Typography in After Effects
Creating beautiful motion graphics with text is one of the main uses of Adobe After Effects. Although the tools that come by default in the program can be used, there are other complements that can take our typography to the next level.
Plugins are those gadgets or small software modules that connect with After Effects, giving it new functionality. Many of them are free, but many others are paid. That yes, before using any of these complements it is necessary to verify that they are used for the version that we have of this video post-production program.
It is important that those that have been updated and that work with the version that we have of After effects are acquired. Plugins usually come with installation instructions. If that is not the case, we will only have to place it in the plugins folder that is located in:
- (Windows) Program Files Adobe Adobe After Effects Support Files
- (Mac OS) Applications / Adobe After Effects
Popular plugins for After Effects
TextDelay
It is a native After Effects plugin that delays text transformations by character, word, or line. It has an angle selector to precisely control which characters or words are delayed and which are not.
iExpressions 2
This plugin allows users to harness the power of After Effects expressions without writing or reading a single line of code. This is very useful, as expressions can be quite difficult to use if you are not familiar with this language. It comes with 22 expressions ready to use, and they can be customized.
TextBox
It is a plugin that creates a (perfectly customizable) shape behind a text. These shapes update automatically and are applied directly to the text layer. TextBox is a perfect tool to quickly create lower thirds, subtitles or captions.
TextExploder
Allows you to split text layers into characters, words, and lines. You can make custom divisions, or isolate a single word.
Cartoon Moblur
This plugin adds a fancy motion trail to your graphics just like regular motion blur. It behaves similarly to the default motion blur, except aesthetically it is much better suited for flat, minimal, and 2D-style graphics. Customizable parameters include shutter angle (length of blur), color (fill ramp or gradient), and opacity swatches.
matte effect
Tracking mattes are extremely common when working with text in After Effects, and can often lead to messy cluttering of a timeline. This plugin makes working with them a breeze. Effect Matte gives AE users the ability to add a customizable, perfectly sized matte to a layer. This eliminates the need for an additional layer to act as a matte track.
FontManager
The Font Manager plugin is a new way of working with animated fonts, and it is extremely powerful and versatile. It makes it easy to create and write complex animated text graphics with just a few clicks. The user interface closely resembles the Character panel in After Effects itself.
Shadow Studio
Simulate a variety of shadow styles, including soft, radial, inner, and long shadows. Soft shadows are traditionally difficult to calculate. Shadow Studio simulates these effects in a much smaller fraction of the time, which means that we have to wait less time for the buffer to update to see a preview of how the project is looking.
What did you think of these plugins for After Effects? Do you know or use any that we have not named?
