After effects workshop 4

 Creating text directly in After Effects

Type tool
Click in the Composition window


Can format text in Character pallet


Double click on lyer to select all text


The anchor point is not in middle of layer but at the bottom left corner, This is the centre of rotation.

Can reposition the anchor point to the centre using the "pan Behind' tool manually move the anchor point to the centre.  Short cut 'Y'

Source text option

Source text allows us to change the content and /or the format of text over time.

Activate source text by clicking Stop watch

Creates Hold frames (square shaped)

Can you this to make text appear alomg...

Also can use to change colour, font, font size,style

To remove keyframes - move time indicator to end of key frames then press stopwatch.

Animate property

Can animate all usual transform properies.

plus fill colour, tracking and line spacing

Position - Now have two positions one in transform and one in text.

RANGE SELECTOR

Specify how much of text is effected by teh animation

eg

all moves

o % 

100%

Only half moves

50%

100%

Other options

If for example change start to 40% and end to 60% effect just the middlw section

Can use 'offset' value to move the text eg set keyframe at -100% and one at +100%

This creates a Mexican wave effect.

Advance Options

Units  val uses % or Index for Start and end values

Give more control can specify the number of characters

Based on -  Characters or Characters excluding spaces

or Words or Lines (eg if working with Paragraphs)

Mode - Overlapping characters that are different colours (blend modes)

Amount-  Changes the amount of the property u have changed Can go positive and ngative above and below the line.

Smoothness - Interpolation - Does not show the movement if 0

Animate on Scale

Animate select scale

Each character scales around its own anchor point

This applies to scale and rotation

Use more options - To chnage how scale applied.  USe Acnchor point Grouping - choose from 'Character, Word, Line and All

So for example change the SCale %

Range selector - use characters in Advance menu (not %)

Create offset keyframes with '-' and '+' values

Add additional properties to the animator

Adding Spacing - Select Tracking

Adding another property to the animator - Colour - fill colour RGB

Can use the Advanced property - Smoothness - if reduce to o% then will restrict the change to just one character - dont fade out.