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This effect creates the appearance of light shining across text (or an object). You've seen it often and here's a cheater-template.

Note: You can do this with even faster with CC LightSweep, part of Cycore FX and included in Adobe After Effects Professional.

Instructions

1. Create a new comp - 320x240, 2 seconds long, 30 fps.
2. Create a solid in the comp (Layer > New Solid) and call it "Text Layer". Make this new solid 320x240.
3. Use the basic text filter to create your text on the "Text Layer". (If you decide to use text that you have imported from another program, make sure that your text file has an alpha channel).
4. Duplicate your text layer. The layer on top will be your alpha matte layer for the glow, the bottom layer is your text that you will see. You can add a nice bevel or drop shadow or anything you like to your bottom text layer. Make it pretty!
5. Create a new solid and make it white, about 80 pixels wide and 200 pixels tall. Call it "Glow". Make sure the "Glow" layer is the top layer in your comp.
6. Double click the "Glow" layer and the mask comes up. Use the rectangle tool in the tools palette to draw a mask. You want the left and right sides to be cropped. Rotate this layer about 18 degrees.
7. With the "Glow" layer selected, hit the F key - the shortcut to feather your mask. Set it to 30. You only need to feather the horizontal.
8. Go to frame 1 of your comp and drag the "Glow" layer's position to the left of your text. Set a keyframe. Go to the last frame of your comp and drag the glow layer position to the right of your text. A keyframe will automatically set.
9. Set the transfer control on the "Glow" layer to add, or anything that looks good to you. Also, set the track matte (TrkMat) to Luma Matte "Text". As soon as you change the track matte settings, the top text layer will no longer be visible (the eye will turn off).

Go to the Gleam 2: Gleam Behind Words Tutorial