• Adobe After Effects Expressions

  Lower Third > SourceRectAtTime()

  Posted by Thom Buiting on June 25, 2020 at 1:40 pm

  Hi all,

  I have some trouble with a lower third I’m working on.
  I know what I want but I can’t make it happen ☺ Classic.

  So I have a name inside a red box which will automatically change size when typing.
  I used SourceRectAtTime() for that and it’s working.
  At the end of the box I want to add a separate shape layer so de box looks cut off.
  I tried parenting the shape layer to the red box but it doesn’t seem to work…

  So now it looks like a lower third > huge gap > shape layer.

  Does anyone know how I can link it all together?
  And is it possible to put a matte layer on top of that which is animating on the length of the lower third?
  So the speed of the animation (in and out) adapts to the length of the red box.

  Layers:
  Matte (with the cut edge)
  Text layer
  Red box
  Shape layer (with the cut edge)

  The end result needs to be like this:
  14198_lowerthird2020.mp4.zip

  Hopefully someone can help me with this.

  Thanks in advance,
  Thom

  Thom Buiting replied 6 years, 1 month ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Robert Müller

  June 26, 2020 at 9:03 am

  I assume your red box is a rectangular path in a shape layer as well? to link the other shape to the edge of your box you must link it to the width of the box.
• 

  Thom Buiting

  June 29, 2020 at 8:32 am

  Hi Robert,

  Thanks! Helped a lot.
  Although I’m running in some issues now.

  When starting the name with most characters it looks great and the cut shape layer keeps in place following the length of the name. However when the name starts with T, U, V, W or Y the red box moves slightly to the right. With this the lower third is not on the position I want it to be and the cut shape layer looks weird not being placed correctly.

  Is it possible to lock the position of the red box? So it is always lined on the ruler.
  And the height of the red box doesn’t need the SourceRectAtTime() as it needs to be 80 px no matter what.

  For the IN and OUT animation I created a matte which is linked to the width of the red box.
  Only when animating the matte keeps changing position. Is it possible to lock this as well?
  So I’ll place it left from the lower third and animate it with the width scale from 0% to 100%.

  Some images attached:
  lowerthird_creativecow_01.png
  lowerthird_creativecow_02.png
  lowerthird_creativecow_03.png

  Regards,
  Thom

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