Creatively Using Text Animators in After Effects

In this text animators tutorial for After Effects, Kyle Hamrick will show you how to creatively use text animators to create unique animations in Adobe After Effects.
Download the Project File: bit.ly/2MdaLNl
- Explanation of the Text Animator (2:17)
- Creating a Tapered Stroke (15:31)
- Creating a Path Arrow (21:00)
- Creating an Abstract Dots Pattern (22:59)
- Creating a 3d Extruded Rotating Pattern (28:13)
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Auto-Generated Transcript Below 👇
Music (00:02): [intro music]
Kyle Hamrick (00:11): Hey, what's up. This is Kyle Hamrick with school of motion. In this tutorial, we're going to be talking about a feature that you probably use all the time, but may have never really explored the aftereffects text animator. It's actually one of my favorite features. And after this, maybe it'll be yours too. You can actually use the text animator to create all kinds of cool non-text motion, designing stuff, which could otherwise take tons of layers or complicated expressions to build. You can often create things like this on a single layer with just a couple of key frames. Once you really understand how this tool works, you'll be much more efficient when you do need to animate actual text. There's a free project file included with the article on school of motion.com. But most of the examples we'll be working through are things we'll just be able to build from scratch.
Kyle Hamrick (00:55): Let's check it out and see what we can do with this really powerful tool that you might have totally overlooked. I'm guessing that a lot of people have their first experience with the text animator by typing out some words, and then they dive into these presets over here. Uh, they look at a couple, they apply one and it's okay, but it's kind of lame and weird. And you know, maybe you just assume that it's kind of an outdated tool or something, right. Or maybe you get ambitious and start looking into the properties, but they just seem confusing and they're different than everything else. You just kind of give up there too, but you still needed to get your titles done. So you just broke them all up into individual words or letters and maybe just use the transform properties to bring them in. So, pretty soon you've got like 20 layers here for this basic title and you've got like 50 titles to do.
Kyle Hamrick (01:44): So that's a mess too. Right? So let's stop for just a second and talk about what texts on a computer actually is. It's just a bunch of vector shapes, right? These just happened to be vector shapes that we have collectively given meaning to once you stop viewing the text animator as a way, just to bring on words and understand what it's actually doing, you'll realize it's a really awesome procedural effector based animator for vector shapes. I know what the heck is he talking about? Right. Let's dive in and I'll show you as you can see, I've changed my layout a little bit. When you twirl a text layer open all the way you end up needing quite a bit of vertical space. So this is my timeline over here, just making it so I can see a lot of height. This next portion is going to be a little bit technical.
Kyle Hamrick (02:31): I'm just going to explain how all the different parts of the text animator work. I think it's important for us to understand the tool. So then we can start exploring and have some fun with it. So I'm going to start off by right clicking new text. There's a couple other ways that you can create this. I liked doing it this way because it will be centered in the composition, which is going to be good for this example. I'm just going to hit my period key several times until I've kind of filled up the width of the screen. I find this to be a very helpful way to help understand these various properties and tools are working in here because you're not focusing on this being words. You can just view it as abstract shapes for the purposes of this demonstration. I'm going to go ahead and control D duplicate this layer.
For the full transcript visit: bit.ly/2MdaLNl

[@drg884]

I just sat here the whole time face palming... most informative AE tutorial I've found in years..

[@somegreybloke]

Me too

[@GiwrgosRokasPfo]

@@somegreybloke I've been in 3D school, have been working for 2 years as a VFX compositor and some 2D work, and I'm sitting with my mouth open right now.

[@PixelHelvetica]

i feel you lol

[@linkinaball]

Yes! Me too. :D

[@StoryUnlocked]

yes.

[@DavidMFranks]

WHAAAAA? Why oh why did I not find this earlier. This should be bundled with AE and mandatory viewing for everyone that uses AE. Thanks so much for this.

[@BladeV8]

I really hope someone, somewhere is paying this man a lot of money.

[@shimronnetia]

yes i hope

[@HDHunterDad]

Badass.... No one else actually teaches the TOOL... they only tutorial an effect, or end result. You actually tutorial the CAUSE, the HOW and WHY. Really spectacular.

[@AchHadda]

THIS !!! i always though i needed some plugins to do most of what is done here ! thank you

[@sketchseven]

Absolutely brilliant way of explaining the functionality. Incredibly helpful!

[@JulsFox]

Jaw dropped. Eyes blank. Wig snatched. Edges smoothed. What an unexplored world of possibilities!! Thanks for this video!

[@abieSilva]

Quite possibly the best explanation of these parameters I have ever seen. Good stuff!

[@robbieshand6139]

Outstanding. I love finding tutorials like this - not just how to do something but why it works too. Great job.

[@fmadu]

Brilliant! Finally the text animators explained on a comprehensive way!

[@soniagorgeous]

I’ve been WOWing the whole tutorial, like wow dude this is AWESOME, and amazingly explained. Thanks.

[@SunshineLove26]

This is exactly what I've been looking for to advance myself as an animator. Thank you so much!

[@andrewbredlan417]

WOW. So incredibly helpful, thanks for putting this out here! I went from feeling inspired to having my jaw literally drop with the 3D effects explanation. Again, thank you

[@tkpcreativespace9209]

I've ignored the text animator for so long EVERYTHING is delightfully new!

[@iamtommyok]

Incredible tutorial. Thank you for speaking so clearly and demonstrating all the small settings I would never have thought of exploring!

[@mamanche]

This one of the best tutorials I've ever seen in my entire life. And I've seen and made a few ones!

[@CruellaDeMille]

This was incredible. My jaw literally dropped when watching your last piece!

[@JustinEspejo]

I thoroughly enjoyed this tutorial! Very well explained! I've been watching tuts after tuts and while i was able tocopy what they've done, I still had no idea, why i needed to adjust the Ease high or Ease low or why it had to be ramp up instead of square! This video cleared everything up and just gave me more confidence in myself to learn! thank you! :D

[@johndigby4873]

Hi This is one of the best 'learning' exercise that I have come across. It explains a lot in a simple form with the description of what effect displays. Great Great

[@Foralittleboy]

I am blown away. You did such a fantastic job helping me understand the text tool. Kind of freaking out over here.

[@brepazil]

I have 3 years with ae, but never understand the exact way of text animator works, thank u, you are awesome

[@DarioKham]

Been using AE for 19 years and still learning new things everyday. Best explanation of animator I've seen so far. And some very creative uses as well. Good host and perfect edited length. (PS I watched this at 2x and still kept up along with it.) 30 mins played down to 15 mins... Kudos!

[@digitalbobvideoproduction8684]

Dude, this is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@probablyjared]

Imagine the possibilities! This is amazing man! Thanks for the awesome breakdown and detailed explanation! Subscribed!

[@DaveSy]

This is GOLD. All the things I had no idea were possible with text characters! Up until this point, trim paths was the most amazing tool to me 😀

[@gugumach]

Fantastic presentation. Thanks for taking the time to show the power of text animation.

[@jakov4663]

The best AfterFX tutorial I found. Very eye-opening. I like your approach to the lessons. I understand the Animate tool much better. Amazing work!

[@Koppisettisatyakumar]

I always wanted to learn text animations. This tutorial not only explained the text animator but took these animations to a whole new level that I didn't even think could be possible. BRILLIANT!!! and THANKS A LOT!!!

[@mhoctober]

Hey Kyle - that was a very neat analogy and a perfect example of how an expert communicator uses the comfort of the known to help explain the unknown. Impressive!

[@Fourgees_4GS]

I've been pulling my hair out for the last few hours trying to understand this animator and range selector and this COMPLETELY explained everything. Other tutorials definitely helped but this really laid it out in an easy to understand way. Thanks!

[@alfredmb]

wow ! this is really cool stuffs I've learned & well explained about text animation !

[@nicholasrainey9248]

THIS IS AMAZING AND INSPIRING. Thank you so much for demystifying some of these things!

[@AmobeTv]

The best tutorial explaining text animators I've seen. Thank you very much.

[@AlexandreMS71]

My mind has been drained of uncounted tears of AE and replenished with real knowledge ... thank you.

[@bugragungor9122]

Great tutorial and different point of view. Thank you!

[@Kaleubs]

Dude! I want to give you a hug, Great explanation!

[@dyenksdys]

This is greatest AE Text Animation tutorial I have ever seem. Very calm and detailed.

[@chrishogben5282]

Oh my giddy aunt I couldn't stop grinning the whole way through, especially at the end. Fantastic tutorial, plenty of food for thought, a real game changer, thank you so much!

[@klichmichael1442]

Awesome!!! I knew and even teached the Range Selector, but you pushed the whole thing to another level. Thank you so much !

[@AnasShroof]

One of the most interesting tuts I've ever watched, keep post the creative stuff

[@hamiltoninspiredmedia]

This tutorial, specifically the way it was created, is very helpful. Explaining like this over simply showing us how to do something really made a difference.

[@onrimotiondesign]

I jump back to this tutorial every 6 months or so. There's so much good info in this FREE video. Thank you School of Motion!

[@junew2203]

I have spent the last two months trying to understand the animate tool and no one really broke it down like this. My jaw has hit the floor and you've flooded my brain with SO many ideas. THANK YOU!

[@dvhughesdesign]

Fantastic video. Well spoken and thorough. Thank you for taking the time.

[@selcukozkan6243]

Brilliant!! You really helped me to learn WHY some functions work certain way. I now realize many so-called after effects gurus didn't fully UNDERSTAND what they were doing.

[@andresalegria4543]

Just amazing! I have always struggled with text animations... And you have explained everything in a great way as I've never seen before... Really apprecitate this :)

[@faydesign1773]

I was guilty of separating every character to animate them, going to use this tool more now! Thanks for making it easier to understand.

[@oscarbutler2089]

This was not only incredibly informative but you made this wonderfully clear and pretty easy to understand considering I am fairly new to After Effects. Thank You!

[@Tognasca]

Best explanation of these parameters I've seen... Usually it is payed for this amount of detail... Thx School of Motion!

[@aliinizi9498]

Amazing! I could watch a tutorial like this for a whole day! Thanks and keep up the good work!

[@bennchisholm7079]

Some really handy tips here! I can already think of heaps of ways to apply this :) thanks!!

[@labrow]

Superb tutorial, one of the best I’ve seen

[@mahmoudhamdy6630]

those techniques man .. super amazing .. I'm really impressed , thanks for sharing and looking forward to see more of this . .thanks man

[@nematurd]

Excellent advice. I would never have thought of using the text animate quite in that way. Thanks

[@gaston.]

Thank you Kyle... many many years with After Effects but could never fully grasp the ramp up/down, square concept.. This has clarified. cheers!

[@mohammedabuzaransari9597]

Wow! This was one of the best tutorials I have ever seen. Thanks, Kyle! Really appreciate it.

[@illgottengains1314]

This is so good! I started playing with AE templates about 6 months ago and I’m starting to build comps from scratch now. I figure, in 5 years I’ll be decent and maybe get a new career started. Thanks for your videos! I try to watch one every day during lockdown. This one will keep me busy for a few days though!

[@JensLynet]

This is AWESOME. Amazing that this half an hour of video will keep me busy for weeks! Thank you so much! VERY useful!!!!

[@ofirshemesh2154]

amazing!!So much fun and so simple with an excellent explanation. Thank you

[@siegroth]

Awesome Tutorial. Finally, i see the true potential of using text animators. Keep up the good work Kyle!

[@TimmyCrackCorn]

MIND = BLOWN. Nice job, Kyle! Amazing revelations here ... I feel like I just took the "red pill" and a whole new reality has been shown to me. Looking forward to seeing more from you.

[@schoolofmotion]

What if I told you you've been using text animators wrong...

[@TimmyCrackCorn]

@@schoolofmotion Of course ... I read the (quite funny) article you wrote that accompanied the video. Absolutely I have , for sure ... and/or just avoiding it much of the time. :)

[@stratospheric-tv]

​@@schoolofmotion you are officially the Morpheus of MoGraph

[@mooterlee]

same here, i am mind blown

[@kleemp]

Man, that was amazing! Thanks for sharing this. Subscribed.

[@HardlySane]

This video has proven to me that I need to take part in all of your courses. Unreal amount of knowledge and information! Thanks, guys!

[@flandino]

Best After Effects tutorial I have watched in a while. It was a little to fast for me at the end (when the effects started to pile up). But I will make sure I go through it slowly until I can master it. Thanks!

[@luism7262]

awesome job man, way to slowly ramp up the knowledge without overwhelming us!

[@rheingoldlounge]

Great stuff, Kyle--thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@avworxaustralia]

Wow! I always loved text animaters but this took me to a whole new level!! amazing!! THANK YOU!

[@MegaSparksss]

I'm speechless, amazing! the possibilities O.o

[@simoharjane7823]

The best video explaining the subject . Always comes back to it

[@SilverAura]

Well you've earned a subscription. I've been binging so many After Effect videos and paying attention to repeat channels with great content I didn't even know I needed to know. This channel checks ALL this boxes. Beautifully.

[@johnfletcher8129]

I'm rather new to After Effects and I found this video to be everything I've been looking for in a tutorial. Thank you so much, I can't say enough how helpful this was.

[@mielconejo]

HONESTLY, hands down the best tutorial I've encountered. Like EVER.

[@jessecortright5832]

Kyle's knowledge about the text engine is unmatched! This info is incredibly valuable. Thanks for sharing.

[@bharathkumar2065]

👏yes true 😊

[@kesslerderkonig7455]

What about the guy that built the text engine?

[@farhanadisa6460]

see modern intro in my youtube kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnKTkJZ7eNaFqpI

[@Ashish-rv5wb]

This one of the most interesting stuff I have ever seen in an AE tutorial. I would have spent tons of hours making these effects. Wait, I think I have already done it. Tons of love... 😍

[@fabchan25]

This is so awesome Kyle. Thank you so much for this!

[@kristinandp]

that's all about AE: you can do anything in a bunch of ways, sometimes really unexpected. thank you for a great tutorial.

[@cutterjohnston5668]

Thank you very much. Two keyframes!!! Sweet. and a clear explanation of the text animators. I've been looking for this.

[@ripppper2]

Most amazing tutorial I’ve seen lately 😳😍

[@sasogoricar82]

Finally, I understand these text animating techniques... very useful tutorial.

[@rahuldeshpande9997]

This is the greatest lecture ever. Thank you so much Kyle!

[@Vitamindevo]

Seriously AE user since 2001 and this is blowing my mind! Great work.

[@CsabiKremser]

Nice and detailed tutorial. The community is so grateful.

[@lukakoprivica]

This is motion graphics poetry... And the bubbly part? Classical music... it was a joy. Thanks!

[@xinyinxu9123]

really great sharing! thx! totally broaden my understanding to text animator and most of all makes me want to use them more intensively and creatively

[@bicktoriousmedia4667]

Great video! Definitely going to explore the Text Animator in After Effects 👍

[@daviddavis5631]

WOW WOW Thank You. These actions remind me of the the movements in Mr.Horse-Animator Composer app but this is much more informative as it explains what and why they are doing what they do.

[@deshhit-dv7gg]

Many Thankx, for a long time I was searching a detailed tutorial on Text animations. Regards

[@FormerlyKnownAsAndrew]

I've watched a lotttt of AE tutorials over the years. This was insanely well done. Powerful use of a native feature. I am going to try all of these examples this weekend.

[@farhanadisa6460]

see modern intro in my youtube kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnKTkJZ7eNaFqpI

[@alanoorchannel4469]

incredible tutorial .... easy to understand the various animation preset and effect function of AE ... thanks a lot

[@mainie_videoediting]

This is literally the best tutorial I've ever seen, it's absolutely perfect. I want to frame it and put it up on my wall.

[@MrQuentini]

Haha my thoughts exactly

[@chisao101-gaming7]

Can't believe I'm just now seeing this. Excellent information. Thank you!

[@Guidus125]

Wow one of the best AE tutorials ive ever seen! Thanks so much

[@TonyFalcon76]

Impressive and instructive tutorial, one of the best!

[@johnnypraze2923]

Haven't used After Effects in years.. I just started working with a company that gives me access to this program and I thank you for sharing your skills and knowledge with the rest of the world. You just got yourself a subscriber!

[@musheershaikhind]

Kyle just solved the myth of text animator, from now onwards I will see text animator with a different way, definitely its the best tutorial I have ever watched in a long time, God bless you Kyle, you are a great tutor! thank you from my inner of the heart!

[@tringuyenminh5008]

One of my favorite channel in KZbin

[@demoreel4schenck840]

WOW! Great video. I've been doing this for a very long time, and I just totally broke through a glass ceiling. Thanks!

[@sanikapalsikar]

I don't think anyone has explained this so beautifully! I want to cry and do a cartwheel at the same time! KYLE!! YOU MY MVP!

[@farhanadisa6460]

see modern intro in my youtube kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnKTkJZ7eNaFqpI

[@silvesterwisdom9706]

This is awesome!! Thanks for sharing, you've done so much for me without knowing❤️❤️👍👍

[@jorgekas1]

One of the best tutorials in years.