Chapter 11: Themes and Styling
Themes provide consistent visual styling across your video template. They define colors, fonts, and image assets that can be applied throughout your project.
Understanding Themes
A theme includes:
- Colors: Primary, secondary, accent, background, and text colors
- Fonts: Styling for headings, titles, and body text
- Images: Stock images that match the theme aesthetic
- Transitions: Preset scene transitions (optional)
Using themes ensures visual consistency and makes it easy to rebrand or restyle your entire template.
Accessing Themes
To open the Theme panel:
- Click Theme in the top toolbar
- The Theme sidebar opens on the right
- Browse available themes
- Click a theme to preview or apply it
Built-in Themes
FX Express includes several built-in themes:
| Theme | Style | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Modern | Clean, minimal | Professional, corporate |
| Bold | High contrast | Marketing, announcements |
| Elegant | Sophisticated | Luxury, premium content |
| Playful | Colorful, fun | Casual, youth-oriented |
| Dark | Dark backgrounds | Tech, modern apps |
| Light | Bright, airy | Clean, friendly content |
Each theme is carefully designed with coordinated colors, fonts, and imagery.
Applying a Theme
To apply a theme to your template:
- Open the Theme panel
- Click on the desired theme
- The theme applies to all scenes
- Text elements update to use theme fonts
- Background colors may update
What Changes When Applying a Theme
- Text elements with heading levels get theme fonts
- Color palette becomes available in color pickers
- Theme images can be used in scenes
- New elements use theme defaults
What Doesn’t Change
- Manually set colors remain unchanged
- Custom fonts you’ve specified stay
- Element positions and sizes preserved
Theme Colors
Each theme defines a color palette:
Primary Colors
| Color | Use |
|---|---|
| Primary | Main brand color, buttons, emphasis |
| Secondary | Supporting color, backgrounds |
| Accent | Highlights, calls-to-action |
| Background | Scene backgrounds |
| Text | Default text color |
Color Palette
Themes also include 6-8 additional colors:
- Available in all color pickers
- Coordinated to work together
- Use for variety while staying on-brand
Using Theme Colors
When selecting colors in the editor:
- Open any color picker
- Theme colors appear as presets
- Click to apply the theme color
- Colors update if you change themes
Theme Fonts
Themes define three font styles:
Heading Font
Used for H1, H2, H3 text styles:
- H1: Full heading size
- H2: 75% of heading size
- H3: 58% of heading size
Title Font
For prominent text that isn’t a heading:
- Slightly smaller than headings
- Often bold or semi-bold
- Good for labels and captions
Body Font
For paragraph and regular text:
- Optimized for readability
- Typically lighter weight
- Standard text size
Applying Theme Fonts to Text
- Select a text element
- Set the Heading Level property
- Choose: Body, Title, H1, H2, or H3
- Text automatically uses theme font settings
Theme Images
Many themes include curated image assets:
Using Theme Images
- Add an Image element
- In the image picker, look for theme images
- Select from the theme’s image library
- Images coordinate with theme colors
Theme Image Categories
- Background patterns
- Decorative elements
- Stock photos matching theme mood
- Icons and graphics
Custom Themes
Create your own themes for brand consistency:
Creating a Custom Theme
- Click Create Custom Theme in the Theme panel
- Choose a base theme to start from
- Customize colors, fonts, and images
- Name your theme
- Save to your theme library
Editing Custom Themes
- Select your custom theme
- Click Edit Theme
- Modify any settings
- Changes apply to templates using this theme
Deleting Custom Themes
- Select the custom theme
- Click Delete Theme
- Confirm deletion
- Templates keep current styling but lose theme link
Theme Best Practices
Consistency
- Choose one theme per template
- Apply heading levels consistently
- Use theme colors when possible
Customization Balance
- Start with a theme close to your needs
- Make minimal customizations
- Keep color harmony in mind
Brand Alignment
- Create custom themes for brand work
- Match brand colors exactly
- Use brand fonts if available
Testing
- Preview with different content
- Check all scenes after theme change
- Verify readability and contrast
Reapplying Theme Styles
If elements have drifted from theme styling:
- Open Theme panel
- Click current theme again
- Or use “Reapply Theme” option
- Text elements reset to theme fonts
This is useful after manual edits when you want to return to theme consistency.
Theme and Text Styles
Automatic Styling
When you set a text element’s heading level:
- Font family from theme
- Font size from theme
- Font weight from theme
- Color from theme
Manual Overrides
You can override any property:
- Change font size for this element
- Set a different color
- Adjust weight or style
- Override persists through theme changes
Clearing Overrides
To return to pure theme styling:
- Remove the heading level (set to none)
- Set heading level again
- Theme styles reapply
Troubleshooting
Theme Not Applying
- Check that elements have heading levels set
- Try reapplying the theme
- Manually set elements may not update
Fonts Look Different
- Custom fonts may not be available
- System fonts substitute automatically
- Use web-safe fonts for consistency
Colors Not Updating
- Manually set colors don’t change
- Clear manual color to use theme
- Check opacity settings
Theme Images Missing
- Theme may not include images
- Check theme image library
- Upload custom images if needed
Custom Theme Lost
- Check if accidentally deleted
- Custom themes save to local storage
- Export themes for backup
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