Animating
text to write itself
written by Chris Georgenes
I wish I had a nickel for every thread I see in
every flash forum asking about how to make text appear to write
itself. Well...ok, so I'd probably only end up with about $3.50,
but still, you get my point. It's a very sought after effect
and actually pretty easy to master. By the end of this tutorial
you will have made the following animation:
Here are 2 ways that I often
use to make text write itself. This 1st method is the simplest
way and uses an animated mask to reveal the letters. The link
to my 2nd method is at the bottom of this page. Type out your
text on its own layer.
2. Create a mask layer and create a shape with
the rectangle tool directly to the left of the text.
3. Create a 2nd keyframe around frame 35 (it's
up to you how long you want your animation to be - it can always
be lengthened or shortened later by adding/deleting frames and/or
changing the frame rate). Use the free transform tool or the
arrow tool to edit the rectangle shape so that it spans across
the text completely – covering it up entirely.
4. In layer 1, select frame 35 and hit the "F5" key
(Insert Frames) to extend the text to match the length of the
mask layer. Select the 1st keyframe in the mask layer (containing
the smaller rectangle shape) and apply a shape tween via the
Properties Panel.
5. Lock all layers and playback your movie. The
mask layer will now animate to reveal the text from left to right.
That's it!
I hope this lesson helps you. I have provided the source file for you to download
and play around with. If you have any questions feel free to drop me an email
or IM me:
email
me
Download source (Flash MX)
Click to see the frame-by-frame method for a more realistic
effect.
