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How to use text presets in After Effects

Text presets give you instant animations — apply one, tweak it slightly, and you’re done. No building from scratch.

Steps to use text presets

Open the Effects panel and search for Animation Presets > Presets > Text. You’ll see options like Fade Up Characters or Typewriter.

After Effects Effects and Presets panel showing available text animation presets

Drag a preset onto your text layer in the timeline or comp viewer. The animation applies instantly.

Dragging a text animation preset onto a text layer in After Effects

Press U twice to reveal all the modified properties, then fine-tune speed, range, and easing to match your vibe.

Composition viewer in After Effects showing animated text with a preset applied

One more thing

If nothing happens when you apply a preset, make sure the playhead is sitting over the keyframes the preset added — and press U to find them quickly.

Related how-tos

How to animate text in After Effects
How to add stroke around text in After Effects
How to make glowing text in After Effects

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