Make a template

Create an EffectCraft template (.ectemplate) with controls that lakreet-swarm can drive from your data file.

Prerequisites

• EffectCraft 0.8.0+ installed
• Basic familiarity with EffectCraft compositions

Step 1: Create a composition

1. Open EffectCraft
2. Create a new composition: Composition ▸ New Composition
3. Set resolution, duration, frame rate (e.g., 1920×1080, 10s, 30fps)

Step 2: Add layers to personalize

Add text layers, shape layers, or footage that you want to vary per video.

Example: A lower-third with a name and title.

Step 3: Expose controls to Essential Graphics

For each property you want to control from CSV/JSON:

1. Select the layer in the timeline
2. Open Animation ▸ Add Property to Essential Graphics
3. Choose the property (e.g., Source Text, Opacity, Position, Scale)
4. Repeat for every property you want to drive from data

Control naming matters:

• The name in Essential Graphics must match your CSV column header (or use column mapping)
• Use clear names: Source Text, Opacity, Logo, Background Color

Step 4: Export as .ectemplate

1. File ▸ Export ▸ Essential Graphics Template...
2. Choose a folder and filename (e.g., my-template.ectemplate)
3. Click Save

The exported .ectemplate is a ZIP containing:

• manifest.json — controls, media, composition metadata
• project.ecproj — full EffectCraft project
• poster.png — thumbnail

Step 5: Inspect the template

Verify lakreet-swarm sees the controls correctly:

lakreet-swarm inspect my-template.ectemplate

Example output:

Template: my-template.ectemplate
  name:     Comp 1
  size:     1920x1080
  duration: 10.01s @ 29.97 fps
  generator:EffectCraft 0.8.0

Controls (2):
  - Source Text  (text)  default="Your Name"
  - Opacity  (slider)  default=100

JSON output for automation

lakreet-swarm inspect my-template.ectemplate --json

{
  "name": "Comp 1",
  "width": 1920,
  "height": 1080,
  "duration": 10.01,
  "frameRate": 29.97,
  "controls": [
    { "name": "Source Text", "type": "text", "value": "Your Name" },
    { "name": "Opacity", "type": "slider", "value": 100 }
  ],
  "media": []
}

Supported control types

Type	Essential Graphics	CSV/JSON input
text	Source Text	Any string
slider	Opacity, Position, Scale, Rotation	Numbers only
checkbox	Checkbox Control	true/false, yes/no, 1/0, ya/tidak

Planned: color, point, media — not yet supported in EffectCraft pipeline.

Common pitfalls

Issue	Fix
Control not showing in inspect	Re-export template after adding to Essential Graphics
"Column X is not a control"	Match CSV header exactly to control name, or use columns mapping in config
Media not replaceable	Media replacement uses EffectCraft pipeline mode (essential.set), not --values. See Media guide.

Next steps

• Templates concept — anatomy of .ectemplate
• Prepare a CSV — format your data file
• Your first batch — render with your new template