Resources · Credits
Setting Up Fonts for Credits
Credits ships with seven templates. Four of them work on every Mac and PC with zero setup. For the full designed look of the other three, you install a handful of free or Creative Cloud fonts. Here is exactly what to grab.
No fonts required to start
Four templates use fonts built into both Windows and macOS, so you can open Credits and generate a polished roll immediately:
Install these for the full set
The remaining templates (Modern Minimal, Documentary, Music Video) use these. Your list depends on your operating system.
🧊 Windows — install 4
macOS — install 2
Helvetica Neue and Futura are already built into macOS, so there is nothing else to install.
Adobe Fonts are included with any Creative Cloud plan and activate system-wide, so both After Effects and the Credits preview pick them up automatically. Bebas Neue and Montserrat are also available on Adobe Fonts if you prefer to keep everything in one place.
Every template and its font
| Template | Font | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate | Arial | Built into Windows + macOS |
| Hollywood Classic | Georgia | Built into Windows + macOS |
| Cinematic | Times New Roman | Built into Windows + macOS |
| Indie | Courier New | Built into Windows + macOS |
| Music Video | Bebas Neue | Google Fonts (free) |
| Documentary | Futura | macOS: built in. Windows: Futura PT on Adobe Fonts |
| Modern Minimal | Helvetica Neue | macOS: built in. Windows: Neue Haas Grotesk on Adobe Fonts |
| (also offered) | Montserrat | Google Fonts (free) |
Stick to Adobe Fonts, Google Fonts, or the fonts that ship with your OS. They are properly licensed and install cleanly. Free-download mirror sites often host unlicensed copies of commercial faces, and those are a problem you do not want in a delivered project.
Check your machine inside the panel
You do not have to guess what is installed. Open Credits in After Effects and go to Help → Fonts. Each template font shows a live status for your machine:
- Installed — the font is on this machine and ready to use.
- Via alias — a close, intended match resolves the family (for example Helvetica Neue resolving to Neue Haas Grotesk on Windows).
- Missing — not found, so that template falls back to Arial with a warning until you install it.
For a deeper diagnostic you can save from Settings → Font Report, which lists exactly how every template font resolves in After Effects on your system.
The preview matches the generated comp
The panel preview renders with the exact font face After Effects resolves, including aliases. What you see in the preview is what lands in your finished comp. Credits never silently swaps in a decorative cut (like an Ultra Thin or Black weight) for body text, so your roll stays readable. Every font picker in the Style tab also offers your full installed library if you want to go beyond the template defaults.
Common questions
No. Four of the seven templates (Corporate, Hollywood Classic, Cinematic, and Indie) run entirely on fonts that ship with Windows and macOS. Install the others only if you want those specific looks.
On Windows, activate Neue Haas Grotesk and Futura PT from Adobe Fonts (included with your plan), then grab Bebas Neue and Montserrat (free on Google Fonts, or also on Adobe Fonts). On macOS you only need Bebas Neue and Montserrat. Adobe Fonts activations are system-wide, so After Effects and the preview both see them.
After Effects loads its font list at launch. Install or activate the font, then fully restart After Effects so it picks up the new family. Reopen Credits and re-check Help → Fonts.
Yes. The Style tab font pickers list every font installed on your machine, so you can set any face for title cards, headings, roles, and names independently.