Pixel Art

Adobe After Effects Tutorial: Create a Dissolving Text Reveal

Monday, August 31st, 2009

In this tutorial we will create beautiful dissolving painted letters which are enclosed within a glass.

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Step 1

Create a new composition of about 5 seconds. I used 720*576. You can use your own custom settings but for time being use mine.

Step 2

Create a new solid layer of black color, make it composition size and name it as ‘Text’. Add basic text effect to it and set the value as shown in the screenshot.

Step 3

Select the basic text effect in the effect panel and set the size to 94 and fill color to white.

Step 4

Add 4-color Gradient effect to the Text layer. I used these colors #FA0900, #FCDE31, # 1F641A, #02529B. Change the colors and Set the points as shown in the screenshot.

Step 5

Add Fast blur effect to the same layer and set the Blurriness value to 1.5. Add Level s for more color adjustment and use the values as shown in the screenshot.

Step 6

Create a new composition with the same settings as previous one. Create a new solid layer – composition size. I used-#147674. Go to layer transform properties and set values as shown in the screenshot.

Step 7

Choose the same solid layer and create a new mask. Layer -> Mask->New mask. Change the mask values to following.

Step 8

Now comes the animation part. Go to Layer`s transform properties and click the stop watch for position. Keep the first key frame position value same but change the last one.

Step 9

Add fractal noise effect to the layer. Set the value as shown in the screenshot.

Step10

Go effect properties of the layer and click stop watch icon on offset turbulence, opacity and evolution. Set offset turbulence, opacity and evolution values to 2.8, 0% and 2x respectively for the last key frame.

Step 11

Create a new comp with same settings as the previous one and create a red solid #960002. Set the transformation values.

Step 12

Go to layer transform properties and click stop watch for position. Change the position value for the last key frame.

Step 13

Create a new mask for adjustment and change mask properties to values shown in the screenshot.

Also adjust the mask such that it is slightly inside the layer.

Step 14

Add fractal noise to the layer and change the values to following

Step 15

Add a key frame for evolution and change last key frame value to 2x.

Step 16

Create a new comp, again with the same settings. Create a new solid layer – Color #FC0000. Add fractal noise effect to it. Set the values as shown in the screenshot. Also add key frames for evolution. I have used 0x for the first and 2x for the last one. You can entirely vary the key frame time.

Step 17

Create a new comp and add all 4 compositions to new composition and hide all composition expect the first one.

Step 18

Add the background image below the layers and adjust the size by changing scale. Add levels to the image layer. You can also use curves to adjust the image.

Step 19

Create a white solid layer of composition size and place it above background image layer.

Step 20

Add Displacement Map effect to the white solid and set the values as shown in screenshot. Hide this layer.

Step 21

Create another white solid layer Name it as ‘water’ and place it below previously created white solid. Select the layer and choose track matte to alpha inverted matte of white solid 1 (Press f4 to toggle between modes). Set opacity of the layer to 10%

Step 22

Create a new white solid layer and place it below water layer and name it white solid 2. Add displacement Map effect to it. Set the values as show in the screenshot and hide the layer.

Step 23

Create a new white solid layer and name it water2 (Press f4 to toggle between modes). Set track matte to track matte alpha inverted matte of white solid 2.

Step 24

Add displacement Map effect and set below shown values.

Step 25

Select the layer and turn on the adjustment switch on (Press f4 to toggle between modes).

Step 26

Select comp1 and add Compound Blur effect to it. Set blur layer to comp2 and value of maximum blur to 100.

Step 27

Select the comp1 layer and add displacement map effect to it. Change the values to following.

Step 28

Duplicate the displacement Map effect – CTRL+D for the same layer and change the values.

Step 29

Add Drop shadow effect to the same layer – comp1. Set these values.

Step 30

Create a white solid and name it ‘Reflection’. Set opacity to 15%. Now to add the glossy look to the video, take the pen tool and draw a mask.

Step 31

Select the reflection layer and press m to show mask. Choose subtract and lock the mask.

Step 32

With the pen tool create another mask inside the first one.

Step 33

Add ramp effect to the Reflection layer. Set the values.

Step 34

Create a black solid layer and set opacity to 25%. Add an elliptical mask and feather the mask around 143 pixels.

Go to mask options and change to subtract.

And you are done. Play with the settings to get better results. Remember that there are no limits to what you can do and where you can reach with it. Come up with your own ideas and let us know. For the lazy ones we have included free project file for download.

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