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Activity Forums Apple Motion How to create a shadow for text with a path applied?

  • How to create a shadow for text with a path applied?

    Posted by Gareth Randall on December 1, 2013 at 10:12 am

    I’m making a movie promo for my channel, and I’ve created this text using a path in Motion 4…

    I want to make the text look like it’s casting a shadow on the ground. I duplicate the text layer and rotate the X axis…

    Obviously I don’t want the shadow text curving away from the upper text, but I can only do that, or this (using the “Inside Path” option):

    If I try to rotate the shadow text round so that the orientation looks correct with respect to the upper text, the shadow text curves away from the upper text rather than following the path the way it needs to.

    I’ve duplicated the path, applied the duplicate to the shadow text and then tried adjusting it, but as soon as you start moving the points of the path, the text automatically flips round so that the letters are the right way up.

    I’m probably missing something obvious here, but is there any way I can do this other than using the glyph tool to rotate and position each letter of the shadow text individually?

    Don Smith replied 12 years, 8 months ago 3 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Simon Ubsdell

    December 1, 2013 at 11:29 am

    Duplicate the text layer and rotate it on the X axis through 180 degree. Then simply invert the value of the Y centre control point.

    For the “shadow” I simply used a value of +109 instead of -109 for the control point 2 Y value.

    Hope that makes sense.

    EDIT: Sorry, I misread your post and didn’t realise you were using Path/Geometry, which does cause the problems you are encountering. Try using Open Spline instead of Geometry and you can control thing much more easily.

    Simon Ubsdell
    http://www.tokyo-uk.com

  • Gareth Randall

    December 1, 2013 at 3:23 pm

    Thankyou!

  • Don Smith

    December 2, 2013 at 10:19 pm

    Here’s something to try..

    I just bought Mark Spencer’s excellent Moving Text in Motion tutorials and in the last lesson he rotates text around a planet.

    First he puts the text on a path (a circle) then rotates the text OBJECT -90 degrees in the X rotation of the properties tab.

    Then go to the TEXT tab > Format > Advanced Formatting and you’ll find another X rotation. Put it at 90 degrees.

    Good so far but the text is backward reading.

    Go to the Text tab > Layout tab > Path Options and check “Inside Path”. The text now reads correctly.

    While that doesn’t answer your problem directly I pass this along because you might be able to duplicate the text, rotate the duplicate text object, then rotate the text in the Advanced Formatting pane, and then, if necessary, check Inside Path.

    Just throwing that out there. Thank you Mark Spencer!

    NewsVideo.com

  • Don Smith

    December 4, 2013 at 12:56 pm

    Yes, Andy, but Mark has that information in his Moving Text in Motion tutorial where I originally saw it. I had forgotten that I just recently saw the MBS clip you mention that has some of those same tips.

    NewsVideo.com

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