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Wiggly text in After Effects with Wiggly Selector

March 8, 2021
Max Kravchenko

Max Kravchenko

Motion Designer & Tutor

The text inside After effects is a great tool. It’s pretty similar to the shape modifiers. Today we will learn the power of wiggly selector.

Creating Wiggly Text in After Effects – A Step-by-Step Guide

Welcome to this step-by-step guide on how to create wiggly text in After Effects! In this tutorial, we’ll break down the process into easy-to-follow steps, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced motion graphics artists.

Step 1: Open After Effects and Create a New Composition

  1. Launch After Effects and start a new project.
  2. Create a new composition by selecting “Composition” in the menu bar, then choose “New Composition.”
  3. Set your desired settings, such as resolution and duration, and click “OK.”

Step 2: Add Text to Your Composition

  1. Select the “T” icon from the toolbar to create a new text layer.
  2. Type your desired text, and choose your preferred font and size.

Step 3: Enable Text Animator

  1. In the Timeline panel, expand the text layer properties.
  2. Look for the “Animate” dropdown menu and select the property you want to animate, such as “Position.”

Step 4: Add an Expression to the Property

  1. Next to the animated property, click on the stopwatch icon.
  2. Hold down the “Alt” key (Option key on Mac) and click on the stopwatch to open the expressions editor.
  3. Type the following expression: wiggle(freq, amp)

Step 5: Customize the Expression

  1. Replace “freq” with the frequency of the wiggle (how many wiggles per second) and “amp” with the amplitude (how much the text wiggles). For example: wiggle(3, 20)
  2. Click outside the expressions editor to apply the expression.

Step 6: Preview Your Animation

  1. Press the spacebar to preview your wiggly text animation.
  2. Adjust the frequency and amplitude values to achieve the desired effect.

Step 7: Fine-Tune Your Animation

  1. To fine-tune your animation, adjust keyframes in the timeline.
  2. Experiment with other text properties like opacity, scale, or rotation for additional effects.

Step 8: Render and Export

  1. Once satisfied, click on “Composition” in the menu bar.
  2. Select “Add to Render Queue” and configure your render settings.
  3. Click “Render” to export your wiggly text animation.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created wiggly text in After Effects. This playful effect can add a dynamic touch to your motion graphics projects. Have fun experimenting with different settings and bring your text to life!

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