Whether it's the blocky 8bit graphics of the '80s or the emotive style of Studio Ghibli, we love graphics and animation. One thing we don't love is the extremely time-consuming process it takes to make one. So, what better to give your video project a little animated pizazz but a few of our favourite templates and tools from Envato Market.

1. Freeze Frames: Comic Pack V2

Great for movie intros, YouTube clips or even home videos, the Freeze Frames: Comic Pack will add some fun and impact to any film.

2. Shapes, Shapes, Shapes: It’s Just Begun

In case you didn’t guess from the title, this template is all about the shapes – over 100 of them, in fact. Get your geometric funk on in a variety of styles and colours.

3. Hand Draw Motion Clips

This pack contains 30 hand-drawn clips which will add charm and whimsy to any production. Really easy to use, simply drag and drop onto your footage for an instant effect.

4. 15 Massive Light Transitions Pack

Transitions just not flash enough for you? Wish you could show your edits in a new light? Have I run out of light puns? You bet. This download is strangely hypnotic and fully customisable.

5. Elemental 2D FX pack

With more than 170 hand-drawn FX-animations, you won’t be stuck for inspiration with this pack. Reminiscent of Studio Ghibli, the animations are beautifully created and will add punch to any project.

6. Dynamic Cartoon FX Pack

The ultimate toolkit for motion designers and 3D animators, the Dynamic Cartoon FX Pack has over 100 customisable animations, including sparks, smoke, fire and water.

7. Anime Motion Lines Background Pack

With 12 transitions and 12 seamless looping backgrounds, there are so many possible combinations with this pack. Add movement and colour to your project quickly and easily.

8. 2D Cartoon FX

2D Cartoon FX transports me straight back to Saturday morning cartoons as a kid. Add some retro 2D FX with an updated, modern twist, to your project, and let the nostalgia flow.

9. 2D Cartoon FX 2

If you couldn’t get enough of 2D Cartoon FX, then you’ll be delighted to know that there’s a second installment, hurrah! So what’s new? The electricity pack, containing 150 new effects, which are customisable.

10. Future Camera HUD Elements

Sophisticated and useful, the Future Camera HUD Elements Pack is great for instructional videos, game previews and much more. The pack includes several interfaces, tracking targets and loading elements, to give you plenty of room for adjustment to suit your project.

11. Light Leaks and Bokehs Vol 1

Adding analog artifacts like light leaks and bokeh can give your video or animation a subtle, but powerful, feeling of authorship. With a simple drag and drop, you can add stunning light effects to your project, either alone or in combination with one another.

12. 80s Retro Futurism Background Pack vol.3 4K

Pez dispensers, questionable perms, the Walkman… this pack, thankfully, has no trace of these 80s ‘classics’. What it does have, are some great, loopable backgrounds that will whisk you back to the days of Tron.

13. 8BitToons FX

8BitToons is an arcade lover’s dream. The download contains a bundle of a whopping 735 animations to add a retro look with modern dynamics into your project.

14. ToonsTool (FX Kit)

With 400 effects, 24 transitions, 20 lower-thirds and 40 motion elements, this huge bundle is all you need to add an animated look to your project. All elements are vector, so you can scale without losing quality.

15. Glitch Theory (UltraHD Distortion Kit)

Glitch Theory contains 864 glitch elements, 28 overlays, 39 light leaks, 28 TV noises and an intro template. The elements are easy to customize, but the download comes with a helpful tutorial video if you get stuck.

 And More...

If you're looking to add something special to your After Effects project, here are a few articles to get you started:

• 21 Scripts to Supercharge Your Adobe After Effects Workflow: In this article, we've put together some of our favourite scripts from VideoHive to save you time and effort in After Effects.
• How to Create Dynamic Backgrounds With After Effects: Learn how to create some dynamic backgrounds by using the effect CC RepeTile, Fractal Noise, and using resources from websites.
• Tear & Curl Paper in After Effects: In this tutorial, you'll create a tearing paper animation using After Effects.