Creating a Text Pop-Up Animation in After Effects

Introduction – Animate Simple and Smooth Text Pop-Ups

The pop-up text effect is a popular animation style used in videos, presentations, and motion graphics to draw attention to text. It gives a smooth and dynamic appearance as the text scales into view. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create this effect step by step using basic animation techniques in After Effects.

Step 1: Open Your Project

Start by opening your After Effects project or creating a new one. Make sure your composition settings are ready and your timeline is visible.Step 2: Create the Text Layer

Select the Type Tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and click inside your composition to create a new text layer. Type your desired text and customize its font, size, and color in the Properties Panel.

Step 3: Animate the Scale

Select your text layer and press “S” to open the Scale property. Move the Current Time Indicator (CTI) to the point where the animation should begin and click the stopwatch to set the first keyframe at 0% scale. Move the CTI forward a few seconds and set another keyframe with the scale at 100%. This will make your text pop into view.

Step 4: Smooth the Animation with Easy Ease

Select both scale keyframes, then press F9 or right-click and choose Keyframe Assistant > Easy Ease. This adds smooth motion between the keyframes. For better control, open the Graph Editor, switch to Value Graph, and adjust the handles to create a more natural easing curve that starts fast and slows down at the end.

Step 5: Center the Anchor Point

To make the scale animation look clean and centered, right-click on the text layer and go to Transform > Center Anchor Point in Layer Content. This ensures the text scales from its center instead of an off-center point.Step 6: Preview the Animation

Press the Spacebar to preview your animation. The text should now pop up smoothly into the frame. If needed, adjust the keyframe timing or scale values to refine the effect.Conclusion

Animating text to pop up is a quick and effective way to make your graphics more engaging. With just a few steps – scaling, easing, and centering – you can bring your text to life in After Effects. This technique works great for titles, lower thirds, and attention-grabbing elements in any video project.