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Frame rate, or FPS (frames per second), is a measure of how many individual frames are displayed in a second of video. In Adobe After Effects, the frame rate is controlled in the Composition Settings dialog box. You have the control to change the frame rate to match the frame rate of your source footage or to create a desired look or feel for your animation. A higher frame rate will result in a smoother and more fluid video, while a lower frame rate can give a more stylized or cinematic look. It's important to choose the right frame rate for your project, as changing it can have a significant impact on the final result.
After you open After Effects, you'll be greeted by the standard workspace. This is where all the magic happens. At the top, you'll see the main menu, which is your primary navigation tool. Here, you'll find options ranging from file operations, editing tools, to advanced settings.
Example: As I'm writing this, I've just launched After Effects on my system, and the familiar workspace appears with the main menu prominently displayed at the top.
From the main menu, hover your cursor over the 'File' option. This will reveal a dropdown menu. From this list, select 'New', and then click on 'New Project'. This action will set the foundation for your new creation.
Example: On my screen, I'm hovering over 'File', and as the dropdown appears, I'm moving down to 'New' and then selecting 'New Project'. A blank canvas awaits my creative inputs.
Now that you've got your project open, it's time to create a new composition. Go back to the main menu, find 'File', then select 'New', and this time choose 'New Composition'. A composition in After Effects is akin to a sequence in other video editing software. It's where you'll place all your layers, effects, and animations.
Example: Following the previous steps, I'm now clicking on 'New Composition'. The 'Composition Settings' window pops up, revealing a myriad of settings waiting to be adjusted.
Once the 'Composition Settings' window is open, you'll notice the frame rate section. By default, After Effects sets this to 29.97 FPS. However, depending on your project, you might want to change this. Look for the 'Frame Rate' tab, which is situated right under the project's size settings tool. Click on it, and a dropdown will appear, allowing you to modify the FPS to your desired value.
Example: On my 'Composition Settings' window, I see the default frame rate of 29.97. But for my current project, I want a cinematic look, so I'm pulling down the 'Frame Rate' tab and selecting 24 FPS.
Changing the frame rate of a composition can affect the overall timing and duration of your animations and effects. It's a good idea to preview your changes and adjust any keyframes or timings as needed.
If you notice any timing errors as a result of the FPS change, you may need to adjust the timing of the layers in your video to match the new frame rate. To do this, select the layer you want to adjust in the "Timeline" panel and use the "Stretch" tool to adjust the timing of the layer.
Here's a visual demonstration of the steps we mentioned above:
How do I get 30 FPS to 60 FPS in After Effects? Follow these steps to convert the FPS of any footage in AE!
To perform this conversion in After Effects, you can use the Timecode panel, which displays the current time in the composition as a combination of hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. To access the Timecode panel, go to Window > Timecode.
Alternatively, you can also use the Layer > Time > Time Remapping function to add keyframes to the layer's time remapping property, which allows you to stretch or compress the layer's timing over time. This can be helpful if you want to change the duration of a layer or the entire composition.
Depending on what type of video you're creating, the ideal framerate can vary from as low as 15 FPS to 240FPS and beyond. We recommend 24 FPS for short films and movies. For YouTube videos, 30 FPS is most ideal, and for music videos and other types of content that requires plenty of movement and effects, you could even go up to 120 FPS and add in your own motion blur if necessary.
Now that you know how to change the framerate of your composition in After Effects, it's time to learn how to edit the footage of a video layer. Here's how it's done:
To recap:
To match the frame rate of a composition to the frame rate of your footage in Adobe After Effects, follow these steps:
Now, your composition will have the same frame rate as your footage, and you can edit and animate your footage within the composition using the tools and features of After Effects. Keep in mind that changing the frame rate of a composition can affect the overall timing and duration of your animations and effects. It's a good idea to preview your changes and adjust any keyframes or timings as needed.
After Effects independently assigns a frame rate to imported footage based on file metadata. If the metadata is incorrect or missing, After Effects may interpret the footage at the wrong frame rate, causing it to play back too fast or too slow in your composition. To fix this, right-click the footage item in the Project panel and select Interpret Footage, then Main. In the Interpret Footage dialog, look for the Frame Rate section and select Assume this frame rate. Type the correct frame rate for the footage and click OK.
This is particularly common with footage exported from screen recording software, phone cameras, or workflows where the file metadata does not accurately reflect the actual capture frame rate. After changing the interpreted frame rate, the footage plays back at the correct speed in your composition without needing to change the composition settings.
When your footage frame rate does not match your composition frame rate, After Effects interpolates the frames to fit. If your composition is 24fps and your footage was shot at 60fps, After Effects slows the footage down to fit 60 frames into 24 frames per second of timeline, giving you a slow motion effect without any additional plugins or processing required. This is a common and intentional workflow for creating slow motion from high frame rate footage.
If the mismatch is unintentional and you want the footage to play at its native speed, either change the composition frame rate to match the footage in Composition Settings (Ctrl+K on Windows or Cmd+K on Mac) or change the interpreted frame rate of the footage to match the composition using the Interpret Footage method described above.
To set a default frame rate for all new compositions in your After Effects installation, go to Edit, Preferences, Import on Windows or After Effects, Preferences, Import on Mac. Change the Sequence Footage setting to your preferred default frame rate. This saves you from having to manually set the frame rate every time you create a new composition in a standard workflow.
When working with third-party After Effects templates, the template's composition frame rate may not match your project frame rate. Before starting work on a template, open the Composition Settings by pressing Ctrl+K (Windows) or Cmd+K (Mac) and confirm the frame rate matches your delivery requirement. Changing the frame rate of a template composition after you have started working in it can shift animation timing, so it is worth checking before you begin.
For free After Effects templates already configured at standard frame rates with no manual setup required, our free After Effects templates cover a wide range of styles. For a wider premium library, Motion Array (2 months free via FreeVisuals) and Envato Elements both have large After Effects template libraries. For dedicated After Effects motion graphics packs that install directly via the Pack Manager, AEJuice (10% off via FreeVisuals) has 26 free packs available with no credit card required. For stock footage to import into your After Effects compositions at the correct frame rate, Shutterstock and iStock are the strongest licensed options and our own free stock video collection covers cinematic footage at no cost. For additional affordable stock footage options, MotionElements covers a wide range of international content. For royalty-free music to pair with your After Effects compositions, Artlist (2 months free via FreeVisuals) and Epidemic Sound are both worth having available. Our own free music collection is also available at no cost. For AI voiceover narration to add to your After Effects compositions, ElevenLabs generates natural-sounding voices with 10,000 free characters per month on the free tier. For AI image generation to create companion visuals, OpenArt AI and Magnific AI are both accessible through our FreeVisuals partner links. For simpler video editing alternatives that handle frame rate settings automatically, Filmora by Wondershare and CapCut are both worth knowing about.
For standard YouTube content, 30fps or 29.97fps is the most common choice and matches how most cameras shoot by default. For a more cinematic look, 24fps is the standard for narrative and film-style content. YouTube supports all frame rates up to 60fps, so choose the frame rate that matches your camera and content type.
The most common cause is a frame rate mismatch between your footage and your composition, or between your composition and your export settings. Check the frame rate in Composition Settings (Ctrl+K on Windows or Cmd+K on Mac), compare it to the frame rate of your source footage in Interpret Footage, and ensure your export settings in the Render Queue or Media Encoder match the composition frame rate.
Yes. In Composition Settings, hold Alt while clicking OK after changing the frame rate. This changes the frame rate without stretching or compressing existing keyframe timing. Without Alt, After Effects adjusts keyframe positions proportionally to maintain the same visual timing at the new frame rate.
23.976fps is the NTSC standard for cinematic frame rates used in most American broadcast and streaming delivery. True 24fps is used for digital cinema delivery and some European broadcast standards. For most YouTube and web delivery the difference is invisible to viewers. For broadcast and cinema delivery, use whichever is specified in your deliverable requirements.
Right-click the footage item in the Project panel and select Interpret Footage, then Main. In the Interpret Footage dialog, select Assume this frame rate and type the correct frame rate. Click OK. This changes how After Effects interprets the footage frame rate without affecting your composition settings or any other footage in the project.
Now that you know how to adjust the framerate of your composition and footage in Adobe After Effects, go out there and make some awesome videos! Use a high frame rate for time remapping. Use 24 - 30fps for YouTube videos and social media content, and last but not least, go all the way down to just 15FPS to achieve a retro/vintage camera vibe for your video! Use in conjunction with the right editing style and color correction to create the perfect video!
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