Frequently Asked Questions
If you can't find the answer to your question, you can submit a support ticket to us.
Templater is awesome! Why is it not included with Adobe After Effects?
We agree that Templater adds significant value to Adobe After Effects. However, at this time, the best way for us to serve our customers is to offer Templater as an independent product because that allows us to be more nimble. We can continue to innovate useful functionality outside the constraints of Adobe’s product roadmap and to provide our customers with responsive, personalized support.
Can I try out Templater before deciding to purchase a license?
Yes, and we encourage you to do so to ensure Templater meets your needs. Learn more about our 30-day free trial.
Which edition of Templater do I need for my purposes?
See this nifty Templater Edition comparison chart. It might help to summarize it this way: Rig is for an artist to set up a project, Pro allows you to process batches of jobs, and Bot lets you fully-automate the workflow. Keep in mind that different people in your organization may need different Templater Editions. If you are still not sure which Edition is right for you, or if you have an unusual project or a particular need and are not sure how best to tackle it, please contact us.
Templater seems expensive relative to Adobe After Effects. What’s up?
Since Templater saves video creators countless hours when producing batches of customized videos, we priced Templater based on the value we think it provides and the costs of continued feature development, ongoing maintenance to ensure version compatibility and amazingly responsive and knowledgeable support.
What’s the difference between the Standard and Floating License versions of Templater?
The Standard License version of Templater is activated and used on one machine at a time and needs to be deactivated to be used on another system. A Floating License can be used by any number of devices on a network connected to a licensing server. The license can only be used by one system at a time, but once the user has completed their work with Templater, the system will “release” the license for use on another computer. This means that any number of workstations can share a single license as long as they are on the same network as the licensing server. However, only one system can use the license at any one time. More information on setting up and using a licensing server can be found on this page.
Do you offer premium support services for clients running mission-critical applications?
Dataclay offers responsive support to all Templater users, free of charge. Clients who want the peace of mind that comes with more comprehensive support offerings should purchase one of our premium support packages.
Does Templater come with a front-end, web, or mobile application out-of-the-box?
Not at this time. We designed Templater Bot to be flexible. For that reason, we provide ample documentation so that developers can quickly build whatever front-end interfaces or applications they need with Templater as the back-end. If you do not have the staff resources or skills to build front-end interfaces, Dataclay can help.
Do you have a purchase guarantee or a refund policy?
The best way to determine whether Templater will meet your needs is to evaluate it with our 30-day free trial. The trial gives you a fully-featured version of Templater Bot. If you purchase a license after that and realize, for whatever reason, that Templater will not work for you, contact us for a refund within 30 days.
Can I manage my Templater License without access to the machine to which it's installed?
Yes. If you create an account on the Dataclay Website using the same email address that was used to purchase Templater, you can log in and manage your license remotely. From there, you can deactivate the license, freeing it up for use on another system.
How can I activate Templater on a system that does not have internet access?
Templater can be activated on a system with restricted or no internet access using our Offline Activation process. It should be possible to generate an XML file for Offline Activation by clicking the ‘Register’ link in the Templater Settings Effects Control panel. This file can be activated in the Licenses and Billing section of the Dataclay Website. Further information about Offline Activation can be found here.
Can I install Templater and Adobe After Effects on a virtual machine in the cloud?
Yes. You can run Templater on one or more Windows Server machines in a cloud environment such as Amazon Web Services. Doing so enables you to scale your production capacity beyond the technical limitations of your desktop hardware. No special license is required from Dataclay to do this. However, Templater requires Adobe After Effects to be installed and running in the cloud environment. Adobe’s standard End User License Agreement does not permit After Effects to be installed on a server. Please contact Adobe to obtain the appropriate license (NOTE: you will need to speak to an Adobe salesperson to do this).
Can I connect Templater to more than one worksheet (tab) within a Google Sheet?
No, Templater can only map data to a single worksheet. More generally, Templater can only pull data from a single data source, whether it is a Google Sheet, JSON file, a tab-delimited file, or other file or data format.
Can I mark up text data so a single text layer can display words with mixed fonts, sizes, weights, or styles?
Unfortunately, no. A single text layer must use the same font, size, weight, and style. One text layer cannot, for instance, include some words in bold and some in italics. Though not ideal, a partial workaround is to use the layer Attachment properties– position text layers adjacent to each other and give each layer its own attributes.
Are Templater and QUE separate subscriptions? Can they be purchased as a bundle?
Currently, Dataclay only offers Templater and QUE subscriptions separately.
