Edit videos in bulk from templates
Turn one After Effects template into hundreds of videos by dynamically replacing text, images, colors, footage, and more.
You know you often hear business owners say we really just want technology to help us run our business better. Like this is it. This is what you do to run your business better.
Jody Poole, Team Lead Design @ Leads.io
How bulk video editing works
Set up your template
Upload your After Effects template to Plainly and mark which elements will change based on your data.
Connect your data
Use data from a CSV, form, integration, or Plainly’s API to generate each video variation automatically.
Batch generate videos
Generate every video variation in one batch and render them automatically in the cloud.
Replace video elements in bulk
Go further than content replacement
Use layer scripting to crop, trim, resize, reposition, and control
how layers behave across every video variation.
Crop composition
Match the composition start or end to a dynamic layer’s timing.
Extend footage
Extend a layer to show the full length of a longer incoming video.
Set layer duration
Give a layer a fixed duration or set it to zero to hide it.
Shift layers
Move a layer’s start or end to match another layer’s timing.
Trim layers
Trim a layer’s start or end based on another layer in the composition.
Stretch layers
Stretch a layer to match the duration of another layer.
Spread layers
Show only layers with input and spread them across the composition.
Auto scale media
Fit images and footage to the template while preserving their proportions.
Auto scale text
Resize text automatically to keep it within the original layer bounds.
Resize compositions
Change composition width and height during rendering.
Replace compositions
Swap the source composition to create different scenes or variants.
Change layer properties
Control timing, visibility, audio, fonts, and composition settings per render.
Connect your data and render
Upload a CSV, collect submissions through a form, connect a native integration, or send data through the REST API.
Turn spreadsheet data into finished videos
Map columns to your template's layers and get a video for every row of data.
Turn form submissions into videos
Clients, customers, or team members submit the content, and each response generates a finished video automatically.
Trigger video creation from your tools
Connect Airtable, Google Sheets, HeyGen, and more to generate videos automatically.
Generate videos programmatically
Send data through the REST API and generate video variations directly from your product or backend.
Go beyond bulk video rendering
A single system that connects your creative tools into an automated workflow that generates on-brand creatives.
Take bulk video rendering further
Personalized videos
Connect your customer data and turn one template into a video for every person.
Dynamic video ads
Generate multiple ad versions from one template by changing hooks, visuals, copy, and offers.
Product videos
Upload product visuals, details, and specifications to create videos for your entire catalog automatically.
Localized videos
Create localized video versions for different regions, languages, and campaigns.
What others say about us
We have a great experience working with the team and Plainly. They weren’t shy to break the mold and go the extra mile. Personalization in today’s saturated digital landscape is paramount to cut through the noise and stick out; Plainly offers a great platform, product, and solution for this.
CMO, Y11 Sport & Media Holdings
Working with Plainly was great, their API is robust but simple to set up. After setting up the workflow, we literally forgot about it. The integration with After Effects allowed my team to work with tools they are familiar with and create high-quality video templates.
CTO, Tapni
Plainly allows you to produce large amounts of video content very quickly. A great advantage is that your content can be still very individual and on-brand due to the ability of using Templates made in Adobe After Effects. Its interface is quite intuitive and the software gets new interesting features often.
Motion Designer, Freelance
Try Plainly’s bulk video editor today.
Frequently asked questions
What is a video editing API?
A video editing API lets developers programmatically create, modify, composite, and render videos at scale via the cloud using structured JSON payloads or code. You send a request containing your data, the service renders the video in the cloud, and a finished file comes back. Teams use a video editing API so they can create multiple videos from the same template without editing each one manually.
Can I create videos with coding agents or MCP?
Yes. Plainly has an official MCP server, so AI assistants and coding agents can create videos directly. Your agent can browse your designs and projects, read a template's parameters and preview links, submit renders, and check status. It works with Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code Copilot, and you can test it in the browser through Smithery before installing anything. Read our MCP documentation.
Can I use Plainly’s Video editing API to create thousands of videos at once?
Yes. Send one request per video, or use the batch renders endpoint to submit many in a single call. Plainly queues them and renders in parallel up to the concurrency limit on your plan, so a batch of ten thousand runs the same way a batch of ten does, just for longer. Each render in a batch is handled independently, so one bad payload does not take the rest down with it.
Do I need to know After Effects to use Plainly’s API?
No, developers can work with the API without touching After Effects. However, your video templates do need to be created in After Effects. Once the template is ready, everything else can be automated via API. You can also contact our team if you want us to create a template for you.
How long does a render take?
A few seconds to several minutes, depending on the length of the composition, how many layers it has, and how much data goes into it. You can cut it down by simplifying expressions, pre-rendering what you can, or skipping encoding. There's also a draft render option that produces lower-quality output quickly, which is what you want while you're testing an integration.
Is there a free tier or a way to test the API before committing to a paid plan?
Yes. We offer a free trial with API access so you can test the workflow before upgrading. If you need more time or have a specific use case, we’re happy to help. Just reach out.