After Effects Induction 3 : TEXT

Creating text on After Effects

Character and Paragraph Tool Box

When creating text on Ae, Anchor Point is positions in bottom left hand corner
eg. if you apply transformation eg. rotation/ scale. It'll transform around that anchor point

when changing anchor point; the position of the text is actually the one to move rather than the anchor point ( this is not a very effective way of changing your anchor point)

The more effective way is to use the 'Pan Behind Tool'...then you can move the anchor point

The advantage of creating text in Ae rather than in Ai or Psd is that the text is editable and its in vector form.

NB. If your work is an Ai file, can click the square button with lines coming out at all directions in order to ' continuously rasterize vector\

'Source text'
This is a text property. No perimeter( numbers, units etc), No indicated Value
by any characters attribute can be animated > change anytime by using key frames

ANIMATOR

eg. Opacity,

then there are 2 opacity properties ( the layer and the text)

can do lots/ complicated things with only a few key frames.

The animator tool works really well as you don't need to use key frames
but use the 'range selector' tool instead

This is not shown in the images but the two vertical line down the sides of the text is the 'range' ..starting from the start of the word to the end.

This is how this work....

eg. The' start' button and the 'end' button... the end can have the value of 23% opcaity .

then key frame the end for a full opacity

and you get this...

Scaling

each character has their own anchor points

change the scale.....

then you can choose if you want to animate the whole word together, or separate characters etc.

MASKS

• if create 'shape' on top of the selected solid a layer....this creates a masks

eg. creating an Elispe> you can change the anchor points just like a vector shape in Ai.

• Each layer can have more than one mask
• Can animate properties under mask using key frames
  

Mask Expansion

Mask Feather

• 'Mask Path' property, key frame 'mask path' > change anchor points> can change the shape of the mask
• Masks can be applied to any layer eg. text, video, image
  

• Add mask to text layer. At finish ( the end of the comp) >enable Key Frame on mask path
  

NB.
in AI.
Create shape/text (turn to outline)>copy> paste in after Effects> will be pasted as mask


eg. A letter as mask.....but add to layer as allows you to work with the character and manipulate anchor points and paths ( can't do this any other way 0

If word...select ALL masks/ click them down, enable key frame for (mask path)
so you can actually manipulate the shape of the letter



another possibility for masks is........
If you have some texts created within Ae> 'PATH OPTIONS' under text layer
add mask under text layer but NOT a closed mask shape
eg. a line created by the pen tool

Can do a similar thing to type on shape path in AI

Path options> Path masks> attaches text to path more options
eg. First Margin, Last Margin

can use this to position text anywhere on path then if add key frames...can animate it