Anchoring text when animating

TC-Stockport wrote on 6/28/2018, 5:26 PM

I'm using Movie Studio 15 and struggling to find a way to stop text from moving as I animate. Trying to make a typewriter effect I'm finding that as I add text the position on the screen adjusts for the whole sentence. I've selected Left in the text options but the text just moves off leftwards instead of just adding to the text already there. What am I missing?

Comments

Tim L wrote on 6/28/2018, 9:44 PM

It's surprising that the Titles and Text animations don't include a "type on" effect (at least not in Vegas Pro 13, which is what I have).  Also, that the "anchor" point doesn't actually anchor the text box itself, but rather anchors where the changes in line spacing and character tracking are centered.

Anyway, the frustrating problem with manually keyframing the text is that the location of the text box is based on the center of the text box.  As you type more characters, the width of the text box changes, so even though the center of the box is fixed, the text itself moves from one keyframe to the next.

The workaround is to add a long line of blanks -- longer than your desired text -- either above or below your text, so that the width of the box is controlled by the long line of blanks, not by your "type on" text (which will vary from one keyframe to the next).

The easiest way to manually keyframe type-on text is to start with the entire text you want, add a long blank line, place the text where you want it, make multiple keyframes (one for each letter), then delete the characters as you go from the last keyframe to the first.

Maybe there is an easier way to do it, but I think this works:

1. Type the full text you want.
2. At the end of that line of text, hit Enter and start typing blanks on the second line.
3. Watch the width of the text box in the preview window, and keep typing blanks until you see the window get a little wider.  The blank line is now controlling the width of the text box.
4. Position the text box where you want it.
5. Press the "Animate" (clock) icon in the upper right corner of the text window.
6. Add keyframes -- at least one keyframe per character in your text.
7. Being careful to not disturb the blank line, select the first keyframe and delete all but the first character of your text.
8. On the second keyframe, delete all but the first two characters of your text.
9. etc.

EricLNZ wrote on 6/28/2018, 10:04 PM

I do this effect by typing in the entire text then using an animated mask to 'uncover' the text letter by letter. I animate the mask position using Pan/Crop and the keyframes need to be on 'Hold' not linear.

TC-Stockport wrote on 6/29/2018, 11:32 AM

Thank you Tim. I agree that it is disappointing that this isn't a basic feature of the program after all there is more to using text than titles and lower thirds. I tried your suggestion and it worked.

Thank you Eric for your help, especially the use of 'Hold'. I had tried using an animated mask and it works but the problem for me is that some of the text that I'm using is five to ten lines long and that means a mask for each line.

Is there a way to automate key frames? I'm manually tapping in a three frame advance then typing a letter. It's very time consuming. In the 90's I used Powerpoint and that had a feature where you dropped in a chunk of text then set the automation rate. I'm not a programmer but it doesn't sound too difficult to do.

I can't believe that I'm the only person needing a lot of text on screen.

TOG62 wrote on 6/30/2018, 5:37 AM

There are programs, such as Movavi (https://www.movavi.com/powerpoint-to-video-converter/) that can convert a Powerpoint presentation to video. Maybe is worth considering that method.

Tim L wrote on 6/30/2018, 11:29 AM

Does Movie Studio 15 include the ProType Titler (or Titler Express, etc.)? Look in your Generated Media tab.

If so, there is a really easy way to do typewriter text -- even multiple lines. Search YouTube for "Vegas ProType typewriter text" or similar.

Otherwise, the method I described is very tedious, especially for multiple lines. It might be easier using a mask as EricLNZ described.

vkmast wrote on 6/30/2018, 11:42 AM

ProType Titler is VPro only and AFAIK all versions of VMS 15 come without an NB Titler.

TC-Stockport wrote on 7/1/2018, 7:31 AM

TOG62 I am aware of programs that turn Powerpoint presentations into movies but you lose the editorial abilities within Vegas so I've discounted that. After all I've paid for Vegas I want to work in Vegas!

Tim L that is exactly what I want and no it isn't in MS15. Can anyone tell me if that facility is in Vegas Pro 15? I suspect it isn't because I've seen tutorials on youtube that use the masking and keyframe animations to get that effect.

vkmast are you referring to Vegas Pro 15? If so then you've answered my question from the previous paragraph.

Thanks to all for their help.

vkmast wrote on 7/1/2018, 12:45 PM

@TC-Stockport Vegas Pro 15 does include ProType Titler (if that's what you want confirmed).

TC-Stockport wrote on 7/2/2018, 1:35 AM

Thank you vkmast. Does the VP15 version of ProType Titler have the automation shown in the youtube clip shared by Tim L? If so that's brilliant, but it does beg the question why are there so many youtube tutorials recommending the masking/keyframe way of revealing text when this way is so much simpler?

vkmast wrote on 7/2/2018, 5:18 AM

@TC-Stockport there's the free trial version here.

TC-Stockport wrote on 7/2/2018, 11:30 AM

I've just downloaded the trial version of VP15 (as suggested by vkmast) and the typewriter effect is there. Now I'll be buying the upgrade from VMS15 platinum. I'm still of the opinion that this should be a feature in the basic package. Now I have the challenge of using all those other wonderful features to get my money's worth!