Text Animation - Beyond the Basics

Topics covered in this After Effects tutorial:

Text Animation for Graphics, Using Dingbat Fonts, Text on a Path, Using Text Animators

Exercise Preview

Exercise Overview

In this exercise you’ll work with text animation as a tool for animating graphics.

Previewing the Final Video

1. Let’s see a preview of what you’ll be making. If you’re in After Effects, keep it open but switch to your Desktop.
2. On the Desktop, navigate to Class Files > After Effects Advanced Class> Text Animation > Preview Movie and double–click Shape Animation - HUD.mp4.

3. Notice the following:

   • There are two groups of animated text, one on either side of the screen.
   • There is an animated graphic with growing bars at the bottom of the screen, that is made of text as well.
   • There are two sets of animated arrows running towards each other, this is made from a text layer too.

4. Replay the video if you need to, and close it when done.

Setting Up the Workspace

1. In After Effects, go to Window > Workspace > Standard.

2. Choose Window > Workspace > Reset “Standard” to Saved Layout.

3. If the After Effects window does not fill the screen, maximize it:

   Mac:	At the top left of the window, click the green button (the third button).
   Windows:	At to the top right of the window, click the Maximize button (the middle button).

Getting Started

1. In After Effects, if you have a project open, choose File > Save.

2. Choose File > Open Project and:

   • Navigate to Desktop > Class Files > After Effects Advanced Class > Text Animation.
   • Double–click on Text Animation - Started.aep to open it.

3. Choose File > Save As > Save As and:

   • Name the file Your Name - HUD.aep and
   • Save it into Desktop > Class Files > After Effects Advanced Class> Text Animation.

Setting Up the Percentage Graph

Before we can animate our graph we have to set up the artwork. In this part of the lesson you’ll use the imported artwork as a template and use AE shape layers to re–create the graphic.

1. In the Composition panel, click on the Graph - Percentage Bars layer to select it.

2. Press Cmd–Shift–C (Mac) or Ctrl–Shift–C (Windows) and in the Pre–compose dialog box:
   • Change the New Composition name to Graph - Percentage Bars
   • Click the radio button next to Leave all attributes in…
   • Click on the switch for Open New Composition if it isn’t already enabled.
   • Click OK
3. With the Graph - Percentage Bars comp now open in the Timeline, click on the first layer to select it and:
   • Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) on the keyboard and rename the layer Graph Template
   • Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) again to finalize the name change.
4. Press T on the keyboard and change the layer’s Opacity to 50
   • Press T again to hide the Opacity property.
   • Press the lock icon to the left of the layer name to lock it.

5. Press Cmd–K (Mac) or Ctrl–K (Windows) or choose Composition > Composition Settings and:

   • Click off the Lock Aspect Ratio switch if it’s on.
   • Set Width to: 350
   • Set Height to: 350
   • Click OK.

6. In the Project panel, drag the new Graph - Percentage Bars comp into the 02 - Pre Comps folder.

7. In the Tools panel, long press on the Rectangle tool and choose the Ellipse tool.

8. In the tool options, hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) on your keyboard and click on the Fill color box until it displays the none symbol.

9. Click on the Stroke color box and set the color to 6A90FA

10. Set the Stroke Width to 8.

11. Make sure the Bezier Path switch is not turned on.

12. Click on the Timeline panel to make it active.

13. Double–click on the Ellipse tool in the Tools panel.

    This creates a new shape layer where the ellipse is the same dimensions as the active comp. Keep in mind, if your comp dimensions are rectangular, you will end up with an oval instead of a circle.

14. With the new shape layer selected, press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) on the keyboard to make the name editable.

    • Change the layer name to Rings.
    • Click on any empty area on the Timeline or Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) again to finalize the change.

15. In the shape layer, reveal Contents > Ellipse 1 > Ellipse Path 1 and:

    • Reduce the width and height until the ellipse is about the same size as the reference. We used 280, 280

16. Click on any empty space in the Timeline to deselect everything and then click on Ellipse 1 and:

    • Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) on the keyboard to make the name editable.
    • Change the shapes name to Outer Ring
    • Click on any empty area on the Timeline or Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) again to finalize the change.

17. With the Outer Ring selected, press Cmd–D (Mac) or Ctrl–D (Windows) to duplicate the shape, creating Outer Ring 2.

18. With the new shape selected:

    • Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) on the keyboard to make the name editable.
    • Change the shapes name to Mid Ring
    • Click on any empty area on the Timeline or Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) again to finalize the change.

19. Reveal Mid Ring > Ellipse 1 > Ellipse Path 1 and:

    • Change Size until the shape covers the ring of the template. We used 230, 230

20. Make sure the Selection tool is active and change the Stroke Width to 2

21. In the Timeline, click on the Mid Ring shape to make it active and:

    • press Cmd–D (Mac) or Ctrl–D (Windows) to duplicate the shape, creating Mid Ring 2
    • Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) on the keyboard to make the name editable.
    • Change the shapes name to Inner Ring.
    • Click on any empty area on the Timeline or Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) again to finalize the change.

22. Reveal Mid Ring > Ellipse 1 > Ellipse Path 1 and:

    • Change Size until the shape covers the ring of the template. We used 230, 230

23. Make sure the Selection tool is active and change the Stroke Width to 5

24. Click on the Outer Ring shape to select it and:

    • Choose Add > Trim Paths.

25. Adjust the Start and End properties of the Trim Paths 1 until the ring is about the same length as the reference. We used a Start of 50 and an End of 80

26. Save the project by choosing File > Save or pressing Cmd–S (Mac) or Ctrl–S (Windows).

Animating Text as a Graphic

While shape layers do have a lot of very helpful features for animation, sometimes using a text layer will yield an easier or better result.

1. If necessary, double–click on the Graph - Percentage Bars composition to open it.

2. Click on the Text tool to activate it and:

   • Click on the Character panel’s menu .
   • Choose Reset Character.
   • Click on the Paragraph panel’s menu .
   • Choose Reset Paragraph.

3. In the Character panel use the eyedropper tool to math the text color to the lines you created previously.

4. Click anywhere in the Composition panel to create a text layer.

   • Type nnnnnnnnnn (thats the lowercase letter n ten times).
   • In the Timeline, click on the text layer, this finalizes the text creation.

5. In the Character panel change:

   • Font Family: Wingdings
   • Vertical Scale: 125
   • Horizontal Scale: 30
   • Tracking: 350

   This will give you 10 rectangles. We’ll make some more later after we wrap them around a circular path.

6. With the text layer still selected, press the Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) key on your keyboard and rename the layer bars.

   • Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) again to finalize the change.

7. With the text layer still highlighted, activate the Ellipse tool.

   NOTE: If the Ellipse tool isn’t visible, long press on the current shape tool to reveal it. You can also press Q on the keyboard to switch between the available shape tools.

8. Hold shift and drag in the Composition panel to crate a circular mask. Try to make the mask the approximate size of the outer ring.

   NOTE: Part of the text layer will end up hidden, don’t worry you’ll fix this next.

9. In the Timeline panel, switch the function of Mask 1 from Add to None.

   NOTE: It is possible to switch the function of amask while you are creating it. Just press the first letter of each function to switch to it, so N=None, A=Add, S=Subtract, etc.

10. On the bars layer, click the reveal arrow next to Text and then:

    • click the reveal arrow next to Path Options.

11. From the Path menu choose Mask 1. The bars are now aligned to the inside of the mask path.

12. Click Reverse Path to On, now they are aligned to the outside.

13. Adjust First Margin until the first bar lines up with the reference image. We used -175.

14. In the Character panel adjust Baseline Shift until the bars line up with the reference image vertically. We used -15.

15. Click on the Type tool to activate it and click on the bars graphic in the Composition

16. Type n (lowercase n) to add more bar until you have about as many as the reference image.

    You don’t have to be exact here, no one is every going to see the reference image except you.

1. Press Cmd–Return (Mac) or Ctrl–Enter (Windows) to finalize the text editing.

2. Click off the eye for the Graph Template layer to hide it.

3. Save the project by choosing File > Save or pressing Cmd–S (Mac) or Ctrl–S (Windows).

Animating with a Text Animator

In this part of the lesson you’l add a text animator to animate the height of each bar one after the other.

1. Select the bars text layer and locate the Animate button.

2. Click on the Animate button and choose the Scale property to animate. This will add Animator 1 to the text layer.

3. In the new Animator 1, locate the Scale property and click off the link that constrains the width and height.

4. Change the second value (vertical scale) until the bars just almost run off the edge of the comp. We used 150

5. Click on the reveal arrow next to Range Selector 1.

6. Use the reveal arrow to open the Advanced properties of the range selector.

7. Confirm that:

   • Units are set to Percentage
   • Based On is set to either Characters or Characters Excluding Spaces

8. In the main Range Selector properties change the End property to 10%

9. If it isn’t already there, move the playhead to the beginning of the Timeline. We’re going to animate the Offset property of the Range Selector.

10. Change Offset to -10. Since the length of the Range Selector is currently 10% this will push it just before the text boxes start.

11. Click on the stopwatch to enable animation and create the first keyframe.

12. Move the playhead to ****02;00** and change the Offset to 100

13. Hold Opt (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and click on the Offset stopwatch to add an expression.

14. In the expression text field, type loopOut(); and then click outside of the text field to finalize the expression.

15. In the Advanced properties locate the Shape property and change it to Triangle

    The shape property controlls how the property is applied over the text controlled by the range selector.

16. With the bars layer still selected press Cmd~ (Mac) or Ctrl~ (Windows) to hide all properties.

17. Save the project by choosing File > Save or pressing Cmd–S (Mac) or Ctrl–S (Windows).

Animating Text Dynamically

In this part of the lesson, you’ll add an expression to the text to create a sequential counter effect for the 87% text. The simplest way to animate text like this is to animate the property of a null object and then link that animation to the Source Text property of the text layer.

1. Choose Layer > New > Null Object or press Cmd–Opt–Shift–Y (Mac) or Ctrl–Alt–Shift–Y (Windows) to add a new Null Object layer to your Composition.

   This layer will serve as the basis for the text animation we are going to create.

2. Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) on your keyboard and rename the null object to Counter.

3. Press T on your keyboard to reveal the Opacity property.

4. Move the playhead to the beginning of the Timeline and confirm the Opacity is set to 0.

   NOTE: The default Opacity for a Null Object layer is 0 and not 100.

5. Click on the stopwatch button to enable animation.

6. Move the playhead to 04;00 and change the Opacity to 100

7. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and click on the Opacity stopwatch to add an expression.

8. In the Expression text field type loopOut();

9. Click anywhere outside the text field to finalize the expression.

10. Activate the Horizontal Type tool by pressing Cmd–T (Mac) or Ctrl–T (Windows) or clicking it in the Tools panel.

11. From the Character panel menu choose Reset Character

    Repeat this step for the Paragraph panel.

12. In the Character panel, choose your desired font and set the Font Size to 50

13. In the Paragraph panel, press the Right align text button.

14. Click in the Composition panel and type 100

15. In the Timeline, click on the new layer’s reveal arrow to reveal the layer properties.

16. Click on the reveal arrow next to Text to reveal the Source Text property.

17. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and click on the Source Text stopwatch to add an expression.

18. In the Expression text field type in Math.round();

    If you use the code hint that pops up After Effects will automatically place your cursor into parenthesis it creates.

19. If necessary, place your text cursor inside the parenthesis and use the expression pick whip to link it to the Opacity property you animated.

    It should now look something like this Math.round(thisComp.layer(“Counter”).transform.opacity);

    NOTE: If you used a different name for your animated layer, it would be shown where the example above reads counter.

20. Place your cursor outside the parenthesis and add + “%”

    The result should now look like this Math.round(thisComp.layer(“Counter”).transform.opacity) + “%”;

21. Finalize the expression by clicking outside the text field and preview the animation.

22. Activate the Selection tool and use it to position the text layer in the center of the circles.

23. Click on the Shape Animation - HUD tab in the Timeline to return to the main composition.

24. Save your project.