Fogwriter Title effect using LiveType

By John on February 5, 2009 7:27 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Here's a quick tutorial on how to animate a title using Apple's LiveType so it draws on with a cloud of fog.

This effect can be accomplished by combining an animated LiveFont with a traditional font layered directly underneath it.

Step 1:Create a simple text layer by typing into the inspector window.

This will automatically create a yellow text track. Duplicate the track so you have two identical text tracks on top of each other. You can use the keyboard shortcuts 'Command C - copy' and 'Command V - paste' to accomplish this.

Step 2: Apply the the 'fogwriter' LiveFont to the top text layer. The 'fogwriter' LiveFont is included in the 'Pro Series' category within the LiveType application.

You should now have an animated LiveFont on top of your text layer. Drag the position indicator through the timeline. ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â Notice how all the letters within the 'fogwriter' LiveFont draw on at the same time.

Step 3: You may need to adjust some of the 'fog' letters or (glyphs) to match the layer underneath it.

Step 4: Make sure the top layer within the timeline is active. The top track represents the fog layer. Navigate to the Inspector window, and click in the timing tab. Within the timing tab, adjust the sequence timing to around 9%.

Step 5: Add a 'fade effect' from the effects tab within the Media Browser window. Make sure the effects track is added to the bottom layer. *It is also important that none of the characters are highlighted when you add the effects track. Otherwise the effect will only apply to one character or (glyph). The effects layer will show up as a purple track.

Step 6: Adjust the effects layer to match the timing of the fog. It's best to line up the 'timing blocks' and then adjust the offset of the 'fade effect' by dragging it slightly over to the right.