Master the Art of Creating Mind-Bending Text Effects in After Effects

If you’re looking to add some psychedelic flair to your text animations, you’ve come to the right place. In this tutorial, we’ll dive into After Effects and explore four trippy text effects that will take your motion graphics to the next level.

Whether you’re working on a music video, a visual installation, or simply want to spice up your YouTube channel, these text effects will mesmerize your audience and captivate their attention. So buckle up, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s get started on this mind-bending journey.

Our first effect is the “Pulsating Text” effect, where your text will appear to pulse and throb in a hypnotic rhythm. We’ll show you how to achieve this effect using keyframes and expressions, allowing you to have complete control over the timing and intensity of the pulsations. It’s a simple yet powerful effect that will leave your viewers hypnotized.

Next, we’ll explore the “Retro VHS Text” effect, inspired by the nostalgic aesthetic of old VHS tapes. Learn how to recreate the glitchy, distorted look of vintage video by combining effects like chromatic aberration, noise, and color grading. Your text will look like it’s straight out of the 80s, giving your project a cool and retro vibe.

Things are about to get even trippier with our third effect, the “Liquid Text” effect. Watch as your text morphs and transforms into mesmerizing liquid shapes, giving the illusion that it’s melting or dripping. We’ll show you how to achieve this effect using masks, the liquify filter, and some creative use of keyframes. Get ready to dive into a liquid dream world.

Lastly, we’ll explore the “3D Extrude” effect, where your text will come to life and pop out of the screen. We’ll show you how to create a three-dimensional effect using the built-in tools in After Effects, giving your text depth and dimension. It’s a mesmerizing effect that will make your text jump off the screen and grab your viewer’s attention.

So if you’re ready to take your text animations to new psychedelic heights, join us on this tutorial journey. By the end, you’ll have a toolbox full of trippy text effects that will make your motion graphics stand out from the crowd. Let’s unleash your creativity and dive into the world of mind-bending typography in After Effects.

Section 1: Create a Psychedelic Neon Text Effect

In this tutorial, we will learn how to create a trippy neon text effect in After Effects. This effect will give your text a psychedelic, glowing look that is sure to grab attention.

To start, we will need to create a new composition in After Effects. Go to Composition > New Composition and set the dimensions to your desired size.

Next, we will create a new solid layer by going to Layer > New > Solid. Choose a color for your neon text effect, such as bright pink or electric blue.

Now, we will add the text to our composition. Select the Text tool from the toolbar, click on the composition, and type in your desired text. You can choose a bold, eye-catching font to enhance the psychedelic effect.

After adding our text, we will apply the Glow effect to create the neon look. With the text layer selected, go to Effect > Stylize > Glow. Play around with the settings to achieve your desired look. Increase the Glow Radius to make the text glow more, and adjust the Glow Intensity to control the brightness.

To make our neon text effect more psychedelic, we will add some animation. With the text layer selected, go to Animation > Animate Text > Position. This will create a keyframe for the text’s position. Move the playhead a few frames forward, then click and drag the text to a different position. This will create a smooth animation effect.

Finally, let’s add some finishing touches to our psychedelic neon text effect. Select the solid layer and go to Effect > Color Correction > Brightness & Contrast. Increase the Brightness and Contrast to make the neon color pop even more.

That’s it! You have now created a trippy neon text effect in After Effects. Feel free to experiment with different colors, fonts, and animations to make it your own.

Section 2: Animate Your Text with a Liquid Motion Effect

Animating your text with a liquid motion effect can add a dynamic and mesmerizing touch to your design. This effect creates the illusion of liquid flowing through your text, giving it an organic and captivating appearance.

To achieve this effect in After Effects, you can use the Liquify filter and keyframe animations. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Start by importing your text layer into After Effects. You can either create a new text layer or use an existing one.
2. Select your text layer and go to the Effect menu. Choose the Distort category and click on the Liquify effect.
3. In the Liquify effect settings, adjust the brush size, pressure, and turbulence parameters to create the desired liquid motion effect. Play around with these settings until you achieve the desired look.
4. Once you’re happy with the effect, navigate to the beginning of your composition timeline and set a keyframe for the Liquify effect properties.
5. Move forward in the timeline to the point where you want the liquid motion effect to reach its peak or finish. Adjust the Liquify effect parameters accordingly to create the desired fluidity.
6. Set another keyframe for the Liquify effect properties at this point.
7. Finally, navigate to the end of your composition timeline and set a keyframe for the Liquify effect properties to return to their original state or close to it.

By adding keyframes and adjusting the Liquify effect properties over time, you can create a seamless animation of liquid motion flowing through your text.

This liquid motion effect is perfect for creating eye-catching titles, intros, or transitions in your videos. Experiment with different settings and variations to make your text come alive with a liquid motion effect that suits your style and design.

Section 3: Apply a Glitch Effect to Your Text

To add a glitch effect to your text in Adobe After Effects, you can follow these steps:

1. Select the text layer in your composition.
2. Go to the “Effects & Presets” panel and search for “BadTV”.
3. Drag and drop the “BadTV” effect onto your text layer.
4. In the “BadTV” effect settings, play around with the parameters to achieve the desired glitch effect. You can adjust options like “Horizontal Twitches”, “Vertical Twitches”, “Time Displacement”, and more.
5. If you want to add additional glitchy elements, you can duplicate your text layer and apply effects like “Noise & Grain” or “RGB Split”.
6. Experiment with different combinations of effects and settings until you achieve the desired glitchy look for your text.
7. Once you are satisfied with the glitch effect, you can animate your text as desired using keyframes, masks, or other animation techniques in After Effects.

By applying a glitch effect to your text, you can create a visually interesting and trippy look that adds a unique touch to your project.

Section 4: Add a 3D Displacement Effect to Your Text

In this section, you will learn how to add a 3D displacement effect to your text in After Effects. This effect will give your text a trippy and distorted look, perfect for creating glitchy visuals or psychedelic animations.

To start, select the text layer that you want to apply the 3D displacement effect to. Then, navigate to the Effects & Presets panel and search for “Displacement Map”. Drag and drop the Displacement Map effect onto your text layer.

Next, you will need to choose a displacement map to use for the effect. A displacement map is a grayscale image that determines how the pixels of your text will be displaced in 3D space. You can use any grayscale image for this, but for a trippy effect, you may want to use a chaotic or abstract image.

Once you have your displacement map, go to the Effect Controls panel and click on the “Map” dropdown menu under the Displacement Map effect. Select “Custom” and then click on the “Custom” layer selector. Choose your displacement map from your project files.

Now, you can adjust the settings of the Displacement Map effect to achieve the desired 3D displacement effect. The “Max Horizontal Displacement” and “Max Vertical Displacement” properties control how far the pixels can be displaced in the X and Y axis, respectively. You can keyframe these properties to create dynamic animations.

You can also experiment with the “Displacement Map Channel” property, which determines which color channel of your displacement map will be used for the displacement effect. Try switching between the different channels to see which one gives the best effect for your text.

Finally, you can tweak the “Interpolation” property to control how smoothly the displacement effect transitions between pixels. A higher value will result in a smoother effect, while a lower value will create more jagged and distorted displacement.

By applying a 3D displacement effect to your text, you can add a trippy and psychedelic look to your animations. Play around with different displacement maps and settings to create unique and visually stunning effects.

Section 5: Generate a Retro VHS Text Effect

In this section, you will learn how to create a retro VHS text effect in After Effects. This effect will give your text a nostalgic, glitchy look that is reminiscent of old VHS tapes.

1. Start by creating a new composition in After Effects. Set the dimensions and duration according to your project’s requirements.

2. Create a new solid layer and apply the VHS effect to it. Go to the Effects & Presets panel and search for “VHS”. Drag the VHS effect onto the solid layer.

3. Select the solid layer and go to the Effect Controls panel. Here, you can customize the VHS effect to achieve the desired look. Adjust parameters such as noise, distortion, and hue to create a retro VHS effect.

4. Now, create a text layer by going to the toolbar and selecting the Text tool. Click and drag to create a text box, and enter your desired text.

5. Customize the text layer by selecting it and going to the Character panel. Here, you can adjust the font, size, tracking, and other typographic properties of the text.

6. To apply the VHS effect to the text layer, select the text layer and go to the Effect Controls panel. Under the “Parent” dropdown, select the solid layer with the VHS effect applied.

7. Adjust the position and scale of the text layer as needed to fit the composition. You can also add keyframes to create text animations or movements.

8. Finally, you can further enhance the retro VHS effect by adding additional effects or overlays. Experiment with effects like color grading, film grain, or scan lines to achieve the desired aesthetic.

By following these steps, you can easily generate a retro VHS text effect in After Effects. Have fun playing around with different settings and create unique and eye-catching text effects for your projects.

Section 6: Combine Multiple Effects in One Text Animation

Now that you’ve learned four different trippy text effects in After Effects, it’s time to take your animations to the next level by combining multiple effects into one mesmerizing text animation.

To create a combined text animation, follow these steps:

1. Start by selecting the text layer you want to apply the effects to.
2. Apply the first effect by going to the Effects menu, selecting the desired effect, and adjusting the settings to your liking.
3. Next, apply the second effect by repeating the previous step.
4. Continue applying additional effects as desired, creating a unique combination of effects.
5. Play the timeline or preview your animation to see how the effects work together.

Remember to experiment with different effects and settings to achieve the desired result. Combining effects can lead to endless possibilities and truly mind-bending animations.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Combine the glitch effect with a color cycling effect for a trippy, futuristic look.
• Add a liquify effect to create a wavy, morphing text animation.
• Try combining a displacement map effect with a fractal noise effect for an organic, psychedelic effect.
• Experiment with blending modes and opacity settings to create surreal text animations.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and explore different combinations – the more unique and unexpected, the better!

By combining multiple effects in one text animation, you’ll be able to create stunning visuals that will captivate your audience. So let your creativity soar and let the trippy text effects take your animations to a whole new dimension!

Q&A:

Can you give examples of trippy text effects in After Effects?

Sure! Some examples of trippy text effects in After Effects include glitch effects, psychedelic rainbow effects, pulsating effects, and trippy kaleidoscope effects. These effects can add a psychedelic and surreal look to your text, making it stand out and create a visually captivating experience for the viewer.