Learn how to animate live text in After Effects using editable text layers rather than static image imports. This article walks through using starter files, reference layers, and animation techniques to build dynamic text compositions with greater flexibility.
Key Insights
- Animating live text in After Effects provides more flexibility and creative control than working with imported image files that contain static text.
- When working with reference graphics that cannot be edited, users can replicate layouts by lowering opacity, locking layers, and manually entering formatted text using the appropriate fonts.
- Noble Desktop's training includes guidance on using composition settings, layer management tools like locking and opacity, and proper importing techniques such as using "composition with retained layer sizes."
Note: These materials offer prospective students a preview of how our classes are structured. Students enrolled in this course will receive access to the full set of materials, including video lectures, project-based assignments, and instructor feedback.
Animate in text layers is 3C. So, nothing in what we've done so far in this lesson has been actual text layers. The imported layer from Illustrator, in Illustrator it's text and you can edit it, here it's just a picture of text.
Okay, but sometimes it is more convenient to actually have live text animate live text. Okay, for the record, by the way, if we had typed out how many of us at all do social media question mark, we could have used the text animation features to give us far more options on how to animate. Okay, the reason we didn't is because very often custom text typography like that is not given to you as text.
You don't have the font, it's a picture. So, it's not always a practical solution. But if it's just regular text that you can have the font for or somebody can give you the font, you will have more options.
And that's what the next section is about, more options. Okay, sometimes what I get is a flat graphic without layers and it's like, can you create this in After Effects? Yeah, sure, sure, maybe. The answer for the record is maybe.
If it's text shapes, sure no problem at all. If it's photographic stuff, yeah, no, that's a Photoshop thing. Okay, so, but sometimes I get like these references that are just like, can you recreate this? Okay, and the answer is, like I said, sometimes it depends on what it is.
Now, but that's the next scenario. So, if you did not finish, there is a starter file, which by the way, would just be all this stuff. Okay, now, do you need to be finished to use your file? No, as long as it starts off with a screen of gray, you can keep working on this file.
That's the key. Okay, but if you didn't get to the starting gray screen, because you haven't finished that, then use the starter file. So, 3C, page 81.
So, basically, I'm going to use a starter file. So, I'm going to open a project. The starter file is called ready for text animation.
It's in finished projects, ready for text animation. And then, like I said, it's all it is, is what I had before. I'm going to save as, and I keep replacing my jarring infographic.
But again, if you want to make another version of it, go right ahead. Maybe you want to keep working on your file. Okay, so look, all this is going to do is, again, I need to make… I'm going to make a dummy comp, because I'm going to import a new file, make a comp right from that.
Now, composition, new composition. Because for the record, I don't know if I've changed that or not. Because technically, it's not when I make a new comp that it sets the default.
It's whenever you go to composition settings and make a change that it sets the default. So, I just want to confirm that my default is still 15 seconds. Okay, so I say, okay, I trashed that dummy comp.
And then, when I import the next thing I'm importing, which is screen one, by the way, it will be, okay, it will be that. So, this, I'm going to import this as composition maintained layer sizes. Wait, is that right? Wait a minute, one second, sorry.
Yeah, okay. Now, for the record, this file only has one layer. That's all it has.
That's one layout. That's it, okay. Okay, so that, these checkboxes are off, boom, comes in.
Okay, I'll double click on that to open it. And like I said, it's one layer. That's all it is, okay.
I'm going to lower the opacity of that one layer, because I'm going to use this as a reference. This is going to be our reference, and I'm going to make some text in here. Okay, now, by the way, one note, about halfway through these instructions, it says there's a big box.
You know, if you have Illustrator, you can go to Illustrator and copy the text, and then paste it in, and it would save you the problems of formatting it. But if you don't have Illustrator, you're going to have to format it yourself. So, have a look, okay.
So, I got that, I'm cool. I lowered the opacity of this. By the way, if it's easier for you to see this against a lighter background, you can go to composition, composition settings, and change the background color.
I think it's easier for me to see it against black, but it's a preference, okay, whatever you want. So, I lowered that layer's opacity. So, basically, it's just going to do that.
Okay, I'm going to lock that layer, so it doesn't actually move around. And it's my, just a new reference. When a layer is locked, you can't do nothing to it until you unlock it.
Okay, by the way, command L would lock a layer or control L. Command shift L or control shift L would unlock all layers. You can also do it from layer switches, it's right in here. It's fine.
So, now I'm in my text. Woohoo, text, text. Okay, look, the instructions give you the starter size.
That is completely unrealistic because you would know I'm going to give you the size. So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take my type tool.