set Shutter Angle to 360 in the Transform effect settings.
Want ready-made animated layouts? Browse the motion graphic templates.
