User Guide Cancel

Examples and resources for text animation

Search
After Effects

After Effects

Open app
  1. After Effects User Guide
  2. Beta releases
    1. Beta Program Overview
    2. After Effects Beta Home
  3. Getting started
    1. Get started with After Effects
    2. What's new in After Effects 
    3. Release Notes | After Effects
    4. After Effects system requirements
    5. Keyboard shortcuts in After Effects
    6. Supported File formats | After Effects
    7. Hardware recommendations
    8. After Effects for Apple silicon
    9. Planning and setup
  4. Workspaces
    1. General user interface items
    2. Get to know After Effects interface
    3. Workflows
    4. Workspaces, panels, and viewers
  5. Projects and compositions
    1. Projects
    2. Composition basics
    3. Precomposing, nesting, and pre-rendering
    4. View detailed performance information with the Composition Profiler
    5. CINEMA 4D Composition Renderer
  6. Importing footage
    1. Preparing and importing still images
    2. Importing from After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro
    3. Importing and interpreting video and audio
    4. Preparing and importing 3D image files
    5. Importing and interpreting footage items
    6. Working with footage items
    7. Detect edit points using Scene Edit Detection
    8. XMP metadata
  7. Text and Graphics
    1. Text
      1. Formatting characters and the Character panel
      2. Text effects
      3. Creating and editing text layers
      4. Formatting paragraphs and the Paragraph panel
      5. Extruding text and shape layers
      6. Animating text
      7. Examples and resources for text animation
      8. Live Text Templates
    2. Motion Graphics
      1. Work with Motion Graphics templates in After Effects
      2. Use expressions to create drop-down lists in Motion Graphics templates
      3. Work with Essential Properties to create Motion Graphics templates
      4. Replace images and videos in Motion Graphics templates and Essential Properties
      5. Animate faster and easier using the Properties panel
  8. Drawing, Painting, and Paths
    1. Overview of shape layers, paths, and vector graphics
    2. Paint tools: Brush, Clone Stamp, and Eraser
    3. Taper shape strokes
    4. Shape attributes, paint operations, and path operations for shape layers
    5. Use Offset Paths shape effect to alter shapes
    6. Creating shapes
    7. Create masks
    8. Remove objects from your videos with the Content-Aware Fill panel
    9. Roto Brush and Refine Matte
  9. Layers, Markers, and Camera
    1. Selecting and arranging layers
    2. Blending modes and layer styles
    3. 3D layers
    4. Layer properties
    5. Creating layers
    6. Managing layers
    7. Layer markers and composition markers
    8. Cameras, lights, and points of interest
  10. Animation, Keyframes, Motion Tracking, and Keying
    1. Animation
      1. Animation basics
      2. Animating with Puppet tools
      3. Managing and animating shape paths and masks
      4. Animating Sketch and Capture shapes using After Effects
      5. Assorted animation tools
      6. Work with Data-driven animation
    2. Keyframe
      1. Keyframe interpolation
      2. Setting, selecting, and deleting keyframes
      3. Editing, moving, and copying keyframes
    3. Motion tracking
      1. Tracking and stabilizing motion
      2. Face Tracking
      3. Mask Tracking
      4. Mask Reference
      5. Speed
      6. Time-stretching and time-remapping
      7. Timecode and time display units
    4. Keying
      1. Keying
      2. Keying effects
  11. Transparency and Compositing
    1. Compositing and transparency overview and resources
    2. Alpha channels and masks
    3. Track Mattes and Traveling Mattes
  12. Adjusting color
    1. Color basics
    2. Color management
    3. Color Correction effects
    4. OpenColorIO and ACES color management
  13. Effects and Animation Presets
    1. Effects and animation presets overview
    2. Effect list
    3. Effect Manager
    4. Simulation effects
    5. Stylize effects
    6. Audio effects
    7. Distort effects
    8. Perspective effects
    9. Channel effects
    10. Generate effects
    11. Time effects
    12. Transition effects
    13. The Rolling Shutter Repair effect
    14. Blur and Sharpen effects
    15. 3D Channel effects
    16. Utility effects
    17. Matte effects
    18. Noise and Grain effects
    19. Detail-preserving Upscale effect
    20. Obsolete effects
  14. Expressions and Automation
    1. Expressions
      1. Expression basics
      2. Understanding the expression language
      3. Using expression controls
      4. Syntax differences between the JavaScript and Legacy ExtendScript expression engines
      5. Editing expressions
      6. Expression errors
      7. Using the Expressions editor
      8. Use expressions to edit and access text properties
      9. Expression language reference
      10. Expression examples
    2. Automation
      1. Automation
      2. Scripts
  15. Immersive video, VR, and 3D
    1. Construct VR environments in After Effects
    2. Apply immersive video effects
    3. Compositing tools for VR/360 videos
    4. Advanced 3D Renderer
    5. Import and add 3D models to your composition
    6. Import 3D models from Creative Cloud Libraries
    7. Image-Based Lighting
    8. Extract and animate lights and cameras from 3D models
    9. Tracking 3D camera movement
    10. Cast and accept shadows
    11. Embedded 3D model animations
    12. Shadow Catcher
    13. 3D depth data extraction
    14. Modify materials properties of a 3D layer
    15. Work in 3D Design Space
    16. 3D Transform Gizmos
    17. Do more with 3D animation
    18. Preview changes to 3D designs real time with the Mercury 3D engine
    19. Add responsive design to your graphics 
  16. Views and Previews
    1. Previewing
    2. Video preview with Mercury Transmit
    3. Modifying and using views
  17. Rendering and Exporting
    1. Basics of rendering and exporting
    2. H.264 Encoding in After Effects
    3. Export an After Effects project as an Adobe Premiere Pro project
    4. Converting movies
    5. Multi-frame rendering
    6. Automated rendering and network rendering
    7. Rendering and exporting still images and still-image sequences
    8. Using the GoPro CineForm codec in After Effects
  18. Working with other applications
    1. Dynamic Link and After Effects
    2. Working with After Effects and other applications
      1. Export After Effects project as Premiere Pro project
    3. Sync Settings in After Effects
    4. Creative Cloud Libraries in After Effects
    5. Plug-ins
    6. Cinema 4D and Cineware
  19. Collaboration: Frame.io, and Team Projects
    1. Collaboration in Premiere Pro and After Effects
    2. Frame.io
      1. Install and activate Frame.io
      2. Use Frame.io with Premiere Pro and After Effects
      3. Frequently asked questions
    3. Team Projects
      1. Get Started with Team Projects
      2. Create a Team Project
      3. Collaborate with Team Projects
  20. Memory, storage, performance
    1. Memory and storage
    2. How After Effects handles low memory issues while previewing    
    3. Improve performance
    4. Preferences
    5. GPU and GPU driver requirements for After Effects
  21. Knowledge Base
    1. Known issues
    2. Fixed issues
    3. Frequently asked questions
    4. After Effects and macOS Ventura
    5. How After Effects handles low memory issues while previewing

After Effects provides a vast array of capabilities for effective and creative 2D and 3D text animation. The resource and examples you'll find here provide detailed instructions on how to animate your text in After Effects.

Steve Holmes provides a tutorial on the Layers Magazine website that uses three text animators and per-character 3D text animation to create a text animation.

Rich Young collects several resources and tutorials for creating extruded 3D text in After Effects.

On the ProVideo Coalition website, Chris & Trish Meyer provide several tips for animating text in After Effects.

Toby Pitman shows tricks for using shape layers to animate text on the MacProVideo website.

Example: Animate characters with per-character 3D properties

This example illustrates how you can easily animate individual characters in 3D so that each character steps out of line and takes a bow.

  1. Create a new composition.
  2. Create a new text layer with the word ovation.
  3. Choose Animation > Animate Text > Enable Per-character 3D.
  4. Choose Animation > Animate Text > Position.
  5. Choose Animation > Animate Text > Rotation.
  6. In the Timeline panel, in the Animator group, set the X Rotation property to 45, and set the Position value to (0.0, 0.0, -100.0).
  7. Expand Range Selector 1.
  8. Click the stopwatch icon for the Offset property to set an initial keyframe with the value at 0 seconds.
  9. Set the Offset property value to -15%.
  10. Set the End property value to 15%.
  11. Move the current-time indicator to 10 seconds, and set the Offset value to 100%.
  12. Press the R key to show the Rotation properties for the entire layer.
  13. Set the Y Rotation value for the layer to -45, rotating the entire layer so that you can more easily see the 3D motion of the characters.
  14. Preview the composition.

Example: Offset characters

This example illustrates how you can easily animate random characters so that they gradually form a legible word or phrase by specifying a Character Offset value and animating the range selector.

Offset characters: Animating the offset values for the characters in the word Galaxy
Animating the offset values for the characters in the word Galaxy

  1. Create a new composition.
  2. Create a new text layer with the word Galaxy.
  3. Choose Animation > Animate Text > Character Offset.
  4. In the Timeline panel, set the Character Offset value to 5.
  5. Expand Range Selector 1.
  6. Click the Start stopwatch to set an initial keyframe at 0 seconds and set the value to 0%.
  7. Move the current-time indicator to 5 seconds and set the Start value to 100%.
  8. Set Character Alignment to Center.
  9. Preview the composition.

Example: Animate characters with the Wiggly selector

This example demonstrates how easy it is to animate the position of individual characters. It also shows how the Wiggly selector can create a dramatic change to the animation simply by adding it to the layer.

Animate characters with the Wiggly selector
Animating the color and position of the characters in the word Galaxy

  1. Create a new composition.
  2. Create a new text layer with the word Galaxy and set the color to blue in the Character panel.
  3. Choose Animation > Animate Text > Position.
  4. In the Timeline panel, drag the y value of the Position property to the left until all of the characters are out of the frame.
  5. Expand Range Selector 1.
  6. Click the Start stopwatch and leave it at 0% at 0 seconds; then move the current-time indicator to 5 seconds and set Start to 100%.
  7. Preview the composition.
  8. Collapse the Animator 1 group.
  9. Make sure that nothing is selected except the text layer name in the Timeline panel, and choose Fill Color > Hue from the Animate menu. A new animator group, Animator 2, appears in the Timeline panel.
  10. Set Fill Hue to 1x+0.0.
  11. Expand the Range Selector 1 for Animator 2.
  12. Click the Start stopwatch and leave it at 0% at 0 seconds; then move the current-time indicator to 5 seconds and set Start to 100%.
  13. Preview the animation. The colors change now as they drop from the top of the screen, but they all use the same color and end up the same, original color.
  14. With Fill Hue selected, choose Selector > Wiggly from the Add menu.
  15. Expand the Wiggly Selector 1 property and choose Add from the Mode menu.
  16. Preview the composition.
    Note:

    If you add the Fill Hue property to Animator 1 and then add the Wiggly selector, both the position and the colors wiggle, instead of just the colors.

Example: Animate text tracking

This example shows you how easy it is to isolate characters when tracking a line of text. Using the Tracking and Line Anchor animator properties, you can easily move all but one or a few characters.

Animating the tracking values for the characters 3579 so that only the 7 in the middle remains
Animating the tracking values for the characters 3579 (left and center) so that only the 7 in the middle remains (right)

  1. Create a new composition.
  2. Create a new text layer and type 3579.
  3. With the text layer selected, click the Center Text button in the Paragraph panel.
  4. Choose View > Show Grid.
  5. In the Timeline panel, select the text layer and choose Animation > Animate Text > Tracking.
  6. Make sure that Before & After is specified in the Track Type menu.
  7. Click the Tracking Amount stopwatch and leave the value 0 at 0 seconds.
  8. Move the current-time indicator to 5 seconds and drag the Tracking Amount value until all characters are off the screen.
  9. Preview the animation.
  10. With the current-time indicator at 0, take a snapshot of the Composition panel. You will use this snapshot, and the grids, to determine the original location of the number 7 at the end of the animation.
  11. Move the current-time indicator to 5 seconds.
  12. Click the Show Snapshot button.
  13. In the Timeline panel, select Animator 1 and choose Line Anchor from the Add menu.
  14. Drag the Line Anchor value until the 7 is positioned in approximately its original position in the center of the Composition panel.
  15. Click the Show Snapshot button in the Composition panel to see the exact location of the 7 in its original location. Adjust the Line Anchor value to position the character in the original location.
  16. Preview the animation.

Example: Use selectors to animate specific words

This example shows how to use selectors to limit an animation to a specific word.

Use selectors to animate specific words
Animating the skew values in the characters in the word Speeding

  1. Create a new composition.
  2. Create a new text layer with the words Speeding Saucer.
  3. Choose Animation > Animate Text > Skew.
  4. In the Timeline panel, set the Skew value to 35.
  5. Expand Range Selector 1.
  6. Make sure the current-time indicator is at 0 seconds and click the End stopwatch.
  7. In the Composition panel, drag both selector bars to the left side of the S in Speeding.
  8. Move the current-time indicator to 2 seconds and drag the right selector bar to the right side of the g in Speeding.
  9. Preview the composition.

Example: Create a write-on animation

You can easily create the appearance of writing on the screen by using the Opacity animator property.

Create a write-on animation
Writing text on using the Opacity property

  1. Create a new composition.
  2. Create a text layer with the characters 01234.
  3. Choose Animation > Animate Text > Opacity.
  4. Set Opacity to 0%.
  5. Expand the Range Selector 1 and click the stopwatch icon for Start.
  6. In the Composition panel, drag the start selector to the left edge of the text (the value will be at 0).
  7. Move the current-time indicator to 5 seconds and drag the start selector in the Composition panel to the right edge of the text (the value will be 5).
  8. Preview the composition.
    Note:

    By default, the Smoothness property is set to 100%. To create a typewriter appearance, expand the Advanced property and set Smoothness to 0%.

Example: Animate text with multiple selectors

This example uses the selectorValue parameter in an Expression selector with the Wiggly selector to make a string of characters flash on and off randomly.

  1. Create a new composition.
  2. Create a new text layer.
  3. In the Timeline panel, choose Opacity from the Animate menu for the text layer.
  4. Expand the text layer and its animator in the Timeline panel.
  5. Select the Range Selector and delete it.
  6. Choose Add > Selector > Wiggly next to the Animator property group for the text layer.
  7. Choose Add > Selector > Expression. If the Wiggly selector doesn’t come before the Expression selector, drag the Wiggly selector above the Expression selector.
  8. Expand the Expression Selector.
  9. Expand the Amount property to reveal the expression. The following expression appears by default: 
    selectorValue * textIndex/textTotal
  10. Replace the default expression text with the following expression: 
    r_val=selectorValue[0]; 
if(r_val < 50)r_val=0; 
if(r_val > 50)r_val=100; 
r_val
  11. Set the opacity to 0%, and preview the composition.

Example: Animate text position with expressions

This example uses the textIndex and textTotal attributes with the wiggle expression to animate a line of text.

  1. Create a new composition.
  2. Create a new text layer.
  3. Expand the text layer in the Timeline panel to view the text properties. Add a Position animator group from the Animate menu.
  4. Delete the default Range selector, Range Selector 1.
  5. Add an Expression selector by selecting the Add menu, then choosing Selector > Expression. Expand the Expression selector to reveal its options.
  6. Expand the Amount property to reveal the expression. The following expression appears by default: 
    selectorValue * textIndex/textTotal
  7. Replace the default expression with the following expression: 
    seedRandom(textIndex); 
amount=linear(time, 0, 5, 200*textIndex/textTotal, 0); 
wiggle(1, amount);

    The linear method is used in this example to ramp down the maximum wiggle amount over time.

  8. Set the vertical position value. The greater the value, the more the characters wiggle.
  9. Preview your composition.

Example: Animate text as a timecode display

  1. With no layers selected in the Timeline panel, double-click the Current Time Format animation preset in the Effects & Presets panel. (You can locate the animation preset by typing its name in the Contains field in the Effects & Presets panel.)

    A new text layer is created, with an expression on the Source Text property that makes the text show the current time in the time display format set for the project.

    You can use other expressions in the Global category to display time in another format.

    Note:

    To see the expressions on a layer, select the layer and press EE.

Do more with After Effects

Create incredible motion graphics, text animation, and visual effects with Adobe After Effects. Design for film, TV, video, and web.

More like this

 Adobe

Get help faster and easier

New user?

Quick links

View all your plans Manage your plans
View quick links
Hide quick links

Legal Notices    |    Online Privacy Policy