How To use Templates to Customize Your Video Content with Pictory

Video content is a powerful tool for businesses and creators, enabling them to connect with diverse audiences across a range of online platforms.

But it hasn’t always been easy to create; up until now, the process of creating professional videos has been time-consuming, expensive, and the use of over-complicated video editors.

Who has the energy for that?

We believe that there’s a smarter way to make engaging videos.

Emerging technology makes it possible to do more using an online video editor so why can’t that apply to video editing creation?

In this article, we’ll show you how editing videos with Pictory can maximize your impact with Pictory’s library of ready-to-use themes.

Want to Stand Out Online? Try Video Content.

Video is quickly dominating the online world, and the rise of platforms like TikTok is only adding to this popularity.

According to recent reports, there are over 244.4 million digital video viewers in the United States – 91% of whom want to see more content from the brands they follow online.

But beyond trends and consumer expectations, there are plenty of other reasons why including video-based content can improve audience engagement.

Video clips are one of the most effective ways of connecting with audiences, not only because it’s great at reaching the masses, but also because it conveys information in an engaging way.

It’s estimated that people retain roughly 95% of the information they’re shown in videos – a high number considering the short attention span many internet users have today.

Not Every Marketing Video Editor Is Made Equal

Despite the undeniable potential of video clips, results from them aren’t guaranteed.

Fully realizing its value requires strong planning, strategy, and perhaps most importantly of all, great video editing tools.

The best ones can transform even the most boring of subject matters into exciting visual experiences for audiences.

Features like sound filters, motion graphics, and other animation options can be applied to any footage to give it a more special feel.

Video Templates

Not everyone is a video editing expert – and that’s okay!

With the growing popularity of video content online, people of all experience levels have access to solutions designed to make creating it easier.

Templates are just one such example. They’re basically pre-made video assets that you can modify in your own unique way.

Whether you’re making a promotional video, an explainer video, or even a tutorial, templates let you do so quickly and with minimal effort.

Why and How Video Templates are a Game-Changer

Using video templates can be a great time-saver for content creators.

Instead of starting from scratch, you already have the basic components for a video in place.

This not only saves you time but also allows you to explore different ideas and experiment with various effects without worrying about technicalities.

The benefits of video templates are put on hyperdrive with our Artificial Intelligence-driven platform making it easy to create stunning, professional-looking clips in minutes.

All you need to get started is a piece of base content, such as an existing article, written script, or media clip.

From there, the system will analyze your input and transform it into a ready-made video.

Our base plan allows you to create as many as 30 videos per month and comes with three branded templates to make the final editing process that much faster.

More features are available as you scale up, with custom solutions available as well. Best of all? Getting started is free.

Getting Familiar With Video Templates

After providing it with your first input, the Pictory platform will extract its key points and messages.

Then, you’ll be taken to the ‘Choose template’ page, which has a wide selection of pre-made styles to choose from.

Each template is suited for a different purpose.

Some are great for promotional videos, others for explainers, and so on.

Ultimately though, the final use is up to you! Everything can be adjusted later on to suit your needs.

Here’s a quick look at some of the library of templates available:

Corporate, Lemon, Red ink, Sunrise, Print, Standard, Caption Standard and Graceful.

Moonrise, Slate, Metro, Metro Caption, Subtitle default, Caption subtitles, Bricks and Subtle Italics.

Elegant, Notice, Letter, Fragrance, Dove Square, Unity, Party and Subtitle Standard.

Subtitles Thin, Subtitle Highlight, Professional, Tracer, Subtitle Retro, Unique, Bouncy and Subtitle fade.

If you are a Youtube creator then these temapltes are perfect for your YouTube channel.

Believe it or not, that’s just the beginning.

And the templates don’t just apply to YouTube you can use the various formats and styles across all social media channels.

We’re constantly adding templates and features to Pictory.ai, meaning you’re never without new things to explore.

Finding the Perfect Video Template

With all of the aforementioned options to consider, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed at this point in the process.

But don’t – while you’re spoiled for choice, the name of the game here is simplicity.

Focus on the message you’re trying to convey, think about who the intended audience will be and consider the overall feel of the video.

You should also keep in mind the platform it will be published on, as design elements and formats may need to be adjusted for different environments.

After you’ve settled on a final template, click the purple ‘Select’ button in its bottom-right corner.

That will prompt you to choose a starting aspect ratio of 16:9 for YouTube, Webinars plus explainer videos, 9:16 for TikTok or Instagram reels., or 1:1 for Facebook and Linkedin.

Pictory will automatically create a storyboard based on the content input you gave it earlier.

Watch through the first version and evaluate what you do and don’t want to change in terms of subtitle wording, timing, slide order, and stock video.

Templates themselves come with multiple styles – for intros, middle scenes, and outros – that can further adapt the look of the final clip.

You also have the option to add elements like stickers, GIFs, and emojis into the mix.

The left-hand menu bar is yours to explore – just be sure that you’ve selected the scene you’d like to apply any edits to before confirming them.

Making Key Adjustments

While our AI video editor is designed to be easy-to-use by nature, it isn’t short of more advanced capabilities and functions.

Adding Your Branding

The first of these is branding.

You no doubt want viewers to know that your business is behind this amazing video, so take advantage of our slew of intro, middle scene, and outro branding options.

You can add your logo anywhere on the screen, and adjust its size, and opacity.

You can also import pre-made intro and outro content to begin or end the clip.

The importance of proper branding can’t be overstated when it comes to creating online video content – or any type of content for that matter.

As mentioned earlier, over 91% of businesses publish videos on their websites and/or social media pages as part of their content marketing strategies.

How do you plan on standing out?

If the answer doesn’t include easily-identifiable branding, you’re likely to lose out on the recognition you deserve.

Incorporate Audio

Speaking of standing out, don’t forget about the audio element of your video.

With music and sound effects that can be added to content with just a few clicks.

A selection of over 15,000 tracks, all of which can be explored by mood, genre, purpose, and duration.

If your clip needs narration, take a look at the voice-over library.

This long list of voices can read whatever you have to say in a natural-sounding way, with no microphone required.

Our collection includes both male and female speakers of varying ages and with accents from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, India, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Format and Finalize Like a Pro

But what about formatting? You can’t just create a single video and expect it to fit seamlessly into any social media platform.

They all have their own aspect ratios, resolutions and more.

With a range of output formats for your content to ensure that you can easily create and distribute videos anywhere.

Navigate to the ‘Format’ tab and automatically adjust your clip to meet one of three aspect ratios.

You can also render the video in multiple resolutions – 720p or 1080p.

Use the ‘Optimize video for size’ feature, which is designed to reduce the space the final video file takes up on your computer.

What You Can Do to Make Your Video Better?

All of the aforementioned features will undoubtedly make your project look great.

But even so, there are other ways to take it to the next level. Take a look at these helpful tips:

Experiment with Color Schemes

Color, color, color. We all love color. So why not have fun with it?

A different set of hues can help draw attention to certain elements in your video, especially those that you want viewers to focus on.

Add Animation To Your Video

Adding animated elements like text, images, and characters to videos is a breeze.

Choose ones that accurately reflect the messaging you’re trying to convey – but don’t go overboard.

While everyone loves stickers, they can become a distraction when used in excess.

Make Use of Various Text Formats

Pictory offers three text formats – Heading, Subheading, and Body text – for a reason.

They all serve different purposes and should be used to your advantage.

Use the Heading format to introduce the topic, Subheading for more information on that topic, and Body text to dive a bit deeper.

Doing this will add variety to the words you display from slide to slide while also making them easier for viewers to read.

Get Inspired With AI Video

Many creators have already leveraged our platform to great success, showing just what’s possible with AI video.

All of the above examples make great use of the features we’ve discussed.

They demonstrate how you can use audio, animations, and text formats to create compelling content that stands out from the crowd.

Keep Things Professional

Another similarity you’ll notice between the above videos is consistency.

This is a super important thing to keep in mind when creating digital content, but unfortunately one of the most commonly disregarded.

Make sure you adhere to your brand guidelines and use the same fonts, colors, and animations throughout the videos.

Pictory’s range of templates can take this off of your hands altogether by applying a set template to whatever you create.

Final Thoughts

Video templates are a simple but powerful way to improve your video content.

Not only can you save countless hours of production time by using them, but they also provide a unique and customizable way to engage with your audience.

We’ve discussed audio, animation, and text formatting in this article, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what there is to explore on our platform.

So why not try it out for yourself today?

Don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel to see videos on tips and how to get the best from AI video editing!