64 Creating Simple Text Animations in After Effects


#64 Creating Simple Text Animations in After Effects

One of After Effects' strongest features is its ability to animate text, which you'll learn how to access here. This technique uses the background created in #63, but this is not a prerequisite. If you're starting from scratch, just remember to create your After Effects composition from within Premiere Pro using Dynamic Link (#63).

Dynamic Link Only

You can't copy and paste text animated in this fashion from After Effects into Premiere Pro, since Premiere Pro doesn't have this animated text effect. Instead, you'll need to render the animated text file or use Dynamic Link to import it into Premiere Pro.


1.

Click the Horizontal Type tool on the Adobe After Effects toolbar and type the desired text in the Composition window. You don't need to create a separate layer for text; After Effects will create it for you (Figure 64a).

Figure 64a. Here's After Effects' text-creation toolset. No need to create a layer; just start typing.


2.

To access text font, color, or size options in the Character and Paragraph panels (if they're not open already), choose Window > Character or choose Window > Paragraph. Modify these elements of your title as desired.

3.

Click the text layer in the composition to select it. Otherwise, After Effects may apply the selected animation to another layer.

4.

On the extreme-right side of the After Effects interface, click the fly-out menu in the Effects & Presets panel and choose Browse Presets (see Figure 63a). If the panel isn't open, choose Window > Effects & Presets to open it.

5.

In the Effects and Presets panel, click the Text folder to view the text-animation categories, then click a subfolder to view the animations. The example uses the Animate In folder. Click an animation preset to view it in the Preview window on the left (Figure 64b).

Figure 64b. I struggled with the mixed metaphor inherent to using a stenciled font with a typewriter-style animation, but ultimately decided to go with it. I hope the critics take it easy on me.


6.

Double-click the selected animation preset to add it to the text layer.

7.

To customize duration for your composition so it matches your chosen animation, twirl the text layer, then the Animator 1 properties, then Range Selector 1 (Figure 64c). To make the animation shorter and faster, drag the keyframes closer together; to make it slower and longer, drag the keyframes further apart.

Figure 64c. You have to dig deep in the text layer to edit the Animator 1 keyframes, but that's the only way to change effect duration.


8.

Once you've completed your composition, save it and return to Premiere Pro where you should be able to deploy it immediately.




Adobe Digital Video How-Tos. 100 Essential Techniques with Adobe Production Studio
Adobe Digital Video How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques with Adobe Production Studio
ISBN: 0321473817
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 148
Authors: Jan Ozer

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