How to Make a Waving Flag Animation

Step by step

1. 1

   Pick the setting

   Waving Flag Loop fills the frame with three vertical bands of cloth. Flag on Pole adds a metal pole and a sky behind a cross pattern. Flag Emblem Fill puts a waving horizontal tricolor inside a heart above your title, and Bunting Garland strings pennants across the frame for events.

2. 2

   Recolor the bands

   Primary, Secondary and Accent color the bands or pennants. The pattern itself is fixed per preset and you cannot upload artwork, so flags with seals or stars will not reproduce. Intensity sets the strength of the wave and Speed its rate. Ribbon Banner Unfurl and Flag Emblem Fill add Title, Font and Text color.

3. 3

   Set the wave and the ratio

   Defaults are 10 seconds, or 5 for Ribbon Banner Unfurl, up to 60. Lower Speed and Intensity for a state or memorial tone, and raise them for sport. Waving Flag Loop fills whatever ratio you choose, which changes the cloth's proportions, so compare against the flag's official proportions on 9:16 and 1:1.

4. 4

   Export by preset

   Four presets start on a solid background, so MP4 is complete as it comes. Ribbon Banner Unfurl starts transparent to sit over footage: use WebM with alpha for CapCut or Resolve, and a PNG sequence for Premiere Pro or After Effects, which do not open WebM without a plugin.

5. 5

   Extend it in the timeline

   If you need more than a minute, duplicate the clip end to end in the timeline, as the wave completes whole cycles within the clip. In Premiere Pro, hold Alt or Option and drag the clip to copy it. In CapCut, use Duplicate, then add the anthem or music below.

Where it is used

• National day posts

  A national day greeting from a brand or a school, with Flag Emblem Fill in the country's colors above a line such as Proud to belong, and a logo added in the edit.

• Sports team videos

  A club's match-day video opening on a Waving Flag Loop recolored to its own team colors, with a faster Speed to suit the energy of a kick-off.

• Events and openings

  A shop or festival announcing its opening with Ribbon Banner Unfurl over a shot of the venue, and Bunting Garland hanging along the top of a street-party recap.

Presets

5

Default duration

5 to 10 seconds, up to 60

Default background

4 solid, 1 transparent

Aspect ratios

16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:5

Which format should you export?

Transparent WebM so the flag or bunting sits over your own background rather than a plate that will not match it.

Format

MP4 · WebM · PNG sequence

Alpha

WebM or PNG sequence

Resolution

720p to 8K

Aspect

16:9 · 9:16 · 1:1 · 4:5

License

Commercial use included

Three tips that make it look intentional

• Loop a short clip rather than exporting a long one.
• Slow the wave down for a formal tone and speed it up for sport.
• Check the colors against the official palette before publishing.

Three things people get wrong

• Waving the flag at a speed no wind produces.
• Stretching a flag to fill a frame with the wrong aspect ratio, which changes the proportions of the design on it.
• Adding a drop shadow heavy enough that the flag looks stuck to the glass.

Frequently asked