What we keep in a template, and why
Notes on the boring decisions that make a project file pleasant to open — controller layers, naming, and the comp you never see.
Controllers on top
The first layer in every master comp is a controls null. Colours, durations, and text that appears in more than one scene are driven from it. It is not glamorous work, but it is the difference between an editor changing a brand colour in ten seconds and hunting through forty pre-comps.
Names a stranger can read
Layer names are documentation. “Title 01 – in” tells you what a stranger needs to know; “Shape Layer 27” tells them nothing. We rename as we build rather than tidying afterwards, because the tidy-up never happens.
The comp you never see
Every template has a hidden comp that defines the type scale, safe areas and colour swatches. It is not part of the animation; it is the drawing board. Keeping it in the file means a later edit stays consistent with the original design instead of drifting.
Stuck on something this does not cover? Email hello@mystikmotion.com.
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