Text Layer and Layer Name

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
February 15, 2019
5 replies
11448 views

The layer name is not updating when text is updated when using Text Animators
Anyone know how to solve this?

Using CC 2019 with Mojave on Mac.

Correct answer Rick Gerard

A text layer always takes its name from the first text that is entered. If you change the name and are viewing the Source Name, when you change the text the name will change. If you add a keyframe for Source Text and enter new text the layer name will not Change. If you have renamed the layer the column changes to Layer Name and the layer name becomes the source name no matter what you enter for the source text.

I hope that makes sense.

DS WildOutWest

Known Participant

Hilarious that the behaviour of layers names is so different across Adobe products... Illustrator/Photoshop - you click the layer, hold the mouse - you can change the layer name. Intuitive. Easy. AE - you have to click the layer and press theReturn button... is an anacronism.

Brandon Menneke

Inspiring

If you want the layer name to pull from the source text, say in the event you renamed a layer. You can select the layer, hit enter, delete the text in that field, hit enter again and it will go back to pulling the source text as the layer name.

S

sheilas100

Participant

yes, but that's a pain too - especially if you are working with multiple text layers... 😞

Andrew Yoole

Inspiring

Have you deliberately or accidentally renamed the layer(s) in question?

If you create a text layer, it will always update the layer name to match the source text. UNTIL you manually rename the text layer.

Once you manually rename a layer, it never updates when you edit the source text. You can continue to manually rename the layer, but the name won't automatically update to the source text when edited.

This happens even if you accidentally press Return while a text layer is selected, but don't edit the layer name. Once you hit return a second time, to exit the layer name edit mode, the layer is officially renamed and won't automatically be renamed forever more.

R

Rick Gerard

Correct answer

Community Expert

A text layer always takes its name from the first text that is entered. If you change the name and are viewing the Source Name, when you change the text the name will change. If you add a keyframe for Source Text and enter new text the layer name will not Change. If you have renamed the layer the column changes to Layer Name and the layer name becomes the source name no matter what you enter for the source text.

I hope that makes sense.

Dave_LaRonde

Inspiring

Nope. No way with text animators. There's a Source Text property -- change the text totally on a hold keyframe -- so a layer rename is pretty useless.