🎉 Spring Registration is OPEN! 🎉
00
DAYS
00
HOURS
00
MINUTES
00
SECONDS
REGISTER NOW
Back to Blog Index

A Hard-Hitting Guide to Sports Lower Thirds

What Are Lower Thirds? 

Lower thirds get their apt name from appearing in the lower third of a video’s frame and are heavily used across all media, not just sports. They're typically used to display names and titles for persons seen on screen or provide context to what the viewer is watching.  Free lower third templates can be found all over the internet, but are also easy to make yourself.

The matchup lower third above lets the viewer know what game they're tuning into. Sometimes instead of lower thirds, you'll see a full screen graphic of the matchup.  Feel free to download the example above and follow along with the free project file.

{{lead-magnet}}

How To Create Sports Lower Thirds

When making lower thirds for a sports content flexibility is important. Your lower thirds should be able to accommodate for different sizes of names, numbers, and special characters. Remember, if you are creating lower thirds that will be used live at a stadium or on-air your lower thirds will likely be pre-rendered. This means they will be a 'background' with text overlaid.

3 Steps to Creating Lower Thirds for Sports Broadcast

1. HAVE A GAME PLAN (STAY ORGANIZED)

Title look familiar? Similar to the first article in this hard-hitting series, a good workflow for creating baseball mounds of lower thirds is essential. Keep your project clean and organized utilizing good descriptive naming conventions.

sports-graphics-lower-third-folders.jpg

2. DESIGN THE LOWER THIRDS

Lower thirds can be as simple or complex as you like. From basic static graphics created in Photoshop to complex animations intricately keyframed in After Effects or Cinema 4D, the main objective of your Lower Third is to convey information clearly. Looking pretty is definitely a plus though.

Start with defining the purpose of the lower third. Are you identifying someone onscreen?  Then you could give their name, title, social media handle, or jersey number (if applicable). Are you giving context to something onscreen? That could be a location, chapter marker, hashtag, matchup, what's coming next - literally anything that provides the viewer with additional information.

After determining the lower third's content, jump into design mode to make it look clean and pretty. Decide a clean way to animate the lower third on and off screen. In some cases, a simple fade in and out is the best approach. It is good practice to keep lower thirds on screen for at least 3 - 6 seconds. That gives the viewer enough time to process what they're seeing. A good rule of thumb as an editor is to read the information twice before pulling it off screen.

3. RENDER

The key thing to keep in mind when rendering your lower thirds is where will they be going? Are they being dropped into an edit in an NLE like Premiere or are they being used with specialized broadcast equipment/software? The answer to that will dictate the specs the lower thirds need to be rendered at.

Generally speaking you're safe to render a lower third at its frame size in a quality intermediate codec, like prores 4444, that supports an alpha channel. If that sentence just gave you a concussion, get the low down on codecs here.

We only have a few more articles left in this series! Hopefully you've been practicing, you never know when coach... err um... the client will put you in the game!

‍

EXPLORE ALL COURSES ➔

Dive into real-time 3D with our Unreal Engine beginner's course by Jonathan Winbush. Master importing assets, world-building, animation, and cinematic sequences to create stunning 3D renders in no time! Perfect for motion designers ready to level up.

Explore this Course âž”

Unlock the secrets of character design in this dynamic course! Explore shape language, anatomy rules, and motifs to craft animation-ready characters. Gain drawing tips, hacks, and Procreate mastery (or any drawing app). Ideal for artists seeking to elevate their craft.

Explore this Course âž”

Elevate your freelance motion design career with our guide to client success. Master a repeatable method for finding, contacting, and landing clients. Learn to identify prospects, nurture leads, and develop a thriving freelance philosophy amidst chaos.

Explore this Course âž”

Rev up your editing skills with After Effects! Learn to use it for everyday needs and craft dynamic templates (Mogrts) for smarter teamwork. You'll master creating animated graphics, removing unwanted elements, tracking graphics, and making customizable templates.

Explore this Course âž”

Stand out with Demo Reel Dash! Learn to spotlight your best work and market your unique brand of magic. By the end, you'll have a brand new demo reel and a custom campaign to showcase yourself to an audience aligned with your career goals.

Explore this Course âž”

Illuminate your 3D skills with Lights, Camera, Render! Dive deep into advanced Cinema 4D techniques with David Ariew. Master core cinematography skills, gain valuable assets, and learn tools and best practices to create stunning work that wows clients.

Explore this Course âž”

Master After Effects at your own pace with Jake Bartlett's beginner course. Perfect for video editors, you'll learn to create stylish animated graphics, remove unwanted elements, and track graphics into shots. By the end, you'll be equipped for everyday AE needs and more.

Explore this Course âž”

Revolutionize your Premiere workflow with customizable AE templates! Master creating dynamic Motion Graphics Templates (Mogrts) in After Effects to speed up your team's work. By the end, you'll craft easily-customizable templates for seamless use in Premiere Pro.

Explore this Course âž”
Your download is in your inbox!!!
Check your email (spam, too) for the download link!
Please check the spam folder if you don't see the message within a minute or two. Google likes to hide your downloads, sometimes.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Not sure where to start?

If you’re a beginner, here are some great courses to help you get started:

After Effects Kickstart

Dive into the fundamentals of motion design with our most popular (and recently updated) After Effects course.

LEARN MORE

Photoshop + Illustrator Unleashed

Master the basics of Photoshop and Illustrator and gain invaluable insights in this introductory level course.

LEARN MORE

Design Kickstart

An introduction to the design principles behind all great work.

LEARN MORE

More Advanced?

If you’re a more advanced student looking to up your game, here are some great options:

Animation Bootcamp

Learn the art and principles of creating beautiful movements in Adobe After Effects.

LEARN MORE

Design Bootcamp

Learn to design for motion in this intermediate-level, project-based course.

LEARN MORE

Cinema 4D Basecamp

Learn Cinema 4D from the ground up in this exciting introductory C4D course.

LEARN MORE

Now is the time to learn the skills you need to advance in your motion design career: