Adobe After Effects CS3 - Manual (Page 532)

AFTER EFFECTS CS3
User Guide
527
Note: If you use Adobe Type Manager (ATM) and large text looks blocky or doesn’t otherwise render properly, increase
the Character Cache Size in the ATM control column.
When changing the shape of a Bezier path over time, make sure to create initial keyframes for all four path control
points; moving a control point without an initial keyframe doesn’t move it over time. You may find it easier to
animate a path by modifying the motion paths of individual control points in the Layer panel.
Note: Handles appear in the Composition panel only if the effect is selected in the Effect Controls panel and if you aren’t
animating text along a mask or path.
If you want to move a Bezier path across the composition, and you don’t want to change its shape, animate the layer
rather than the path. If you want to stretch, shrink, or wag one side of the Bezier path while keeping the other half
in the same position, move a tangent-vertex pair together. To do so, create keyframes for both by dragging the outer
circle of the appropriate vertex.
Note: When animating the control points of a Bezier path, don’t confuse the Bezier path shape with the Bezier spatial
interpolation of the keyframes. Like keyframes for other position controls, those for the vertex or tangent of a Bezier path
can be set to either linear or Bezier. The default spatial interpolation is specified in General Preferences. Spatial interpo-
lation can be selected for individual keyframes by choosing Animation > Keyframe Interpolation.
You can apply motion blur to motion that you create with the Path Text effect. Blurring occurs on each character.
Like motion blur for layers, blurring for characters is more visible when movement is quick. For example, blurring
is quite pronounced when you choose negative jitter values, which produce jumpy motion.
Path Options controls
Shape Type Defines the shape of the path. The Path Text effect name must be selected in the Effect Controls panel
to make the path visible in the Composition panel.
• Bezier Shapes text along a Bezier curve, defined by four control points (Vertex 1/Circle Center, Tangent 1/Circle
Point, Tangent 2, and Vertex 2). Characters that don’t fit on the path are placed off the end in a straight line.
• Circle Shapes text around the circumference of a circle, defined by two control points (Tangent 1/Circle Point, and
Vertex 1/Circle Center). If the text is longer than the circumference of the circle, the text overlaps itself. If an arbitrary
path is chosen and if the path is closed, this property forms the text around the path, as opposed to looping it.
• Loop Shapes text around the circumference of the circle, defined by two control points (Vertex 1/Circle Center,
and Tangent 1/Circle Point). If text is longer than the circumference of the circle, it flows off the Tangent 1 point in
a straight line. You can also use margin controls to make text enter or exit a circle in a straight line.
• Line Shapes text in a straight line, defined by two control points (Vertex 1/Circle Center, and Vertex 2). Note that,
as with the Bezier path, the distance between the two control points doesn’t affect the spacing of the text, unless
alignment is set to Force.
Control Points Specify the points on the path.
• Tangent 1/Circle Point Specifies the following points: starting tangent for a Bezier curve, diameter of a circle and
starting or ending point of text (depending on the specified alignment), and diameter of a loop and the point where
text enters.
• Vertex 1/Circle Center Specifies the starting vertex for a Bezier curve, center of a circle or loop, and starting or
ending point for text on a line (depending on the specified alignment).
• Tangent 2 Specifies the ending tangent of the Bezier curve. The line between Tangent 2 and Vertex 2 specifies the
slope of the curve at its ending point. For circles or loops, Tangent 2 is ignored.