Step-by-step guide on how to turn merge fields to videos [2025]

What are merge fields?

Merge fields, sometimes called “variables,” are placeholders that pull in specific data (e.g., someone’s name, product details, timestamps, etc.) from your data source the moment you generate your content, allowing you to create many unique versions. 

For example, let's say you were sending mass emails. Instead of typing each recipient's name manually, you create an email campaign where you insert a merge field like {{FirstName}} that automatically populates with the correct name from your database.

Here’s an example of merge fields in action in Microsoft Word to see what they look like:

What does creating videos from merge fields mean?

Creating videos from merge fields means dynamically generating video content by replacing predefined placeholders with structured data. Each merge field in your video template corresponds to a specific element, such as text, images, or even video segments. 

However, to actually translate merge fields to video, you'd need an automation software. Such a tool, combined with merge fields, is irreplaceable because, without these two, you’d have to manually edit each video and change details one by one. This might make sense if you were creating a handful of videos. But when producing hundreds or even thousands, it'd be vastly impractical.

How to create videos from merge fields?

If you watched the above video, you already know how to transform merge fields to video(s).

But just in case you didn’t (or need a bit more help), I’ll guide you through the process step by step here.

Just like in the video, we’ll be using After Effects and Plainly for the tutorial.

Step 1: Prepare your After Effects template

Before you do anything else, you’ll need an After Effects project that’s ready for dynamic updates. 

First things first, add the ‘’edit’’ prefix to each layer you plan to update via your merge fields. For example, your text layer might be named “editDescription,” or the color layer might be “editColor.”

This is important because the prefix tells Plainly exactly which layers should be replaced with data from your CSV or spreadsheet.

Make sure everything is laid out and responsive, then zip up your AE project (including all assets) and keep it handy for the next step.

If you need a more in-depth look at creating a proper AE template, check out the video below.‍

Step 2: Upload your template to Plainly

Now, let’s take it to Plainly:

1. Upload your zipped After Effects project;
   
2. Go to Templates, then click ‘’Auto generate’’;
   
3. Select the ‘’prefix’’ option and type in ‘’edit’’ so Plainly knows which layers are dynamic. (e.g., text, images, audio, even color controls).
   
4. Click ‘’Generate.’’.
   

Now, your template is fully set up in Plainly with your merge fields in place, ready for the creation and rendering of thousands of videos.

Step 3: Create & export your CSV file

To generate multiple unique videos at once, you’ll need a new CSV file containing all the data for your merge fields.

So, let’s go back for a second and create one.

I’ve used Google Sheets for this (and Plainly), though you can also use Excel or any other similar tool.

To create it:

1. Generate an example CSV in Plainly by clicking the ‘’generate’’ button inside your newly created template. As a result, Plainly will automatically create a CSV file with columns corresponding to each dynamic layer you set as “edit” (e.g., editTextHeadline, editColor, etc.).
   

2. Upload the generated CSV file to Google Sheets.
   
3. Fill each row with the data for one unique video. For example, if row #2 has “Wonder Widget” in the headline column and “FF5733” in the color column, that single row will render one video version with those details.
   
4. Once finished, export (download) your spreadsheet as a CSV file.
   

Step 4: Batch render videos from CSV

This is where the magic happens.

1. Head back to Plainly, where you will have already set up the AE template, and click “Render” > “Batch Render.”
   

2. Upload your CSV.
   
3. Hit ‘’Next, then “Auto link” button so Plainly automatically matches each CSV column to the dynamic layers in your project.
4. Once mapped correctly, click “Next” and then “Render.”
   

And that’s it! Your merge fields will be turned into multiple video versions in a matter of minutes!

But that’s not all! After your personalized videos are ready, it’s time to distribute them.

That said, there are a couple of ways you could go about it: 

• Download videos one by one. Easy? Yes. But not if you’ve got thousands of them to distribute!
  
• Download the entire batch at once as a ZIP.
  
• Use an integration (e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive, Frame.io) to automatically upload or store all your videos.
  
• Set up a custom workflow using Plainly’s API for full automation.
  
• Distribute videos automatically using Mailchimp. After videos are rendered, Mailchimp will change the merge fields in the email with the unique video URLs. (See tutorial here)
  

Ready to transform merge fields to video?

And there you have it! Now you are 100% ready to translate those merge fields to video(s), each more unique than the last one.

Or maybe you’re not at 100% yet…if you’re not subscribed to Plainly, that is. Give it a try, and once you see how simple it is to generate thousands of dynamic videos at scale with just a few clicks, you’ll wonder how you ever did it the old way.

And if you’re craving a hands-on walk-through, go ahead and book a demo. Our team will guide you through every step so you can say goodbye to mind-numbing manual editing for good!