[Max Haller]

Are you adding a stroke effect to the shape layer? Shape layers have a built in outline option at the top by the fill color option. You should be able to make the stroke very thin from there.

If the line work itself is separate layer try using the simple choker. The choker effect will let you constrict the alpha of a layer. You maaay be able to make the line thinner that way

[Max Haller]

Well it sounds like you checked all the usual suspects. Are you sure it’s the same/correct fonts? (some of the letters look like they’re a pixel or two shorter)

I’ve had situations where its pretty much the same but it was something like Franklin Gothic xb OTC and i had something similar that after effects linked to. Also go and manually change the fonts. In that same troubled project, I would change the font like normal and the character window would show the correct font but the actual layer wouldn’t update until i changed it and changed it back.

have you tried opening the template in a new project? or clearing your cache and all that?

[Max Haller]

Thats just what happens when you displace the layer so much. its like smeared to the edges of the displacement map. What are you trying to displace?

[Max Haller]

I’m not very familiar with the autotrace function so maybe Richard will be able to help you further with that.

But one thing you might want to try to pasting the path from the mask into a shape layer and using a shape instead of a mask. I say that because then you can actually just adjust the stroke of the shape. although depending on your shape and situation that might be not work well. Would you be able to post a screenshot of your problem?

[Max Haller]

Its not doing what you’re expecting because the shape isn’t a stroke. Its probably a stroke in illustrator but its being treated as a solid shape. You can see that it’s trimming the path around the shape you thought was a stroke. See how it says Group 1 instead of shape, open that up and see if it’s multiple shapes that are merged or something.

It’s not making random shapes, the arcs that pop up is from the trim path drawing the objects in the group 1 and then your telling it to fill that group with white. If its a simple shape you’re better off just using the pen tool in after effects and setting the stroke width to however wide you want it. Remove the fill and use stroke color instead and then trim path should do what you’re imaging.

[Max Haller]

you can probably just use the ripple effect. make the wave height and width like around 100 and increase the radius and then you should be able to start seeing it kick in

[Max Haller]

The shockwave tutorial will probably be useful as others have said. Check this one out from video copilot too. Might help to make the firey part if shockwave doesn’t give you what you’re looking for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff0rdzVROeA

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[Max Haller]

Yeah it looks like its animated masks revealing the logo. But if that doesn’t give you the look you need you might find some of these techniques useful if you want to try to reveal it by animating it’s lighting to have it fade off in the shadows.
Video copilot fantasy text tutorial : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAtn2t_GrF4

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[Max Haller]

Agreeing with others I don’t think you’ll have much luck with the toon effect. Now the toon shader in C4d can give you some more useful results but it will obviously be much different then trying to apply a filter to footage you might have. You’d have to model everything and animate it all in Cinema, but it can output a cool cartoon style

[Max Haller]

I would think Dave is right with something being maladjusted or the expression is off. Could you post a screenshot of whats going so we can see better. I’ve never experienced a layer just moving to the side like youre describing.