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How to animate text in After Effects

You can animate text with classic transforms or use powerful per-character animators for pro-looking motion that feels custom-built.

Steps to animate text

Select your layer and press P, S, R, or T to reveal Position, Scale, Rotation, or Opacity. Click the stopwatch next to whichever property you want to animate to set your first keyframe.

After Effects text layer with keyframes

Move the playhead forward and change the values — After Effects automatically animates between the keyframes.

Animated text layer in After Effects

For per-character magic, twirl open the text layer, click Animate, and choose a property like Position or Opacity. Then adjust the Range Selector to reveal letters one by one over time.

After Effects Animation menu showing the Animate Text option

One more thing

Press U to reveal all keyframes on your selected layer — super useful when you’re timing multiple animators and need to see what’s keyframed.

Related how-tos

How to create a lower third animation in After Effects
How to use the effects & presets panel in After Effects
How to add motion blur in After Effects

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