What to use for lighting text effect?

Maestro wrote on 2/22/2005, 11:04 AM

Hey everyone,

I've been trying to duplicate a text effect without a lot of success and hope someone here can help. Basically, imagine some fancy text (say gold embossed) on a black background that slowly zooms toward the viewer, and as it zooms you see a sliver reflection of light move across the text. So far I've tried using light rays and glow with compositing to limit the output to a narrow vertical portion of the text, but it just doesn't look right. Some of the pro-video and broadcast shows I've seen do this effect make it look very natural.

Is this something best suited to After Effects and one of its filters? Perhaps a text generator like Cayman or Bluff Titler can do it? Or is there a trick in Vegas I'm missing?

Thanks for any feedback!

-Brent

Comments

winrockpost wrote on 2/22/2005, 3:12 PM

Not sure if the text programs you mentioned can do it, but sounds like trapcode shine or stroke for After effects. a very slick effect, and used and overused all over tv.

Redio wrote on 2/22/2005, 4:29 PM

I think you can do it in Boris Graffiti Ltd., which was a part of Vegas 5.

But I am a newbee in Graffiti, so I cant help you more exacly.

If you are new to Graffiti Jonny Roy has mase a tutorial and yuo can find a link over at the vasst site.

Rune

RichR wrote on 2/22/2005, 5:36 PM

This can be done in Vegas with 3 tracks. 2 text tracks and a solid color track. Have your text on tracks 1 and 3. Make the text in track one white and add glow or blur.
Set track 1 as a parent to track two (click the up arrow on track 2) and set compositing mode in track one to multiply (mask).
Crop the solid color on track 2, rotate and animate.

If you have Graffiti, then look for the light sweep filter.

RichR wrote on 2/22/2005, 5:49 PM

Oops! I have to add this...
Add a track, make this track 1. So you now have 4 tracks. Make sure this track is the parent to tracks 2,3,4. (Up arrows clicked on track 2,3,4)
Now you can use 3d track motion in track 1 to fly in your text as the light sweeps across.
Add a track to the bottom of all of this for your background.

Hope this helps.

Chanimal wrote on 2/22/2005, 6:41 PM

I use an older program that can be found on e-bay for about $49 called Asymetrix Web3d, or Asymetix FX (same programs but includes different samples). Way ahead of their time, but a little hard to find.

They can do real ray-traced text (any Truetype) and you can adjust the face, the bevels, the sides, make them look like glass, like chrome, pure gold, glass with chrome--VERY, VERY easy to use and makes Bluff Titler and Cool 3D look dull in comparision.

Comes with dozens of pre-made templates to use or modify, including spinning text, text spinning around a rendered picture cube, text that comes in and "plops" onto the ground, all kinds of great effects.

Search this forum for more info.

You can see samples at www.videobackstage.com Select video samples and click on Special FX (contains 10+ animated text), Animated Logo and Spinning Glass Logo.

Hope this helps.

Maestro wrote on 2/22/2005, 7:28 PM

WOW--lots of replies and really fast! Thanks for the feedback everyone!

I knew there was a reason I hung around here... :)

-Brent