Looping Sky & Clouds Background Animation in After Effects

Description

**This tutorial will show you how to create a seamlessly looping sky & clouds background animation using the Offset Effect in Adobe After Effects CC 2025.

Happy 2025!

**Comp Settings Used:
**
1920 x 1080
24 frames per second
24 second duration

**Effects Used:
**
Offset Effect (loop sky + clouds)
Hand-Drawn Animation Preset (clouds)
Curves (sky layer to boost color & contrast)

**Felt Textures Used:
**
https://www.terrapintextures.com/l/felt

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Check out my After Effects User Guide Course:
https://aeuserguide.com

**Gear I Use:
**
https://mikemurphy.co/resources


To try or buy Adobe After Effects CC 2025:
https://mikemurphy.co/adobe (affiliate link)

Terrapin Textures:
https://terrapintextures.com

⭕️ Check out my Domestika Course on Adobe Audition:
https://mikemurphy.co/domestika

——————

Chapters:
00:00 Intro: About The Tutorial
00:18 Create New Composition
00:32 Create Sky & Clouds
00:55 Add Sky Texture + Curves Effect
01:10 Create Clouds (Pen Tool)
01:28 Create Additional Clouds
01:45 Add Hand-Drawn Effect
01:59 Comp #2
02:12 Add Offset Effect
02:29 What does Offset Effect Do?
02:45 Create Animation (Shift Center To)
03:10 Create Seamless Loop
03:57 Adjust Speed
04:16 Add LoopOut Expression
04:53 Exporting & Adding Elements
05:28 Fix: Composting Options
06:12 Finishing Touches

**Software Used:
**Adobe After Effects CC 2025 (Click To Try or Buy)

How To Create Sky & Clouds:

1. Create New Comp
2. Add Scanned Textures or Create New Solid Layers
3. Select Layer to be used for clouds
4. Select Pen Tool and create the shape of clouds
5. Set Mask Mode to Add
6. Go to Effects & Preset Panel
7. Search for Curves and add to Sky Layer to boost color & contrast
8. Search for ‘Hand-Drawn Effect’ and add to cloud layer for rough edges & wiggle

How To Create Sky & Clouds Animation:

1. Create New Comp
2. Drag in Sky Comp 1 into new Comp
3. Go to Effects & Preset Panel and search for ‘Offset’
4. Drag Offset onto Sky Comp Layer
5. Drag CTI to the beginning of the Comp
6. Click the Stopwatch next to ‘Shift Center To’ property to add a keyframe
7. Move CTI to 12 second mark
8. Click in the X value of Offset Effect
9. Enter -1920 after the original value to set second keyframe at -960
10. Tap Spacebar to Preview Animation
11. Add additional graphics elements to flush out the scene (mountains, trees, etc)

How To Add LoopOut Expression:

1. Press Option/Alt and click on the stopwatch next to ‘Shift Center To’ property
2. Type the Expression loopOut()
3. Tap Spacebar and animation should loop endlessly

Finishing Touches:

1. Create New Composition (Main)
2. Drag Sky 2 Comp into the Comp
3. Add other elements to the scene (graphics, animations, etc)
4. Tap Spacebar to Preview
5. Export Video & Enjoy!

• 6. Happy 2025!