What is the quickest way to create a write on effect such as this?

[Valentino Laz]

Hi Dave,

Thank you for the quick response, I am talking about the text that comes in every now and then, orange first and white over it.

Please see image:
https://imgur.com/aBnrWXq

View post on imgur.com

[Juliette Backey]

Trim paths with the simultaneous option checked will do that effect of each letter in the word being revealed at the same time. However, it’s not exactly a quick process. Look up trim paths and you’ll find tons of videos showing you how to use it.

[Valentino Laz]

Hi Juliette, thank you for the reply.

This method is exactly what I have been using, this process is ridiculously long winded!

This is the process I have been following:
Step 1 – Create Text
Step 2 – Create New Shape Layer
Step 3 – Create outlines of Text with line shapes on the indicidual paths in the shape layer
Step 4 – Alpha matte text layer with the shape layer
Step 5 – Animate Trip Paths

Process time:
average 20-30 minutes for 3/4 words.

If only there was a way to convert text to shape layers then invert the shapes/remove outlines and keep some sort of skeleton/center line of the letter/number, then applying continuing from step 4 above – that would solve this long winded process I believe…

Anyone have a way around this?

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

1 Create text
2 Right-click and select “create shapes from text”
3 Add trim paths and animate end value from 0 to 100

Less than one minute.

[Valentino Laz]

Hi Kalle,

Thanks for your reply, but unfortunately that does not work in replicating the reference video text above.

This method creates 2 strokes around a text character and not an individual line through a text character, as what would be required for the effect we are looking for.

Thanks though! 🙂

[Valentino Laz]

I have found this article:

https://www.macprovideo.com/hub/after-effects/after-effects-shape-layer-index-hierarchy

Does anyone think that this idea could be applied to what I am looking to do?

Thanks in advanced!