Lens Stroke Text Animation In After Effects

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Discover how to make your text stand out in our new tutorial on Lens Stroke Text Animation in Adobe After Effects. We’ll show you each step in simple terms, so you can turn plain text into an exciting visual treat. Improve your motion graphics skills with our easy guide. Let’s make your text pop and grab attention effortlessly! You might also be interested in this tutorial on Simple Stroke Animation in After Effects.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Lens Stroke Text Animation:

Step 1: Setting up the Composition

Open Adobe After Effects and create a new composition.
Name the composition “Lens Stroke Text Animation.”
Set the resolution to 1920×1080 pixels, frame rate to 30 frames per second, and duration to 10 seconds.

Step 2: Creating Text

Select the Type Tool from the toolbar.
Click anywhere on the screen and type your desired text.
Center the anchor point by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Home and align the text to the center.

Step 3: Creating Outline Mask

Right-click on the text layer, go to Create, and choose “Create Masks from Text.”
This generates a separate layer with the outline of the text as a mask.

Step 4: Applying the Stroke Effect

Select the text outline layer.
Go to Effects and Presets, search for and apply the Stroke effect under “Generate.”Stroke Settings:
- Change paint style to “Reveal Original Image.”
- Select “All Masks.”
- Uncheck “Stroke Sequentially.”
- Set the brush size to 5 and brush hardness to 100%.
Set the time cursor to the first frame, decrease the End value to 0%, add a keyframe, move to 5 seconds, and change the End value back to 100%.

Step 5: Adding Lens Flare

Go to File > Import > File and import the lens flare footage.
Drag and drop the lens footage above the text outline layer.
Duplicate the lens footage according to the number of masks.

Step 6: Aligning Lens Flare with Masks

Select the text outline layer, press M to reveal masks, and copy the mask path.
Select the lens footage layer, press P to open position properties, and paste the mask path over the position.
Repeat for each mask and lens flare.

Step 7: Adjusting Lens Flare Visibility

Select the first lens footage layer, and press T to open opacity properties.
Add keyframes to hide and reveal the lens flare at the beginning and end.
Copy and paste these keyframes to the remaining lens footage layers.

Step 8: Customizing Lens Colors

Select the first lens footage layer, go to Effects & Presets, and apply Hue & Saturation.
Enable colorize, set saturation to 100, and adjust lightness to -50.
Copy this style and paste it on the remaining lens footage layers.
Customize the color of each lens flare as desired.

Step 9: Changing Lens Flare Footage

Right-click on the first lens flare footage in the Projects tab.
Go to Replace Footage > File and choose the second lens flare footage.

Step 10: Final Adjustments to Text Layer

Move the time cursor to 5 seconds.
Unhide the original text layer, and press T to open opacity properties.
Add keyframes to fade the text out and in at 5-6 seconds.

Step 11: Review and Enjoy

Preview your animation and make any additional adjustments to achieve the desired effect. Congratulations on completing your Lens Stroke Text Animation in Adobe After Effects!