{"id":491,"date":"2020-10-05T13:42:52","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T13:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp260-1300-intro-2d-animation-fall-2020\/?page_id=491"},"modified":"2021-11-08T16:03:06","modified_gmt":"2021-11-08T16:03:06","slug":"week-12","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/ani-260-1301-intro-2d-animation-fall-2021\/week-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 12"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Animating text in After Effects<\/h1>\n

While all the basic transforms (Anchor Point, Position, Scale, Rotation, Opacity) can be applied to Text Layers, they also have unique properties. \u00a0Text Layer Animator Properties allow you to control the individual characters and\/or words within a layer and to create more dynamic animated text.<\/p>\n

Adding some text<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Before animating any chunk of text, you must type it in:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Activate the Text tool\u00a0*Keyboard shortcut: Cmd + T<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. Make sure the Character panel is visible (Go to\u00a0Window > Character)<\/i>\u00a0and set the font type, size and color<\/li>\n
  3. Click once on the composition and type the text.<\/li>\n
  4. Position the text where you\u2019d like its final position to be (you can use the Align panel to center it on the composition.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Finding the Text Animator options<\/h3>\n

    The text Animator options are listed inside the Text layer:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Toggle the arrow to the left of the Text layer<\/li>\n
    2. To the right of the Text tab, you will see an\u00a0Animate<\/em>\u00a0menu\"ScreenAnimator properties (click and hold to see full list)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Using a Text Animator<\/h3>\n

      There are 17 Animator Properties and each of them has several basic and advanced parameters. They are listed within the little \u201cAnimate\u201d button to the right of the Text tab within the Text Layer.\u00a0For a complete list and descriptions, you can visit\u00a0the official Adobe page<\/a>. \u00a0We will use the position property to demonstrate how the different parameters will affect the way the text moves:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Click on the\u00a0Animate<\/em>\u00a0menu and select the\u00a0Position\u00a0<\/em>property. Notice that an Animator 1 tab has been added to your text layer. Rename it (i.e: position) to keep things clear in case you decide to add another animator.<\/li>\n
      2. The two values of the\u00a0Position\u00a0<\/em>property represent how much the horizontal and vertical position of the text will change.<\/li>\n
      3. The\u00a0Range Selector\u00a0<\/em>tab gives us the option to set the portion of the text layer we want the animator to affect.\n