Uploaded April 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
This tutorial shows how to create custom lion animations in After Effects using the "Lions" template from Creation Effects. Learn more at creationeffects.com/lions.
The "Lions" template for After Effects allows you to quickly and easily create custom lion animations. Included are a male and female adult lion. With the easy-to-use controls, you can “program” your lions to do almost anything (keeping a profile-view). Assign any combination of “primary actions”, such as walk, run, or jump, and smoothly transition from action to action. Use the controls to add "secondary actions", such as head, mouth, and paw movements. You can animate one lion, or create an entire pride of lions, and insert it into your motion graphics or 3D scenes.
This template is compatible with CC2019 and up. No plugins required. Music and 3D scenes from video are not included. These lions are part of the "Beast" series from Creation Effects.
Watch the Lions demo video here: youtu.be/f5Oi2anJQhY
How it Works
Lions uses the Advanced Puppet Pin tool in After Effects on high-resolution profile images of lions to create complex and realistic movements. Using the preset movements built into each lion, the amount of animating work required by you is minimal!
The nine preset movements, called “Primary Actions”, range from walking to stalking to lying down. You can assign any combination of primary actions to a lion with a few clicks of a mouse, while maintaining control over the timing and duration of actions, and smoothly transitioning from action to action. Each lion is on a single layer, so once you have chosen your primary actions, all you need to do is animate your lion layer’s position to move across the frame.
“Secondary Actions” offer even more control, allowing you to make custom movements of the paws, head, tail, mouth, and more. Secondary actions have simple controls, so you can keyframe the different properties. Twitch the ears, blink the eyes, sniff the nose... even adjust the intensity and speed of the breathing. For animators who need even more control, the pins on the lion can always be adjusted.
00:00 - Intro to Lions
02:00 - Simple scene example
05:45 - How it's made
09:10 - Rules for duplicating lions
13:05 - Primary actions
17:50 - Secondary actions
21:10 - Helpful tips
This tutorial shows how to create custom lion animations in After Effects using the "Lions" template from Creation Effects. Learn more at creationeffects.com/lions.
The "Lions" template for After Effects allows you to quickly and easily create custom lion animations. Included are a male and female adult lion. With the easy-to-use controls, you can “program” your lions to do almost anything (keeping a profile-view). Assign any combination of “primary actions”, such as walk, run, or jump, and smoothly transition from action to action. Use the controls to add "secondary actions", such as head, mouth, and paw movements. You can animate one lion, or create an entire pride of lions, and insert it into your motion graphics or 3D scenes.
This template is compatible with CC2019 and up. No plugins required. Music and 3D scenes from video are not included. These lions are part of the "Beast" series from Creation Effects.
Watch the Lions demo video here: youtu.be/f5Oi2anJQhY
How it Works
Lions uses the Advanced Puppet Pin tool in After Effects on high-resolution profile images of lions to create complex and realistic movements. Using the preset movements built into each lion, the amount of animating work required by you is minimal!
The nine preset movements, called “Primary Actions”, range from walking to stalking to lying down. You can assign any combination of primary actions to a lion with a few clicks of a mouse, while maintaining control over the timing and duration of actions, and smoothly transitioning from action to action. Each lion is on a single layer, so once you have chosen your primary actions, all you need to do is animate your lion layer’s position to move across the frame.
“Secondary Actions” offer even more control, allowing you to make custom movements of the paws, head, tail, mouth, and more. Secondary actions have simple controls, so you can keyframe the different properties. Twitch the ears, blink the eyes, sniff the nose... even adjust the intensity and speed of the breathing. For animators who need even more control, the pins on the lion can always be adjusted.
00:00 - Intro to Lions
02:00 - Simple scene example
05:45 - How it's made
09:10 - Rules for duplicating lions
13:05 - Primary actions
17:50 - Secondary actions
21:10 - Helpful tips
