animating kerning / tracking

[Bob Root]

If you twirl down your text layer you’ll see an Animate option just to the right. Select the Tracking option and then keyframe the Tracking Amount to your liking.

[John Cuevas]

Use the text tool to create your text and choose where you want the characters to track from. If you want them to spread from the left you would choose the left justified choice in the paragraph window, spread from the center, you would choose a center justification….

Now that you have setup your text, twirl open the text tool, open the “Animate” flyout and choose tracking. Simply keyframe the tracking amount from a negative number to 0 and your text will start touching and then spread out.

You could also animate the opacity from here so that it fades up as it’s spreading apart.

That’s just the absolute basics of using text animators, for more check out Andrew Davis’s Tutorials on the subject. You can find them here, and he covers text animators from 37 to 45.

Johnny Cuevas, Editor
Thinkck.com

“I have not failed 700 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
—THOMAS EDISON on inventing the light bulb.

[Chris Brett]

Hi John

….. many thanks …. much appreciated …. it never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to get stuck on something like this if you dont know where the buttons are ! ! !

Excellent forum BTW

All the best — chris brett

=====================================================

[Chris Brett]

Cheers Bob — many thanks —-chris–

[Roland R. kahlenberg]

Heya John, don’t mind if I butt in a wee bit here.

When using the Tracking, Text Animator Property, it is a good idea that you will want to add the Text Animator Property, Line Anchor. Line Anchor allows you to set the tracking anchor point to any point within a text string; disregarding the (initial) paragraph setting.

Line Anchor also allows you to have different in-point and out-point anchors for your text tracking if you use Hold KFs at appropriate times.

HTH
RoRK

Intensive AE & Mocha Training in Singapore and Malaysia
Adobe ACE/ACI (version 7) & Imagineer Systems Inc Approved Mocha Trainer

[Chris Brett]

— thanks Roland – nice addition —–chris —

[John Cuevas]

I never mind anyone butting in, when the end result is I learn something new. Thanks for the addition, Roland.

Johnny Cuevas, Editor
Thinkck.com

“I have not failed 700 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
—THOMAS EDISON on inventing the light bulb.

[Alex Serban]

Thank you so much for this additional but crucial point! it was exactly what I was looking for