Amortype 2.0 - Automatically create damped animation letter by letter
Important notice for English members
This tutorial video has been translated into English with a voice-over, but the software interface remains in French.
Information
You can access a more detailed tutorial about the text selector and expressions at this address.
To get faster render times on CS6, you can switch to "draft" mode while waiting for an update.
Amortype is a free text animation preset for After Effects, to create damped animations letter by letter.
Download the preset: Version 2.0.3
How to use it?
Above, you can download the preset in .ffx format — copy it into the Presets folder of your After Effects installation. It contains all the necessary expressions and controllers; you just need to apply it to a text layer.
To customize the animations, everything is explained in the tutorial.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Dan Ebberts for his contribution to the development of this new version!
Features
- Automatic Intro animation based on the layer’s in point
- All animations are easily customizable
- No keyframes required
- New: Automatic Outro animation based on the layer’s out point
- New: Optional random color effect for each letter
- New: Optional random timing for each letter’s appearance
- Works from CS3 to CS6
Chapters
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00:00 Introduction to Amortype 2.0Overview of the new features in the preset, including automatic in/out animations, keyframe-free workflow, and randomization options.
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00:46 Installing the presetStep-by-step guide to download and install the Amortype 2.0 .ffx file into After Effects’ Presets folder.
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01:05 Applying and previewing animationsDemonstration of applying the preset to a text layer and explanation of the three main animations: Intro, Outro, and Colors.
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02:13 Adjusting outro durationHow to control the end of the animation by shortening the text layer’s duration in the timeline.
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03:00 Global animation settingsDetailed look at the “Offset,” “Duration,” “Frequency,” and “Decay” parameters in the Effects panel to fine-tune animation behavior.
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04:20 Customizing animation properties (Intro/Outro)Modify position, scale, rotation, and opacity individually to create unique in/out effects.
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05:35 Animating by words or linesChanging the expression selector mode to animate words or entire lines instead of characters.
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05:57 Customizing random colorsEnable or disable random colors and adjust hue and saturation parameters to control the color palette.
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06:44 Advanced rotation customizationCreate complex rotational effects by tweaking X, Y, and Z axis rotations and the anchor point.
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08:47 Using keyframes and duplicationApply keyframes to parameters for dynamic transitions, and tips on duplicating layers to quickly create multiple animated text elements.
Known bugs
After applying the preset, 3D light cast shadows no longer work.
On CS6, render times are very slow compared to previous versions.
Amortype 2.0 by Mattrunks is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
About the author
I am the Founder of Mattrunks. I work as Creative Director and Motion Designer in my studio. I also create video tutorials to share my passion of motion.