01
Drop in your mark
Upload any logo file. Real transparency is used when the file has it, and a flat JPEG gets keyed automatically, so the file you actually have works. No logo yet? Type a word and pick a font instead.
Gradient Shine
The gradient shine logo reveal, without After Effects
Drop in your logo or type a word. Coloured light ignites behind it, a hot line sweeps the edge through three cinematic cuts, your wordmark types itself in, and the whole sting exports as a crisp MP4 with its own score.
A light behind your mark, not a glow around it
The gradient shine look puts your logo in silhouette against travelling coloured light. The bright edge you see is the light still visible at the contour, so it slides along the shape and turns its corners instead of sitting still. A thin specular line rides the rim, cyan on one side and pink on the other, exactly like the marketplace template this look comes from.
The default template is a full sequence, cut for cut: three seconds close on an edge while the light ignites, a hard cut to a second corner, then the settled reveal with your wordmark typing in on the beat and a fade to black. One credit exports the whole fifteen second sting at thirty frames per second.
How it works
Logo in, sting out, four steps
02
Pick a look
Fifteen templates cover the reference look and beyond: cool blues, ember fire, glassy mint, plain chrome, plus macro close-ups and green screen for compositing. Every dial stays open if you want to push further.
03
Watch the sequence
The signature template plays the reveal exactly like the original: edge close-up, hard cut, second corner, hard cut, settled logo with the caption typing in. The preview is the render, frame for frame.
04
Export with music
Five original scores are composed live in your browser, with risers landing exactly on the cuts. Pick one, set the volume, and the MP4 exports with the soundtrack baked in. Or switch music off for a silent sting.
Why zlabz
Template marketplaces sell you a project file
The classic version of this effect ships as an After Effects project. Honest comparison of what that means day to day.
| What matters | zlabz | AE template marketplaces |
|---|---|---|
| Software needed | A browser tab | After Effects licence and install |
| Time to first render | Under a minute | Download, relink, learn the comp |
| Changing the logo later | Swap the file, re-export | Reopen the project per client |
| Music | Composed in, synced to the cuts | Licensed separately, synced by hand |
| Export quality | Frame-exact 30fps MP4 | Depends on your render settings |
| Price | Free to try, credits to export | Paid per template plus the software |
The usual alternatives
After Effects Logo Reveal Templates
The original home of the look, and still the most flexible if you live in After Effects. You pay in software, plugins and render time.
YouMotion / Envato Marketplaces
Huge choice of stings, but every purchase is a project file you must open, relink and re-render yourself.
Canva Logo Animations
Fast and friendly for simple wipes and fades, but nothing travels along your logo's actual edge.
Renderforest Logo Intros
Quick presets with watermarked free tiers, and the look is fixed rather than yours to art direct.
Impressions of third party tools as of July 2026. Names belong to their owners.
Where the sting lands
A logo reveal is the two seconds before everything else you make. These are the places people put this one.
Video intros
Open every YouTube video and client cut with the same lit signature instead of a static frame.
Reels and Shorts
The vertical frame is first class, so the sting drops straight into Reels, Shorts and TikTok.
Product launches
Tease a launch with the macro close-up looks, where the edge fills the frame before the reveal.
Stream scenes
Loop the settled halo as a starting-soon scene, then let the full sequence open the show.
Pitch decks
A moving mark on the title slide reads as a studio, not a slideshow.
Green screen plates
The keyed template renders the whole effect on green, ready to composite over any footage.
Questions, answered
Do I need After Effects or any plugin?+
No. The whole effect runs in your browser, from the light simulation to the MP4 encode. There is nothing to install and nothing to relink.
What logo files work?+
SVG and transparent PNG are ideal and keep their edges razor sharp. Flat JPEGs work too: the editor keys the logo out by brightness, and you can flip between dark-on-light and light-on-dark reads with one control.
Where does the music come from, and can I use it commercially?+
The five scores are original compositions generated in your browser, not licensed tracks, so they ship with your export and are yours to use. Each lands its risers exactly on the video's cuts.
Can I change the text under the logo?+
Yes. The caption is free text with its own size, colour and start ink, and it types itself in on the rhythm of the closing musical figure.
How long is the export and what does it cost?+
The signature sequence runs about eleven seconds at the default speed and exports at thirty frames per second. Watching and tuning is free; an export costs one credit.
Does my logo get uploaded anywhere?+
No. The file is read locally in your browser tab, the render happens on your machine, and the MP4 is written straight to your downloads.
Your logo, lit and moving, in the next minute
Open the editor, drop the mark in, and export the sting with its score. Free to try.