[Advice] How to reveal text in After Effects

[thomass49873307]

Hello all,

Just though I would write a post to help those of you struggling with making text reveals in After Effects.

I myself have struggled with this and spent time researching the easiest way in which to do it.

This video (below) is the most comprehensive and easy to follow video I have found to make this effect work, and I hope it helps many beginners like myself too:

Text and Logo Behind Mask Reveal - After Effects Tutorial - YouTube

Have a good day!

[Rick Gerard]

I would give that tutorial about a 7.... Lot's of stuff explained with inaccurate terms and descriptions and the use of colored comp backgrounds give the impression that this is a good production technique when it is not. Take that advice with a grain of salt. The technique will work for some things and may give you some ideas, but the explanation about what is going on in the comp with a track matte was kind of misleading.

My point... VET your trainers. Make sure they know what they are talking about.

[thepixelsmith]

How is the colored bg misleading?

[Roland Kahlenberg]

The easiest way is to use a single layer with a Mask (set its Mode to Subtract) + Compositing Options. Ensure the Mask is strategically placed where you want the reveal to occur. 

Apply Distort>Transform. Use the effect's Position prop to move the layer appropriately.

As RickG would say - easy as pie. 😉

Cheers

- RolandK

[Dmitri26106530ax97]

I was expecting this to be probably simpliest thing AE could muster up....but obviously not.

Sorry, but I can't get my head around the method: Create a mask on text layer, set it to subtract (mask or text layer?), then use solid composite (or "+" function in composite options (which I can't seem to find)) and put that mask in its options, Then apply distort->transofrm on solid composite? Or mask? Or text?...

[thepixelsmith]

Roland's method isn't easier it's just a way of doing it with a single layer and effects rather than using a track matte.

For new users the track matte concept shown in the video is probably the easiest to understand. 

Note the video shows one way for working with a text layer and another for working with an image layer. The second technique shown (the track matte) will work with all layer types.