Tracking amount unilateral

[vitor_9051]

I was watching the following tutorial:

After Effects Tutorial: Retro TItle Intro in After Effects

At 2:20 he increases the Tracking Amount causing the text to stretch both ways.

When I do it, it only stretches to the right side:

Tracking amount unilateral


Why is that?

[Rick Gerard · Accepted solution]

Set the Paragraph Style to Centered.

[vitor_9051]

Thank you. I see you are a Community Expert so I have a ettiquete question for you (for futere reference). A "Thank you" reply is in order and expected or do you think that marking correct answer suffices?

[Roland Kahlenberg]

The correct answer is - It Depends. 🙂

IF your Anchor Point is not Locked with an Expression - 
Your Text Layer can have any Paragraph Alignment and have your text stretch outwards from the center with the Tracking Animator Property as long as you have the Line Anchor Animator Property set to 50%. 

When your Text Layer is a Center Aligned paragraph, then you don't need to apply/set the Line Anchor Animator Property because the default value it is calculated under-the-hood and its default value is 50%. 

Now, when the Text Layer's Anchor Point is locked via an Expression, then this locked position dictates where/how the Tracking flows - left, right outwards/inwards. So, this Expression locked Anchor Point becomes the anchor for tracking and any value you set to the Line Anchor Animator Property nothing will change.

HTH