Home › After Effects Presets › Backgrounds › River
Free — After Effects 2026River After Effects preset
This is what the built-in River preset does. It is in the Backgrounds folder of the After Effects animation presets, and it works on a solid layer.
Click the preview to copy the name.
- Where
- Effects & Presets › Animation Presets › Backgrounds
- Works on
- A solid layer
- Comes with
- After Effects. Nothing to download.
How to apply River
- Make a solid the size of your composition: Layer › New › Solid.
- Select the solid.
- Open Window › Effects & Presets, paste the name in the search box and double-click River.
Open the Effect Controls panel on the solid. The colours and the speed of the background are settings of the effects the preset added.
Where is River in After Effects?
Open Window › Effects & Presets and go to Animation Presets › Backgrounds. It is quicker to type the name in the search box at the top of the panel.
Do I need to download River?
No. It is installed with After Effects; this preview was rendered in After Effects 2026. On disk it is an .ffx file in the Presets › Backgrounds folder inside the After Effects application folder.
How do I change River after applying it?
Open the Effect Controls panel on the solid. The colours and the speed of the background are settings of the effects the preset added.
