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415-462-1982

This effect creates text that writes on with a strange blur, similar to the effect from the title sequence of "The Sixth Day" - a Schwartzenegger film that only 47 people saw (we were 2 of those people).

Instructions

1. Create a new comp - 320x240, 2 seconds long, 30 fps. Call it "Main Comp".
2. Create a solid in the comp (Layer>New Solid) and call it "Text". 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. Pre-compose your text layer by selecting it, and going to layer > pre-compose (cmd-shift-C). Call the pre-compose "Text".
5. Duplicate your "text" layer in your "Main comp". The layer on bottom will be your regular text layer, the top text layer is your effected text layer that will have the Hi-Tech look applied to it. You can rename the bottom layer "Text" and the top layer "Effected Text" to make things easier.
6. Create a new solid and make it white, about 80 pixels wide and 200 pixels tall. Call it "Glow". Make sure the "Glow" layer will be the top layer in your comp. Rotate the layer 18 degrees.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Set the track matte (TrkMat) of the "Effected Text" to Alpha Matte "Glow". As soon as you change the track matte settings, the top text layer will no longer be visible (the eye will turn off).
11. Go to the last frame of your comp and double click the "Text" layer, which should be the bottom layer of the comp. Use the rectangle tool to draw a mask. Select all of the text. Hit the "M" key to bring up the mask in the time line and make a keyframe (or hit option-M).
12. Go to the first frame of your comp. Make sure the "Text" layer mask is still open and drag your mask to the left so that none of the text shows.
13. You may need to tweak your mask a bit to get it exactly right, but that's the gist.