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panning a page of foreign text
Hi
I want to have foreign text pan across the screen and have it continue on the next line. The text is many pages so my question is what is the best and most time efficient method to do this. The text on the next line needs to flow together with previous line. Any help with suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks
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6 Replies
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Are you scanning this or is it in a file , like a .doc or .txt file?
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OK, that was probably a stupid question, if it were in a file you can Paste it into PhotoShop’s text tool then import into AE, see this:
https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/202/877173
But, thinking on it, I’m sure you probably scanned it… let me think on that a bit.
Aside from masking a repositioning multiple copies (or duplicates) nothing easy jumps to mind.
Someone else please jump in.
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The pages are scanned and and traced in illustrator. Text will be crawling right to left. There probably isn’t an easy method to do this. What came to mind was using screen video capture software and record it in Illustrator by just manually clicking bottom left scroll button. Problem is it scrolls too quick. Don’t know how to slow it down. Thinking of doing this for every line and then make a right to left wipe in premiere to make it look like continuous text. Hope this makes sense. My question is, is there an easier method in AE than going for this crude method? And not sure what other problems I’ll run into. The screen resolution is around 450×150.
Thanks
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The recording would not be in Illustrator but done by using the screen capture software like the ones used to show video tutorials on this and other sites. Hope that makes sense. The resolution is aimed at players which have 3-4″ screens.
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OK, this will work, a Dan Ebberts Grid expression.
This will work really great if all the layers are the same size and trimmed so that the right edge stop just after the last letter. I realize this is not going to happen but there’s a fix at the end.
1) Import your AI file as a composition to get all the layers in one comp. We’re going to make the comp the part that will scroll, very wide and only the height of one layer. Make sure the comp is long enough for your scrolling animation, time-wide.
So say each layer is 300 pixels wide and 100 pixels tall and there are 100 layers total, then make the comp 30,000 pixels wide and 100 pixels in height. The 30,00 is actually the AE limit, so more than that you’ll have to break the scrolling into separate comps (see #7 below). Anyway here’s how to setup that one long skinny comp.
2) To the top expression add this expression to position (Copy the expression, Alt-click the Position Stopwatch, and Paste, click outside the box):
numRows = 1;
numCols = 100;// number of layers you want to scrollrow = Math.floor((index – 1)/numCols);
col = (index – 1)%numCols;
x = col*width + width/2;
y = row*height + height/2;
xOffset = (this_comp.width – numCols*width)/2;
yOffset = (this_comp.height – numRows*height)/2;[x,y] + [xOffset,yOffset]
Note: “numCols” in line 2 equals the number of layers to be scrolled.
Now select the expression, and then Edit>Copy Expression Only, then select all the layers (Ctrl A) and Paste.
All the layers should now be spread across the screen in the comp. There should be only the text layers in the comp or it will mess the expression up, we’ll animate it in the main comp.
3) Like I said, if the layers are all the same, no spaces etc, then your done. but I know you’re not they’ll be gaps and spaces where you don’t want them. So we’re going to Convert the expression to keyframes, parent the layers to a Null and shift them to the right accordingly.
4) Converting Expression to keyframes.
Ctrl A selects all layer, “P” reveals position. Select all the expressions by dragging a little selection box from the top expression down to the bottom layer, and then Animation>Keyframes Assistant>Convert Animation to keyframes.
5) Shifting layers as needed.
At time zero, frame 1, Add a null, Layer>New>Null Object.
In the Parent Column (if not showing, Right-Click next to Source Name, top of layer, and choose Columns>Parent).
Parent all the layers to the Null (Ctrl A) Then pickwhip to the Null or select the Null as the Parent for any layer, all the others will have the Null as their parent.Now starting at the top say the first shift needs to occur between layer 2 and 3, select ALL the layers from 3 Down the stack (Ctrl A, then deselect the top 2 with Clicking on the top 2 and holding down Control). Now drag that 3rd layer to the left (holding shift will keep it perfectly horizontal) and all the layers to the right will slide with it. Sometimes the Arrow Keys are easier to use to get that perfect Horizontal reposition. Anyway slide them left.
The layer will slide under, if you need it on top, select just that layer and move it up above in the stack. You can also use masks (the Rectangular Mask Toll (M reveals the mask, you’ll probably need to check the Invert box) to cut off the right or left edges, then slide all accordingly.
That’s basically it for you one very wide, not very tall comp to be scrolled in your main comp.
6) In the main comp (NTSC PAL?) add you scroll comp (the one we just created. Drag it so the left hand edge is just offscreen right, and add this expression to Position:
currentFrame = timeToFrames();
value – [currentFrame*1.4,0]
This will scroll that long layer at 1.4 pixels per frame, a weird thing I know, but it’s what the guy asked for when he asked Dan the question(yes another Dan Ebbert’s expression). So change that 1.4 to get whatever speed of scrolling you want.
7) You’re probably better off breaking the project down into manageable pieces, so there might be 4 or 5 long skinny files to be scrolled instead of just one.
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Thanks for all the info. It’ll take me some time to do this. Will let you know of the outcome.
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