Step 1 — Create a base line

Create the shape that will become your wave.

Steps

1. New Composition (1920×1080 or 4K).
2. Go to Layer → New → Shape Layer.
3. Use the Pen Tool to draw a long horizontal line.
4. Increase the Stroke Width (3–8 px).

Tip: Make the line wider than the screen so the wave flows naturally.

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Step 2 — Add the Wave Warp effect

Now turn the straight line into a fluid wave.

1. Select your shape layer.
2. Open Effects & Presets.
3. Search Wave Warp.
4. Apply it to the layer.

The Wave Warp effect creates animated waves across the layer automatically.

Recommended settings:

Setting	Value
Wave Type	Sine
Wave Height	120
Wave Width	700
Direction	0°
Wave Speed	0.5

These parameters control the shape, height, and speed of the wave motion.

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Step 3 — Duplicate waves for fluid motion

To create a fluid layered effect:

1. Duplicate the wave layer 5–8 times.
2. Change slightly:
   • Wave Height
   • Wave Width
   • Speed
   • Opacity

Example:

Layer	Height	Width	Speed
Wave 1	120	700	0.4
Wave 2	80	600	0.6
Wave 3	150	900	0.3

This creates the organic flowing motion you see in modern motion graphics.

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Step 4 — Add gradient colors

Now create the colorful background.

1. Create a Solid Layer.
2. Apply 4-Color Gradient.

Example color palettes:

Neon style

• Purple
• Blue
• Cyan
• Pink

Corporate style

• Dark blue
• Light blue
• Teal
• Soft purple

Set wave layers to Add / Screen blending mode for glowing color interactions.

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Step 5 — Add glow (optional but popular)

Add:

Effect → Stylize → Glow

Settings example:

Setting	Value
Glow Radius	120
Glow Intensity	0.8

This gives the soft fluid neon look used in many tech backgrounds.

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Step 6 — Animate infinitely

Instead of keyframes, use an expression.

On Wave Warp → Phase:

time*120

Now the animation moves continuously and loops smoothly.

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Step 7 — Export as a stock loop

Best export settings for stock marketplaces:

Setting	Value
Resolution	4K (3840×2160)
Length	10–20 seconds
FPS	30
Codec	H.264 or ProRes

Loop the animation so the start and end match perfectly.