3D Text Effects

Posted by Nick Calpakdjian on 26 July 2011

So I just got hold of my brand new MAC and wanted to take it for a spin to see what I could do with it. Loaded on my new AVID software as well as the new FCP and downloaded a trial version of AE CS4… but what to make.

Well I saw The Wolfman at the cinemas on Valentines Day and although I wasn’t overly impressed I did see a couple of movie trailers that inspired me to do some motion graphics. So I’ve kind of combined two text treatments from 2 trailers and come up with this one. Check it out below…

I guess there are 4 basic elements that make this effect work.

    1.    The Background

I have used a brick wall texture that comes free in the Pro Juice texture packs that you can download here. Using the Curves and Brightness & Contrast effects to colour correct the layer, I have also applied a vignette by masking out a black solid layer and feathering the edges. The wall is also a 3D layer that is scaled larger than the comp to allow the camera to rove across it.

    2.    The Camera

The whole composition is built in 3D space that allows a perspective change over time. The camera sort of tilts and pans down the wall over the length of the clip. As you can see in these two stills:
The camera then tracks forward through the text layers to end on a close-up of the wall for the final text reveal.

    3.    The Text

The text layer ‘Coming Soon’ is built as a 3D layer as well. This enables it to rotate in its own 3D space separate to the background wall and add an additional element of contrast against the perspective change on the wall.
The text layer itself has been built with an outline colour of red, a stroke layer style in black and an additional layer style of a Bevel and Emboss.

    4.    The Slash

As a design element, the dark slash that animates across the frame and sits behind the text layer adds to the visual appeal of the composition. I created a new composition and in it created a shape layer using the pen tool. I then animated a new mask to reveal the slash over time.
Adding a noise effect, I then dragged the composition into the main 3D Text comp, added a 'Multiply' blend mode and parented the Path Composition to the ‘Coming Soon’ text layer by simply toggling ‘Switches/Modes’ to reveal the parenting options and selecting the ‘Coming Soon’ layer. This enables me to animated the text layer and know that the slash will always move with it.

So that’s really it folks. I also built the entire composition as an oversized composition and then subcomped it into a standard definition sized composition for PAL widescreen (Australian standards). I added some music and sound effects from the Pro Juice SFX packs you can download and laid it all up in Media Composer ready to edit on the end of my imaginary film trailer that hits the screens on April 1st.

You can download the project here and have a look at the finer details of it all. Pull it apart, put it back together, make it better and have fun with it. Oh yeah, and it was very nice putting it all together on the new system. Gotta love new gear!!

Nick

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