How to Animate Looping Motion in After Effects
Some visual effects look complex, but boil down to a smart use of just a few tools. This looping building animation is one of them. By isolating a single column in your scene and using CC RepeTile, you can give static architecture a surprising sense of motion. The vertical repetition mimics continuous camera movement, creating the illusion that the building is alive or breathing within the frame. The best part? It’s all native to After Effects, and you can pull it off with just a few small tweaks to your footage.
Step 1: Duplicate your footage and prep your layers
Place your footage in a composition, then duplicate the layer. Disable the lower one for now so you can work cleanly on the copy. This top layer will be the one you animate. Separating it from the background lets you add motion without affecting the entire scene.
Do this:
- Place your footage into a new composition
- Duplicate the layer
- Disable the bottom layer temporarily
- Work only on the top layer for animation
Step 2: Use CC RepeTile to extend the column
Apply CC RepeTile to your top layer and increase the Bottom value. Using the full comp height (for example, 1920px) gives the column enough space to scroll and loop seamlessly.
- Apply the CC RepeTile effect to the top layer
- Increase the Bottom value
- Set it to your comp height (e.g., 1920px) for a clean loop
Step 3: Animate the position for a seamless loop
Keyframe the layer’s Position so it travels downward by exactly the same amount you added in CC RepeTile. Then apply a loop expression so the movement repeats endlessly.
- Set the first Position keyframe at the start
- Move forward in the timeline and shift Y position downward by your RepeTile value (e.g., -1920)
- Alt-click the stopwatch and add loopOut()
Step 4: Mask the part of the building you want to animate
Mask only the column or structure you want moving. This ensures the rest of the architecture stays locked while your chosen element scrolls in isolation.
- Select the Pen tool
- Draw a mask around the column or architectural feature
- Feather slightly if needed for cleaner edges
Step 5: Layer variations for added motion
Duplicate the animated layer and vary speed, direction, or timing. Small differences between layers add complexity and rhythm without much extra work.
- Duplicate the animated column layer
- Adjust speed or direction for each copy
- Offset timing to avoid uniform movement
Step 6: Bring back the background
Re-enable the original bottom layer to restore the static scene. The contrast between still architecture and moving columns creates the illusion of depth and life.
Add energy to static scenes with smart loops
You don’t need a massive toolkit to make footage feel alive. This technique turns simple buildings into moving backdrops, perfect for music videos, motion backgrounds, or transitions that need visual momentum.
Create more with ready-to-use motion graphics templates
If you’re into smart, minimal effects like this, Videobolt has thousands of customizable motion graphic templates that build on the same idea—achieving visual impact without a heavy setup. From loop-ready backgrounds to animated overlays, architectural textures, and rhythmic transitions, our library has over 18,000+ motion graphics templates you can export in minutes. Explore the options and bring more energy to your edits with less time in the timeline. Happy creating!