Dude thank you so much! I have been watching videos on this all day and not one of the videos recommended I make each letter its own layer. You're the best.
This video made me your subscriber. Even though it is on here for some time, it might be one of the best I found on this subject and it is concise, easy to follow. I think this can be adapted easily for lineart (as in whiteboard animation). The layer separation for all the strokes makes all the difference for me. Thank you very much for this, Ross Mason!
Underated channel, this is the BEST tutorial if you want to achieve something really qualitative. I've watched couple other tutorial but this one in THE one if you want to go over the small details to make it look really smooth & natural.
Thank you so much for this tutorial , you saved my butt for my animations class project ! and you explain it so well that I can follow you step for step . thank you thank you thank you
You should have a link to the end of your video because UA-cam isn't guraranteed to have the part II play next. It's a safe guard to series continuity. And thanks for the tutorial!
Awesome! First tutorial I've seen that does it this way. I really enjoyed it so far. I noticed you're a bit new, so i hope you keep making videos. Subbed!
Fantastic tutorial. Exactly what I wanted to achieve, and you explained it perfectly clearly. Particularly appreciate you showing how you had divided up the Illustrator paths. Really couldn't hope for a better explanation of this process. Could do without the background music. Quite unnecessary and a bit irritating, especially given your audio quality is not that great. But thanks for taking the time Ross. Much appreciated.
We're talking about 3D animated backgrounds, text, lower thirds, intros and outtros, and yes even 3D animated spokespeople to overlay on your videos. There is no other software in the world that can do what this software >> videobuildersoftware7.blogspot.com can do for you...
Really nice Video man. Thank you very much for that. Do you by any chanse have a video on how to ready the letters in AI? That would be realy grate too.
Sweet man! Welcome to UA-cam, subscribed and looking forward to more from your channel. Been wondering how to do this with my logo, may try it sometime soon using the same techniques! You present really well, grab yourself a USB mic sometime soon and your tutorials will be top-notch. Also, I think if you cover up your start bar at the bottom with some kind of graphic (or black) that would really clean up the video. Cya 'round! -Spencer
Pixel & Bracket Hey! Thank you so much for the feedback, it's really helpful! I'll definitely have to invest in a better microphone when i'm able, and I didn't even think of the bar at the bottom, that's something i'll definitely get done for the next video! Thank you for subscribing and i hope to hear from you in future uploads :)
Hi Ross, great video and very clear, for some reason when I'm going through the method my stroke brush size does not fillet and cover the mask shape. Any ideas please? Thank you so much great video. Best Andy
Great effect and tutorial - the only issue is it doesn't work past 1080p. If you do above that the stroke path is not big enough to cover the shape. Trying to do this at 4k.
bruceaisher Ah I didn’t know that! You could try to create a path on a separate layer with the pen tool, use trim paths to animate it, and then use that as an alpha matte for the lettering :)
@@iamrossmason Thanks for the reply Ross! I gave that a shot but it looks like you have to be a lot more accurate with the pen tool, which is a bit harder on the curved letters. Do you know if it's possible to align the stroke to the center of the path instead of the inside as that may potentially solve the issue. Thanks again!
This is exactly what I was looking for - how to animate a handwritten cursive text logo, but how do you exactly turn the pieces of text into different layers in Illustrator?
Thank you for the kind words! If you're simply using a font, with the text selected, go up to Object>Expand, then right click on your text and press Ungroup. Your text will still be in one layer, so select that layer and press Release to Layers (Sequence) from the drop down box in the layers palette. Then drag all the new layers out of the group and you should be done! Hope this helps :)
Nice video, easy to understand ^^. but i got a problem here, i wonder why i can't convert the ai layers to shape in one go. i have to convert them one by one... that's really take time
Hello hello Thank you for your great tutorial, was very helpful so far. I have a small question...I designed a tree in illustrator and imported it into after effects. My goal is to make it look like it's growing. I liked your method you used to imitate handwriting and thought I could implicate this into the growth of the tree. The difference with your letters and the tree is that all the branches should grow more or less simultaneously. So my question is; how can I draw along a branch with the pen tool (like you did in the middle of the letter), go back down the line and hook onto the pens path further down and draw along another branch. hope you understand my question...
Any Rx on what to do with lettering/shapes that have some drastic variations in line thickness? This example's great, if you're text stroke is pretty uniform like this example. My question is if you've got something that goes from thick to thin tapers, and your pen mask is a uniform weight, what's the best way to tailor make a mask to perform this same effect and more cleanly hug those variations without having to over/under mask with the pen tool?
This is a good question, you may be able to animate the brush thickness to be able to animate it smoothly or you would have to make separate layers in Illustrator so it then animates better in After Effects. Hope this helps :)
Hi Ross, The video is exactly life saver. However, i am stuck in one step, as some others did, My problem is i used seperated text layers with a solid background, created outlines thingie, then added stroke to my first letter, filled "All masks" , made "Brush Hardness; 100%" and "Spacing 100%". Chose pen tool and clicked for "Tool Creates Mask". However, i dont why but i can't see the white line, but just the thin line showing pen tool's trace. When i changed the brush size, nothing changes.. I followed the same process several times. What can be my problem? If anybody can help me to figure it out, it will be marvelous. Thanks.
I find your tutorial very helpful. I've got only one question... what can I do when I choose Reveal Original Image (by Stroke effect) and it doesn't appear any outline of the original letter. I have the same options as you but I can't find the problem. Thanks!
Lamoly Estera Draw the path before you change to ‘Reveal Original Image’ so you can make sure the stroke is covering the whole letter! Hope this helps :)
So it only works on the first path I drew. Am I missing something? If I do several paths it only works on one so If I do one continuous path it will work but not if I draw more than two.
Hello, this video is sweet and very helpful, would I be able to use the animation as a png (no background) I would like to add it to my website but it would be displayed on top of a picture.
Of course, when exporting, go into the Output Module and change the Channels from 'RGB' to 'RGB + Alpha'. Make sure you don't have a solid as a background in your project though! I hope this helps :)
Great tutorial, thanks! The after effects part is all very clear but I'm struggling a little with getting my letters prepared in illustrator. The type I'm using has a lot of overlaps as it's script style. What is the best way of cutting up the letters into layers for this animation effect? Thanks in advance!
You can use the knife tool or the scissor tool with a little bit of adjustment using the pen tool to cut it or if you have the patience too, I would recommend re-vectoring it bearing in mind how it's going to need to be animated in After Effects. Hope this helps :)
What version of After Effects did you use for this tutorial? I am using CS6 (11.0.4.2) and can only create shapes from vector layer one layer at a time. If I select more than one layer then that option is grayed out.
You can change the colour of the text in After Effects by applying the effect 'fill' from the effects and presets panel. Just copy the hex code from Adobe Illustrator and paste it into the 'fill' effect in After Effects. Apply this effect to all of your handwritten layers. Hope this helps :)
Siberian 88 Hey! Thank you for checking out the video. The shortcut is ‘U’. When selecting a layer and pressing U, you are able to see all keyframes for that layer. Hope this helps! :)
Is it because I'm on AE CC? I tried looking through all the menus, I'm thinking it's buried somewhere else and the term might have changed? please help.
Hello Ross, Thank you for the video. But I'm stuck on one step. When I'm adding the stroke effect to my letter shape, I changed the effects panel according to your video and changed the pen tool to create mask not shape. However, my pen just doesn't give me the thick white line as it does in your video. Im not sure what I'm doing wrong :/. Any help please?
Reem Madi Check the parameters on your ‘Stroke’ effect and make sure your brush size has been increased and that your ‘End’ parameter is at 100% 😄 Let me know if this helps
i went back a few steps and did everything as you said. It worked out. I don't know which part i F-ed up at first but its all good now. Thanks for your prompt reply Ross!
Why does one of my ai files import in a much shittier quality? My first file imported with normal dimensions but the second file imported at like half the size
I wrote out words, did create outline in AI, separated letter per layer, imported it and in AE timeline there is no right click option> create shape from vector layer, it simply does not exist I can't for the life of me figure out what the issue and it's frustrating I can't animate the text
Finally someone who explains after effects properly
I am an animator, for ove 15 years, you have just teatch me an amazing trick that i dont know bro .... thanks alot ❤
Dude thank you so much! I have been watching videos on this all day and not one of the videos recommended I make each letter its own layer. You're the best.
THIS is the best tutorial on animating hand lettering! I was so annoyed with the overlapping problem, this is brilliant and helped me lots, thanks!
Alex Floquet Thank you Alex! I’m glad you enjoyed it :)
Ikr! I saw several other videos but this one covers the issue and also adds character to the swoops rather than letting the software do it for you
One of the best tutorials I have seen so far. Thank you.
This video made me your subscriber. Even though it is on here for some time, it might be one of the best I found on this subject and it is concise, easy to follow. I think this can be adapted easily for lineart (as in whiteboard animation). The layer separation for all the strokes makes all the difference for me. Thank you very much for this, Ross Mason!
This video helped me in 2023 :) So still a amazing Tutorial, Thanks Brother
This tutorial save my life, thanks bro
Ariel Rodriguez You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it :)
At the beginning was a bit hard to flow the workflow but I finally did my hand lettering animation, next stop part 2. Thanks for the tutorial!
Underated channel, this is the BEST tutorial if you want to achieve something really qualitative. I've watched couple other tutorial but this one in THE one if you want to go over the small details to make it look really smooth & natural.
Thank you Florent, that really means a lot to me! I try my best to provide value! If you ever need any help don't hesitate to ask! :)
Thank you so much for this tutorial , you saved my butt for my animations class project ! and you explain it so well that I can follow you step for step . thank you thank you thank you
this is tutorial what i looking for. thank you
You should have a link to the end of your video because UA-cam isn't guraranteed to have the part II play next. It's a safe guard to series continuity. And thanks for the tutorial!
Just when I almost gave up on this effect (overlapping thing was so annoying) :-) Thanks!
And this video really helped me for my animation project at school
Awesome! First tutorial I've seen that does it this way. I really enjoyed it so far. I noticed you're a bit new, so i hope you keep making videos. Subbed!
Freiddo Thank you! I really appreciate that 😄 And there's plenty more content on the way 🙌🏼
This is the first time i accomplish an AE tutorial, thanks !!!
Man,you literally saved my life with this video. You have a new subscriber. ❤️
Tariks Thank you, I really appreciate that! I’m glad you found it useful.
this is the most helpful handwriting tut on earth. thank god!!!!!!
I'm glad you like it!
MY BROTHA! Thank you so much for this tutorial! It was really helpful for me! I'm already subscribed! Keep it up! 🙏🙏
Thank you Dave, glad I could help! Appreciate your support :)
it awesome thankx
Thanks! Very practical and concise.
why you don't have enough subscribers? because you are super amazing. Impressive work
Great video. Looking forward to try this animation. I want to learn and practice hand lettering. Thanks for the video.
Awesome! Thanks, pretty helpful
Fantastic tutorial. Exactly what I wanted to achieve, and you explained it perfectly clearly. Particularly appreciate you showing how you had divided up the Illustrator paths. Really couldn't hope for a better explanation of this process.
Could do without the background music. Quite unnecessary and a bit irritating, especially given your audio quality is not that great.
But thanks for taking the time Ross. Much appreciated.
We're talking about 3D animated backgrounds, text, lower thirds, intros and outtros, and yes even 3D animated spokespeople to overlay on your videos. There is no other software in the world that can do what this software >> videobuildersoftware7.blogspot.com can do for you...
Just beautiful, thank you so much for this
Really nice Video man. Thank you very much for that.
Do you by any chanse have a video on how to ready the letters in AI? That would be realy grate too.
Love this man, thank you very much.
Sweet man! Welcome to UA-cam, subscribed and looking forward to more from your channel. Been wondering how to do this with my logo, may try it sometime soon using the same techniques! You present really well, grab yourself a USB mic sometime soon and your tutorials will be top-notch. Also, I think if you cover up your start bar at the bottom with some kind of graphic (or black) that would really clean up the video. Cya 'round!
-Spencer
Pixel & Bracket Hey! Thank you so much for the feedback, it's really helpful! I'll definitely have to invest in a better microphone when i'm able, and I didn't even think of the bar at the bottom, that's something i'll definitely get done for the next video! Thank you for subscribing and i hope to hear from you in future uploads :)
Wow. just wow!
very easy tutorial! thanks!!!
Very good tutorial
Thank you Alice!
Thanx dude! Saved my life!
Excellent please where is the other effects of work in tutorial
very cool
Awesome Tutorial
Great first video - thanks !
Best tutorial, loveed it
This was soooo helpfull also really easy! Thank you so much
Thanks, Just what I needed
Ooo Mannnnnnnnnnn
Was waiting for this effect since my birth :)
Thank u so much
Subscribed !
Haha you're most welcome! I'm glad you found it helpful!
Thanks so much, Ross. This was a great tutorial! :D
You're welcome Lora, glad you found it helpful!
Hi Ross, great video and very clear, for some reason when I'm going through the method my stroke brush size does not fillet and cover the mask shape. Any ideas please? Thank you so much great video. Best Andy
Great effect and tutorial - the only issue is it doesn't work past 1080p. If you do above that the stroke path is not big enough to cover the shape. Trying to do this at 4k.
bruceaisher Ah I didn’t know that! You could try to create a path on a separate layer with the pen tool, use trim paths to animate it, and then use that as an alpha matte for the lettering :)
@@iamrossmason Thanks for the reply Ross! I gave that a shot but it looks like you have to be a lot more accurate with the pen tool, which is a bit harder on the curved letters. Do you know if it's possible to align the stroke to the center of the path instead of the inside as that may potentially solve the issue. Thanks again!
bruceaisher Hmm that’s a good question. I’m not too sure on that one, I might have to get back to you!
@@iamrossmason No worries, thanks again Ross!
very helpful!
Hey! Congrats with a beautiful video!
Arory Wind Thank you! Hope you enjoy future videos just as much :)
Love it!
Katerina Dimitrova Thank you Katerina!
Good tutorials! Keep it up!
Sick tutorial definitely earned a sub
Thank you Anthony!
Nice one mate, very clear and concise!
SerpGraff Thanks boss 😎
Huge thanks! Fire ass work!
Thank you Corban! Appreciate the kind words and the support on the channel :)
awesome! subscribed!
This is exactly what I was looking for - how to animate a handwritten cursive text logo, but how do you exactly turn the pieces of text into different layers in Illustrator?
Thank you for the kind words! If you're simply using a font, with the text selected, go up to Object>Expand, then right click on your text and press Ungroup. Your text will still be in one layer, so select that layer and press Release to Layers (Sequence) from the drop down box in the layers palette. Then drag all the new layers out of the group and you should be done! Hope this helps :)
Exactly my question! Good stuff man! Keep uploading videos!
Hello I'm just wondering if it also can be applied with Photoshop files
Thank you!
Thank you for watching!
Big thanks
Nice video, easy to understand ^^. but i got a problem here, i wonder why i can't convert the ai layers to shape in one go. i have to convert them one by one... that's really take time
make a video on the word STYLE u made from illustrator
Mohammad Hammad yeah
Hello hello
Thank you for your great tutorial, was very helpful so far. I have a small question...I designed a tree in illustrator and imported it into after effects. My goal is to make it look like it's growing. I liked your method you used to imitate handwriting and thought I could implicate this into the growth of the tree. The difference with your letters and the tree is that all the branches should grow more or less simultaneously. So my question is; how can I draw along a branch with the pen tool (like you did in the middle of the letter), go back down the line and hook onto the pens path further down and draw along another branch. hope you understand my question...
Any Rx on what to do with lettering/shapes that have some drastic variations in line thickness? This example's great, if you're text stroke is pretty uniform like this example. My question is if you've got something that goes from thick to thin tapers, and your pen mask is a uniform weight, what's the best way to tailor make a mask to perform this same effect and more cleanly hug those variations without having to over/under mask with the pen tool?
This is a good question, you may be able to animate the brush thickness to be able to animate it smoothly or you would have to make separate layers in Illustrator so it then animates better in After Effects. Hope this helps :)
Thanks Ross Mason.......
You're welcome!
Yoo the little background music’s firee any way you can let me know which song it is or what beat it is
ua-cam.com/video/ZCx0X2YSd1M/v-deo.html
Thank you very much.
how do i make my brush rectangular? so it reveals with a box corner
Thanks for this, really clear! Is there any way of duplicating the settings on the stroke so you don't have to set up the brush size etc each time?
Oskar Walin Yeah you can copy and paste the stroke effect from one layer to another! :)
Hi Ross,
The video is exactly life saver. However, i am stuck in one step, as some others did,
My problem is i used seperated text layers with a solid background, created outlines thingie, then added stroke to my first letter, filled "All masks" , made "Brush Hardness; 100%" and "Spacing 100%". Chose pen tool and clicked for "Tool Creates Mask". However, i dont why but i can't see the white line, but just the thin line showing pen tool's trace. When i changed the brush size, nothing changes..
I followed the same process several times. What can be my problem? If anybody can help me to figure it out, it will be marvelous.
Thanks.
can't find the 'tool create mask' on the 2022 AE! so this tutorial doesn't work for me
can I ask if you did the text through a font or free hand?
OMG THANK YOU
You're most welcome!
I find your tutorial very helpful. I've got only one question... what can I do when I choose Reveal Original Image (by Stroke effect) and it doesn't appear any outline of the original letter. I have the same options as you but I can't find the problem.
Thanks!
Lamoly Estera Draw the path before you change to ‘Reveal Original Image’ so you can make sure the stroke is covering the whole letter! Hope this helps :)
thanks
So it only works on the first path I drew. Am I missing something? If I do several paths it only works on one so If I do one continuous path it will work but not if I draw more than two.
Heey! Awesome tutorial. I have problems because when i make the outlines, the blue lines never appear and have tried everythung, and nothng helps. :(
Hey man! Would you by any chance have a tutorial on connecting the letters together in AI?
put them close together and then use the first icon on the pathfinder tool
Do you have a tutorial on how you separated those overlapped layers in Illustrator?
I have an updated version of this tutorial where I go over how to separate the layers :)
ua-cam.com/video/rpfxtvaRXFA/v-deo.html
Hi, this guy explains how:
ua-cam.com/video/6kig4gJc8_Q/v-deo.html&feature=emb_logo
How did you "break" the letters in illustrator? thanks
hello! how can i animate text shape stroke in sharp corners in your style? i don't want round corners animate. can you tell me please?
Hey Ross, great work, i have a text logo, can you to the same thing on this? ;)
Thank you! And yeah sure, for the right price ;)
Hello, this video is sweet and very helpful, would I be able to use the animation as a png (no background) I would like to add it to my website but it would be displayed on top of a picture.
Of course, when exporting, go into the Output Module and change the Channels from 'RGB' to 'RGB + Alpha'. Make sure you don't have a solid as a background in your project though! I hope this helps :)
Do you have to use adobe illustrator? Can I use a drawing app called Procreate?
Hi! Do you have any tutorials explaining how to add this as an email signature in Mailchimp? Thank you!
It would be better if you had provided the illustrator file.
Great tutorial, thanks! The after effects part is all very clear but I'm struggling a little with getting my letters prepared in illustrator. The type I'm using has a lot of overlaps as it's script style. What is the best way of cutting up the letters into layers for this animation effect? Thanks in advance!
You can use the knife tool or the scissor tool with a little bit of adjustment using the pen tool to cut it or if you have the patience too, I would recommend re-vectoring it bearing in mind how it's going to need to be animated in After Effects. Hope this helps :)
What version of After Effects did you use for this tutorial? I am using CS6 (11.0.4.2) and can only create shapes from vector layer one layer at a time. If I select more than one layer then that option is grayed out.
The color of my handwritten type is not the same in After Effects than Illustrator. It looks like a brighter yellow. Did I do something wrong?
You can change the colour of the text in After Effects by applying the effect 'fill' from the effects and presets panel. Just copy the hex code from Adobe Illustrator and paste it into the 'fill' effect in After Effects. Apply this effect to all of your handwritten layers. Hope this helps :)
What’s the name of this program wich u made the signetur inside please?
For doing the individual layers did you use the pen tool?
Can you do this with drawing in photoshop drawn with the brush tool if not what would I have to use ?
You can but you'd have to cut all the letters up into different layers! Adobe Illustrator would be better :)
Ste Bradbury liked this! hahahahahaha
Nathan Leite How do you know? 😄
How do you arrange your layers by file type?
Hi, Ross! Thank you for your video! Can you tell me what shortcut you use at 7:05?
Siberian 88 Hey! Thank you for checking out the video. The shortcut is ‘U’. When selecting a layer and pressing U, you are able to see all keyframes for that layer. Hope this helps! :)
@@iamrossmason Thank you so much!
Can you do this without illustrator text? Like using a font in Photoshop (i don't know how to make a text in illustrator as i only use Photoshop)?
You can yes!
Would you just make it one layer? or make it 1 layer per word? If you were to use a Photoshop font?
Is it because I'm on AE CC? I tried looking through all the menus, I'm thinking it's buried somewhere else and the term might have changed? please help.
Hello Ross,
Thank you for the video. But I'm stuck on one step.
When I'm adding the stroke effect to my letter shape, I changed the effects panel according to your video and changed the pen tool to create mask not shape.
However, my pen just doesn't give me the thick white line as it does in your video. Im not sure what I'm doing wrong :/. Any help please?
Reem Madi Check the parameters on your ‘Stroke’ effect and make sure your brush size has been increased and that your ‘End’ parameter is at 100% 😄 Let me know if this helps
i went back a few steps and did everything as you said. It worked out. I don't know which part i F-ed up at first but its all good now. Thanks for your prompt reply Ross!
Hi, I did the same exact thing but the stroke isn't showing at all.
I'm having the same issue!
same problem!!!! but I figured out! it's under stroke and then path. there's a box that says all masks and you need to tick that!
Can you Export this as lottie file?
what kind font you use?
When I create shapes from vector layer 2 out of the 3 layers become invisible even though the fill color for all 3 are set to white...
Make sure they're all on separate layers in Illustrator or that there isn't a layer above them in After Effects!
Why does one of my ai files import in a much shittier quality? My first file imported with normal dimensions but the second file imported at like half the size
I wrote out words, did create outline in AI, separated letter per layer, imported it and in AE timeline there is no right click option> create shape from vector layer, it simply does not exist I can't for the life of me figure out what the issue and it's frustrating I can't animate the text
Hmm that is strange? Have you made sure to import it as 'composition - retain layer sizes' and is your AI document set up properly?
Ross Mason yes! I followed everything exactly
Ross Mason I'm on cc
Jess Design Are you able to message me through twitter or Instagram? It would be much easier, then I can try my best to help :)