Example: To Animate Text Tracking - Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 7.0 Manual

Note: If you add the Fill Hue property to Animator 1 and then add the Wiggly selector, both the position and the colors
wiggle, instead of just the colors.
See also
"To create a composition" on page 109
"To enter point text" on page 283
"Range selector properties" on page 300
"Wiggly selector properties" on page 302
"Using keyframes" on page 192
"Methods for previewing compositions" on page 134

Example: To animate text tracking

This example illustrates how easy it is to isolate characters when tracking a line of text. Using the Tracking and Line
Anchor animator properties, you can easily move all but one or a few characters.
Animating the tracking values for the characters 3579 (left and center) so that only the 7 in the middle remains (right)
Create a new composition.
1
2 Create a new text layer and type 3579.
With the text layer selected, click the Center Text button in the Paragraph panel.
3
Position the pointer away from the text in the Composition panel and when the type pointer changes to the move
4
pointer , drag to move the text to the center of the panel. If necessary, use the Character panel to resize the text so
that it fits within the panel.
Choose View > Show Grid.
5
6 In the Timeline panel, select the text layer and choose Animation > Animate Text > Tracking.
Make sure that Before & After is specified in the Track Type menu.
7
Click the Tracking Amount stopwatch and leave the value at 0 at 0 seconds.
8
9 Move the current-time indicator to 5 seconds and drag the Tracking Amount value until all characters are off the
screen.
Preview the animation.
10
11 With the current-time indicator at 0, take a snapshot of the Composition panel. You will use this, and the grids,
to determine the original location of the number 7 at the end of the animation.
12 Move the current-time indicator to 5 seconds.
Click the Show Last Snapshot button.
13
In the Timeline panel, select Animator 1 and choose Line Anchor from the Add menu.
14
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