What Are Motion Graphics? Types, Examples, How to Make Them

Motion graphics are animated designs in a video: text that builds in, numbers that count up, charts that grow, shapes and icons that move to explain a point. Unlike character animation, they don’t tell a story with characters. They make information clear and give a video a finished look. You can make them in a motion design app such as After Effects, or, for the titles, stat cards and lower thirds a weekly video needs, describe them to Claude and let Cut Express render them into your edit.

What counts as motion graphics?

Type	What it is	Where you see it
Animated titles	The title of a video or section, moving in	Intros, chapter breaks
Kinetic typography	Words that move with the voice or the beat	Quotes, lyric videos, ads (kinetic typography)
Lower thirds	A name and a role at the bottom of the frame	Interviews, podcasts (lower thirds)
Stat cards and counters	A number that counts up with a label	Explainers, ads, reports
Charts	Bars or lines that grow	Data videos, business updates
Product cards	A product with its name and price	Ads, launches
Logo reveals	A logo that animates in	Intros and outros (YouTube intro maker)

How are motion graphics different from animation and VFX?

Motion graphics animate design: text, shapes, icons, data. The goal is clarity.
Animation in the broad sense tells a story with characters and scenes, drawn or 3D.
VFX (visual effects) change filmed footage to look real: explosions, sky replacement, adding things that weren’t there.

The lines blur, but a simple test works: if it’s mostly words, numbers and shapes, it’s motion graphics.

Why do videos use motion graphics?

They explain faster. “Sales doubled” as a number counting from 100 to 200 lands quicker than the sentence alone.
They work muted. Many short videos are watched without sound, and on-screen text carries the message.
They hold attention. A change on screen every few seconds keeps viewers from scrolling.
They make a video look finished. Consistent titles and cards read as a brand.

Use them for a reason, though. A graphic on every line becomes noise.

What do you need to make motion graphics?

The classic way is a motion design app. After Effects is the standard. It gives full control over every keyframe and takes weeks to learn. Templates speed it up, but you still edit each one by hand and then place it in your video editor.

For short-form and YouTube, most graphics are the same few kinds: a title, a number, a name, a chart. Those don’t need a motion designer every week.

How do you make motion graphics by chatting?

With Cut Express connected to Claude or ChatGPT, you describe the graphic as part of the edit:

Open with “3 mistakes new bakers make” as a bold title that slams in. When I say the price, show a card counting up to $4.50. End on my logo.

Claude writes each graphic as an animated layout, with fonts from Cut Express’s library and your photos if you need them.
It places the graphics in the timeline with your clips, captions and music.
Cut Express renders one MP4 with everything in it.
You give notes: “Title bigger, counter slower” renders the next version.

There are no templates. Each graphic is written for your video. The full walkthrough is in motion graphics for YouTube.

What are the limits?

Motion graphics count as part of the video’s length, like any scene. They don’t spend credits.

	Pro	Ultra
Price	$19/mo or $190/yr	$49/mo or $490/yr
One graphic	Up to 20 seconds	Up to 20 seconds
Motion graphics in one video	Up to 30 seconds	Up to 120 seconds
Rendered video a month	60 minutes	180 minutes

If you design branded animation packages, need character animation, 3D or hand-set easing on every keyframe, a dedicated motion design app gives you control a chat can’t. Cut Express makes the graphics a weekly video needs and puts them in the edit.

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