Templater 3.8.0 is the newest entry in our changelog, dated April 30, 2026, and the first Templater 2 release on that log is dated October 14, 2015. Between those two dates the log lists dozens of releases, each with a version number, a build number and a date. This guide reads that log as a timeline of features, so you can answer the question “which version added this?” without scrolling through every line yourself.
We take one rule seriously here. Everything below comes from the changelog, with the dates it gives. Where the log has one line for a feature, we describe the feature at the level of that line and no further. Where our help pages have a full explanation, we point you to it. We say nothing about how the releases are spaced, because the log does not say anything about that either.
2.0 to 2.9: from the first Bot to the layout toolbox
The changelog opens its Templater 2 history with 2.0.0, dated October 14, 2015. Its list is the clearest statement of what the product was meant to be, so it is worth reading in full. It names the Bot for Templater, described as a fully automated enterprise solution for custom video on demand. It names a command-line interface for engaging with Templater processes through shell commands. It names cloud-based footage support, meaning URLs as footage sources. It adds a logging system that records a sequence of actions for later review, improved previewing that lets you cycle through previews or preview one row at a time, and project-specific presets that save Batch Assets information within the project file. It also lists switching between After Effects project templates, so one spreadsheet can hold data for several projects, more ways to set a target composition from the data source or the project, and custom output file naming.
If you have read our guide on saving the data source, footage folder and output folder in the project, you will recognize the project-specific presets line. That feature is as old as 2.0.0. The same goes for the command line, the Bot, the log and cloud footage. When someone asks whether Templater can run from a shell or from a URL footage source, the answer in the log is that those arrived with the Templater 2 line. A word on the early entries that follow. Two of the early fix entries, 2.0.1 and 2.0.3, carry dates that look like typos, so we leave those two dates out and say only that 2.0.1, 2.0.2 and 2.0.3 are fix releases in the log. They describe crash fixes and a naming fix for output sent to Adobe Media Encoder.
The 2.1 releases carry several features worth knowing. Version 2.1.4, dated January 11, 2016, added data source support for remote JSON URLs. The log says the response must already follow the structure our help documentation sets out for a local JSON file. The same entry says the Bot fully supports local JSON files, and that a JSON object can carry a render-status and a bot property. Version 2.1.8, dated March 17, 2016, lets you name an After Effects Output Module and a Render Settings Template from inside the data source, using the column names module and render-setting. Version 2.1.10, dated May 2, 2016, stopped Templater from deleting the contents of the output location before a batch. It overwrites files that have the same name instead.
Time Sculpting is the next large item. Version 2.5.0, dated December 21, 2016, introduced it as a way to use time-based rules to sequence and arrange layers, so footage of varying duration can be handled by setting rules on each layer. The log says the new parameters sit under a Time group in Templater Settings and fall into four categories: Time Cropping, Layer Shifting, Layer Trimming and Layer Stretching. If your question is about the time controls themselves, our piece on time trim in Templater goes deeper than the log does.
Version Timeline
When each major feature arrived
| Feature | Version | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Bot, command line, cloud footage, project presets | 2.0.0 | October 14, 2015 |
| Time Sculpting | 2.5.0 | December 21, 2016 |
| QUE data source, spot checks | 3.0.0 | March 31, 2022 |
| Dynamic Subtitles; Dynamic Essential Properties | 3.4.0; 3.5.0 | April 15, 2024; October 16, 2024 |
| Multiple targets in one job | 3.7.5 | January 5, 2026 |
The events system arrived with 2.7.0, dated March 26, 2018. The log describes a newly enhanced event architecture, where you can register shell scripts and ExtendScript scripts to a set of Templater events, and where events are also broadcast when you preview. The same entry adds argument macros for event scripts, including the log path, the log directory and the most recent event name. It adds an ExtendScript API that lets you read and manipulate Templater’s internal memory from a registered script by using the D object, and it adds a Show Log button to the panel. Version 2.8.0, dated August 28, 2018, added swapping composition layers with other project compositions by wrapping composition names in double braces in the data source. It also added asynchronous execution of shell scripts and an option to import Templater job data as a JSON footage item, which the log calls experimental.
Later 2.9 releases cleaned up the interface and the data side. Version 2.9.0, dated February 25, 2019, streamlined the graphical and command-line interfaces and added the buttons that open the data, footage and output locations from the main panel. Version 2.9.5, dated March 6, 2020, moved Templater to Google Sheets API version 4 and added default visual and audio placeholders for missing footage. Version 2.9.6, dated March 16, 2021, added image sequence support for dynamic footage layers and included Output Module and Render Setting templates. Version 2.9.7, dated October 27, 2021, is listed as compatible with After Effects 2022. A pattern runs through the 2.x installer entries. Several of them exist only to say that Templater now installs on a newer macOS or a newer After Effects. If a question starts with “does Templater work with this After Effects version”, the log’s compatibility lines are a first place to look, and our guide on system requirements, installation and upgrades gives the supported range.
3.0 to 3.5: QUE, spot checks, subtitles and Essential Properties
Templater 3.0.0, dated March 31, 2022, is the major version break in the log. The log lists support for Dataclay QUE as a Templater data source and support for spot checking target compositions. It also lists support for expression-based layout engines, support for Multi-Frame Rendering in After Effects 2022, and support for Google Shared Drives. Smaller lines in the same entry make the off flag mute audio as well as hide a layer, improve file type support for JFIF and WEBP assets, and improve error messages for a missing output destination, a missing footage root and footage importation. If your question is “when did Templater start talking to QUE”, the log’s answer is 3.0.0. Our overview of how Que and Templater work together explains what that connection does today, and our guide to preview modes and spot checks covers the checking feature.
The next few releases are about connections. Version 3.1.0, dated September 28, 2022, gave Google Sheets and QUE a simpler authorization flow with a redirect to localhost, improved footage retrieval on Windows, and added support for .obj, .c4d, .heic and .heif files. Version 3.2.0, dated February 24, 2023, made Templater send logs to QUE, and made the Bot label rows or jobs as errored for problematic renders. It also made error logging record the problem layers and references.
Version 3.3.0, dated August 18, 2023, added the ability to group dynamic composition layers horizontally, support for footage URLs that include parameters, and support for using Templater with an empty data source. It also improved the use of markers in spot checking and added a button in Preferences that opens the log location. Version 3.3.1, dated September 26, 2023, brought support for remote footage URLs without file extensions and for share links for remote footage. That is the change our remote footage help page describes when it says remote asset files are handled differently as of 3.3.1. Versions 3.3.2 and 3.3.3 are fix entries. The first corrects the Bot ceasing to process QUE jobs after 24 hours had passed since the user signed in. The second corrects footage download with After Effects on a non-system drive.
Version 3.4.0, dated April 15, 2024, is a feature-heavy entry. The log introduces Autograf Rigging Utilities and Dynamic Subtitles, and it introduces dynamic text styling. It reorganizes the Preferences dialog. It adds Footage Processing and Footage Download events, extends the flags feature to accept both double braces and double brackets, and adds reserved column names srt-display, srt-data and srt-bg. It also adds new Bot property keys, new pre-defined argument macros for shell scripts, new object methods for the ExtendScript API, and a preference for target timeline auto zoom-out. Version 3.4.1, dated May 3, 2024, adjusted Time Sculpting to require a target composition and added a justification property to dynamic text styling. Our article on setting up dynamic subtitles picks up the subtitle side of 3.4.0.
Version 3.5.0, dated October 16, 2024, belongs to the Essential Graphics story. Its lines include Dynamic Essential Properties, support for Adobe’s MoGRT format, and a series of subtitle controls: dock the Dynamic Subtitles palette, edit SRT files from within Templater, sync edits to the original SRT file, export a local SRT copy, and choose point or box text for subtitles. It also adds support for basic HTML markup in SRT files. For the Essential Properties feature itself, read our guide to dynamic essential properties in Templater.
3.7 and 3.8: pay-per-output, generative AI text, multiple targets
The log moves from 3.5.0 to 3.7.0, dated March 10, 2025. Its headline lines are support for pay-per-output with the QUE Meter, support for generative AI text layers, and support for the Google Drive File Picker. The same entry adds a highlight for the recently previewed row in Google Sheets, preference settings for generative AI accounts, offline license deactivation access, and downloadable CHM documentation from dataclay.com. Version 3.7.1, dated March 12, 2025, is a one-line fix for null values. Version 3.7.2, dated May 12, 2025, adds Media Connector support for Google Drive and updates the installers’ floating license setup. Version 3.7.3, dated July 16, 2025, upgrades the licensing framework for Windows and fixes trial expiration issues on Windows.
Version 3.7.5, dated January 5, 2026, opens with the line “Support for processing multiple targets in one job!” and then lists a long group of smaller items. A text_styles.default_font option arrives for the command-line options. QUE Meter accounts with credits can use the command line. You can preview connected data without a project open. Local JSON processing is faster, and the log lists compatibility with After Effects 2026 and After Effects on Windows ARM. It also updates default output modules for the latest After Effects, speeds up machine profiling for QUE Satellite tasks, and deprecates the “Remove Templater Settings from replicas” preference.
Version 3.8.0, dated April 30, 2026, builds on multiple targets. The log lists per-target output configurations in multi-target jobs, targets that are all Time Sculpted, multi-target support for the D object’s target method, and support for multi-target jobs in Templater’s API. Next to those it lists several checks for batch safety: validating footage sources before batch execution, a preference to halt Templater batches on a missing project file, and new error codes for missing project references and footage. Status tracking in Google Sheets for manual batches is on the list, as is a target_name macro for shell scripts, modernized logging with duration reporting, and increased speed when switching After Effects projects. The entry ends with fixes, including tracking of QUE credits for all sources and an issue when the Bot renders and replicates together.
Here we stop, deliberately. The changelog gives one line for each multi-target item. It does not say how a multi-target job is configured in the panel or in the data source, so we do not either. If you plan to use that feature, read the current help pages on it instead of working from a release note. A release note tells you that something exists and when it arrived. A help page tells you how it behaves.
Using the version history in practice
A changelog is the right tool for three jobs and the wrong tool for a fourth. It answers “which version first shipped this”, it answers “did my version include that fix”, and it answers “what changed between the version I run and the current one”. It does not answer “how does this feature work”, because each line is a label and not an explanation.
Changelog Best Uses
Three jobs the changelog is right for
- Find out which version first shipped a feature
- Check whether your version included a specific fix
- See what changed between the version you run and the current one
Here is a hypothetical case, labeled as one. A studio runs a template pipeline on a version that predates 3.3.1. A new project needs footage from share links that carry no file name. The log says support for remote footage URLs without file extensions and for share links arrived in 3.3.1, dated September 26, 2023. Our remote footage help page agrees. Before 3.3.1 you must supply a direct download link that includes the file name and extension. So the studio now knows the exact reason the share links fail on its older version, and it knows the upgrade that addresses it. That is the changelog doing its job. It turned a vague failure into a dated fact.
The second practical use is checking a bug against your build. Each release entry in the log shows a build number next to the version. When you contact support, giving both the version and the build removes a round of questions. The log notes that the version number appears in the logging header and the About dialog. We do not claim more than that, since the log does not say where else the build number appears.
The third use is planning an upgrade. Read every entry between your version and the one you want, and look for lines that match your own pipeline. If you use the command line, scan for lines that mention it. If you rely on Google Drive footage, note the 3.7 lines about the Google Drive File Picker and Media Connector, and read our remote footage help page, which carries a warning that as of Templater 3.7 using Google Drive as a remote footage repository requires extra steps. If you run the Bot against QUE, the 3.2.0 and 3.3.2 lines are relevant. For the upgrade steps themselves, rather than the contents, use our guide on system requirements, installation and upgrades.
The wrong job is treating the log as a complete specification. Several lines are phrased as labels, such as “Better loading of Autograf metadata and prefs” or “Modernized and clean logging with duration reporting”. You cannot tell from them what changed in practice, and we will not pretend to. A line also does not tell you which Templater edition a feature belongs to. Our documentation separates Rig, Pro and Bot, and the changelog does not mark features by edition. For that, check the help page for the feature, or the Templater product page. And for a map of the help pages, our guide to where to find every help page will save you time.
The bottom line is simple. Use the changelog to find out when something arrived, then use the help pages to learn how it works. The big arcs are easy to hold in your head. The Templater 2 line began with the Bot, the command line, cloud footage and project presets. Time Sculpting, events and the layout tools followed. Version 3.0.0 brought QUE and spot checks, 3.4 and 3.5 brought subtitles and Essential Properties, 3.7 brought pay-per-output and generative AI text layers, and 3.7.5 and 3.8.0 brought multiple targets and the batch safety checks. Everything else in the log is detail around those arcs.
We have kept to the dates the log gives, including the two early ones we chose to skip, so you can check any claim against the source. If a line in the log is unclear and you cannot tell whether it matters to you, tell us your version and build and the feature you are after, and we will point you to the right page.
Before you go, here are a few questions the version history can answer. We answer them from the log and nothing else.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Templater version added QUE as a data source?
Templater 3.0.0, Build 14020, dated March 31, 2022. The changelog lists “Support for Dataclay QUE as a Templater data source” in that entry, along with spot checking of target compositions and support for expression-based layout engines. Later QUE-related lines include logs sent to QUE in 3.2.0 and the QUE Meter for pay-per-output in 3.7.0. For how the two products work together today, read the Que overview rather than the release note.
When did Templater start supporting multiple targets in one job?
The log lists “Support for processing multiple targets in one job” under Templater 3.7.5, Build 15820, dated January 5, 2026. Version 3.8.0, Build 15955, dated April 30, 2026, adds per-target output configurations, Time Sculpting for all targets, and API support for multi-target jobs. The log gives one line for each item, so check the current help pages for how to set it up.
What changed in Templater 3.8.0?
The entry lists per-target output configurations in multi-target jobs, validation of footage sources before batch execution, status tracking in Google Sheets for manual batches, a preference to halt batches on a missing project file, new error codes for missing project references and footage, and a target_name macro for shell scripts. It also lists faster switching of After Effects projects and modernized logging with duration reporting, plus three bug fixes. The date is April 30, 2026.
When were generative AI text layers and pay-per-output added?
Both appear in the Templater 3.7.0 entry, Build 15700, dated March 10, 2025. The log lists support for pay-per-output with the QUE Meter, support for generative AI text layers, and preference settings for generative AI accounts. Version 3.7.1 followed two days later, on March 12, 2025, with a single fix for null values. Version 3.7.5 later let QUE Meter accounts with credits use the command line.
Which release added Dynamic Subtitles and Dynamic Essential Properties?
The log introduces Dynamic Subtitles, Autograf Rigging Utilities and dynamic text styling in Templater 3.4.0, dated April 15, 2024. Dynamic Essential Properties and support for Adobe’s MoGRT format appear in 3.5.0, dated October 16, 2024, along with SRT editing and syncing controls. Each entry holds other lines, so read the whole entry if you are checking a specific feature.
Does the changelog say which Templater edition gets each feature?
No. The entries list features without marking them as Rig, Pro or Bot. To learn which edition includes a feature, open the help page for that feature or our Templater product page. The changelog is the right place to find when a feature arrived and which build carried it, and not the place to settle questions about editions.
Where do I find out how to upgrade to the latest version?
The changelog lists what each release contains, not how to install it. For installation and upgrade steps, use our guide on Templater system requirements, installation and upgrades. Before upgrading, read every changelog entry between your version and the target version, and look for lines that touch your own pipeline, such as the command line, Google Drive footage or the Bot.
