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J
Jospel37
Participant
June 14, 2023
Answered

I just want to center a text to a specific layer T_T

  • June 14, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 227 views

Hello 🙂 

Ok so I am working on a video on  Adobe Premiere.  (yes we are on AE thread, wait ...) 

I need to type a dialogue text in an area.

But I need the typing machine effect from After Effects. 

I tried to export the effect from AE to Premiere, but typerwrite fx uses automation,keyframe

When we export, AE removes it.. (impossible to add manually a toggle animation)

 

Now I am trying to edit a text on AE (that will I export as Essential Graphic on Premiere) 

A test worked, but it will be painful to do that each time for a new text.
The othe problem I have, I need to position myself the text.

So it's important for me that when I type a dialogue, 

there is a limitation aera 

and

the text starts from the center

So my text will be always centered, whatever the number of words.

 

On AE , this is what I do : 

- I create a rectangle layer simulating the dialogue text area on my video premiere. (pink rectangle)

- I choose the text tool and define the area limitation for my text  (red frame)

All I type, whatever how many words will be in that box

But in the reality, it will be shorter line 

Ok it's fine but I need the text to be centered to the pink  area/bubble

If I use ALIGN LAYERS TO,  as it shows, it will center the text in the full document (composition)

But I need to it to be aligned to the previous layer (the pink dialogue area/bubble)

So I try to select both layers ( the zone and the text)

It seems it's going somewhere :

Now let's align : 

Huh, Ok why  it pushed the all thing on top. (i did clicked on the center symbol)

Let's try again :

Ok now It seems well visually. (but why?! same move, different result)
Now let's check the text area : 

Arg ... It has move the area ... 
Why so complicated ? 🙂 

 

Can you help ? 

I want to center a text (hori and vert) in an selected area.

What I don't need : 

to tell me different methods to apply typing effect on Premiere, it doesn't work as I want.
(the tutorials I see use a mask moving from left to right, but the illusion works only if u have one line)

 

thank you ! 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Rick Gerard

You need to add an expression to the Position of the text layer that positions the text based on size. This will even allow you to change paragraph justification and font size. If the vertical center for the text area needs to be changed, adding an Expression Control Slider will take care of that problem. Changing the font size, sourceRectAtTime() will always deliver the actual size of the text you create and keep things lined up. You could even add Character controls.

 

Here's the workflow. Load a sample background into a New AE comp and make the layer a Guide Layer so it will not render. You could also just turn on the Title/Action Safe guides, then select the Text tool, then click and drag out a Text Area that is tall enough and wide enough to include all of the area you want to use to fill with text. Next, type a few lines of text. Then you press 'p' to reveal the position property and add this expression:

vCenter = 600;
box = sourceRectAtTime();
tCntr = box.left + box.width / 2 ;
cCntr = thisComp.width / 2;
x = cCntr - tCntr;
y = vCenter - box.top - box.height/2;
[x, y]

You could add an Expression Control slider to the text layer and replace the vCenter variable to give you some control.  When you are done, you can open the Extended Graphics workflow (highly recommended over just opening the Extended Graphics Panel) and add any other features you need for your Mogrt.

 

The comp would look something like this if you used the Title/Action Safe guides instead of a sample image.

 

1 reply

R
Community Expert
Rick GerardCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
June 14, 2023

You need to add an expression to the Position of the text layer that positions the text based on size. This will even allow you to change paragraph justification and font size. If the vertical center for the text area needs to be changed, adding an Expression Control Slider will take care of that problem. Changing the font size, sourceRectAtTime() will always deliver the actual size of the text you create and keep things lined up. You could even add Character controls.

 

Here's the workflow. Load a sample background into a New AE comp and make the layer a Guide Layer so it will not render. You could also just turn on the Title/Action Safe guides, then select the Text tool, then click and drag out a Text Area that is tall enough and wide enough to include all of the area you want to use to fill with text. Next, type a few lines of text. Then you press 'p' to reveal the position property and add this expression:

vCenter = 600;
box = sourceRectAtTime();
tCntr = box.left + box.width / 2 ;
cCntr = thisComp.width / 2;
x = cCntr - tCntr;
y = vCenter - box.top - box.height/2;
[x, y]

You could add an Expression Control slider to the text layer and replace the vCenter variable to give you some control.  When you are done, you can open the Extended Graphics workflow (highly recommended over just opening the Extended Graphics Panel) and add any other features you need for your Mogrt.

 

The comp would look something like this if you used the Title/Action Safe guides instead of a sample image.

 

    J
    Jospel37Author
    Participant
    June 14, 2023

    Oh Wow
    thank your for your time to help and to illustrate it to be very clear. 
    I will try but the demo seems to fix my problem ^^ 
    thanks again. 

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