A reusable template should make editing faster while keeping the people and the moment clear. Start with the recording’s layout, then choose the typography and caption treatment around it.
Preserve the picture first
Many reaction recordings already combine the reactors and a movie inset. Treat that as one picture unless you have a good reason to reframe it. Showing the full source inside a vertical layout, with fill around it, is often the safest starting point for a two-person reaction.
A close crop can work for a solo reactor. It needs more checking when people move or the source layout changes. Watch the entire clip, including transitions, rather than judging the framing from a paused opening shot.
Use reference shorts to propose a style
In Brands and templates, choose at least three reference shorts from the connected channel. Aftertake can propose a template from those examples for you to review. Treat the result as a starting point: a proposal still needs your judgement about what belongs to the channel’s style.
Review the layout, headline and caption settings before saving the template. A finished reference video does not contain editable project layers, so the proposal is a reconstruction of supported settings rather than an exact copy of every effect.
Let captions follow the speech
Readability depends on timing, the available width and where a phrase naturally breaks. A fixed two-word rhythm can feel choppy when the speaker is delivering a longer thought. Preview several different sentences to see how the grouping behaves.
Choose a font with clear shapes at phone size. Use enough contrast between text and the picture, and leave space around the text. A shadow or caption box can help when the background changes rapidly.
Save a default, or let Aftertake choose
Set your saved template as the active choice for new shorts. If you want variety, choose the Auto select template card: it picks a template for each short. You can still choose a specific template for a batch.
After changing a clip’s template or caption settings, save it and wait for the updated render. Review that version before approving the short. The last completed preview does not change until the new render is ready.