Custom Text Box (Creating a Text Portrait)

[Kevin Camp]

if you are able to create the text portrait in photoshop, assuming the text will be created on separate layers, you could import that psd into ae as a comp (with retain layer sizes checked).

then you could use a simple expression and expression control to animate the layers in 3d space by doing the following:

1. create a new null (layer>new>null layer) and name it ‘control null’
2. add a 3d point control to the null (effects>expression control>3d point control)
3. select your first text layer, reveal the position property, select that property and choose animation>add expression
4. copy and paste this expression into the expression field:
   p1 = thisComp.layer(“control null”).effect(“3D Point Control”)(“3D Point”);
   seedRandom(index, true);
   value + random(-p1, p1)
5. then right-click the position property and choose copy expression only
6. select all the other text layers and choose edit>paste
7. then select all the text layers and make them 3d (click the little 3d cube icon from the layers switches of one of the selected layers)

now all the layers will be randomly positioned within he range set bu the 3d point control. animate the point control to go from, say, 1000,1000,1000 to 0,0,0 and the layers should all animate from being randomly spread out, to being in their original position. set the animation values as needed.

you can also animate any of the text layers as needed, if some are distracting, or need to be in the frame at certain points in the animation, just animate their positions to move them as needed.

—-edit—–

i should also add that you could animate a 3d camera moving through the text as it comes together to mimic the example.

Kevin Camp
Art Director
KCPQ, KZJO & KRCW

[C. blake Davis]

Well, sir, I have two questions: Where did you learn all this, and where are your tutorial videos, cause I’d watch that in a heartbeat.

Thank you, very unique solutions.

[Kevin Camp]

Well I learned a lot of it here on this forum… that and tutorials.

As for my own tutorials, I’ve thought about it, but never seem to find the time… it’s more convenient for me to peruse the forums when i have down time.

I meant to ask you this before, but i curious about how you’d create the text portrait in Photoshop… would you do it by hand, or is there some short of cool plugin or process that can help out?

Kevin Camp
Art Director
KCPQ, KZJO & KRCW