How to Loop a Video in After Effects (3 Easy Steps)

Trying to repeat a video clip over and over in After Effects? Whether you're working on a background animation, GIF, or motion graphic, looping can save you time and keep your timeline clean.

The good news is, there are two simple ways to loop a video: using Time Remapping or Interpret Footage. Both are quick once you know where to look.

Let’s walk through it step by step.

1. Use Time Remapping for Manual Control

Time Remapping gives you full control over how and when your clip loops. It’s great if you want the loop to start at a specific point or blend into other effects. This method is best when you want to loop only a specific section of the clip.

Here’s how:

1. Right-click your video layer in the timeline.
2. Go to Time > Enable Time Remapping.
3. After enabling it, remove the last keyframe (the one automatically added at the end). Then add keyframes at the start and end of the section you want to loop.
4. Alt + click (Windows) or Option + click (Mac) on the stopwatch next to Time Remap.
5. In the expression box that appears, type: loopOut() or loopOut("pingpong").

That’s it! Your clip will now repeat from the first keyframe to the last one indefinitely.

2. Use Interpret Footage for Seamless Loops

If your source video is already designed as a perfect loop (like an animated texture), this method is faster and cleaner.

Here’s what to do:

1. In the Project panel, right-click your footage file.
2. Choose Interpret Footage > Main.
3. Under Other Options, find Loop and set how many times you want it to repeat.
4. Click OK.

Now every time you drag that footage into a comp, it will loop automatically based on your setting.

3. Extend Layer Duration if Needed

After looping with either method, make sure your layer is long enough in the timeline:

1. Drag the end of the layer out so it covers as many loops as needed.
2. If you're using Time Remap, extend the comp duration too so nothing gets cut off early.

Once you've tried this a couple of times, it becomes second nature.

Conclusion

Looping videos in After Effects is easier than it looks once you know where things live. Use Time Remapping if you want precise control or transitions between loops. Use Interpret Footage when you're working with pre-looped clips like textures or animations.

Either way, no need to duplicate layers over and over again.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to do a loop in After Effects?

You can loop by enabling Time Remapping on your layer, then adding keyframes at start and end points and applying the expression loopOut(). For pre-looped clips, use Interpret Footage and set the number of loops directly from there.

How can I put a video on loop?

Use one of two methods:

1. Right-click footage in Project panel > Interpret Footage > set Loop count.
2. Or use Time Remapping with loopOut() expression for more control inside your comp.

How do you loop playback in After Effects?

To loop playback while previewing:

1. Open Preview panel (Window > Preview).
2. Set Play From: Start of Range
3. Set Play Mode: Loop
   Now every time you hit spacebar or play preview, it will repeat continuously until stopped.